The Tool Desk
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Use the classic CDN only when Font Awesome 5 is sufficient. Font Awesome 7 is not available through that CDN, so version 7 requires a Kit or self-hosting. Manual PHP and local-delivery setups are useful for developers who need tighter asset control, but they require more care around duplicate files and supported icon markup.
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Choose the right WordPress installation method
Font Awesome can be loaded in WordPress in four practical ways. Your choice determines which Font Awesome versions and styles you can use, how much setup is required, whether visitor browsers contact Font Awesome’s CDN, and which markup patterns will render.
| Method | Version and licensing access | Setup effort | Asset-delivery control | Markup compatibility | Main risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Official plugin plus Kit | Current Kit releases; Free icons and Pro styles when licensed | Low | Managed by the plugin and Kit | Supports the plugin’s Icon Chooser and normal Kit workflows | Invalid token, wrong Kit, or conflicting loads |
| Official plugin plus classic CDN | Documented default is Font Awesome 5 Free; settings can be changed within the CDN path | Low | CDN delivery | Web Font delivery, with optional compatibility features | Version limitations and duplicate assets |
| Manual Kit enqueue | Whatever your Kit provides, including current versions and licensed styles | High | Developer-controlled PHP enqueueing | Depends on the Kit loader and your theme or plugins | Duplicate or conflicting Font Awesome scripts |
| Local stylesheet with embedded SVG | Kit stylesheet fetched into WordPress uploads | High | Normal front-end visitors do not contact the Font Awesome CDN | Embedded SVG icons only when the Kit is skipped | <i> tags, [icon] shortcodes, and CSS pseudo-elements do not render |
For a new site, start with the first row. Move to another method only when a specific version, privacy, or delivery requirement justifies the additional complexity.
Install the official Font Awesome WordPress plugin
Install from the WordPress dashboard
- Sign in to WordPress with an account allowed to install plugins.
- Open Plugins → Add New and search for the official Font Awesome plugin.
- Install the plugin published for WordPress, then select Activate.
- Open the Font Awesome settings page added by the plugin. The first setup screen lets you select a delivery method, such as a Kit or the Font Awesome CDN.
The plugin is also available through WordPress.org and can be installed by uploading its plugin package if your host or deployment process does not allow dashboard installation. The official plugin is the supported integration point: it handles the WordPress hooks and exposes the settings needed to connect a Kit.
Connect a Font Awesome Kit (recommended)
A Kit is a configuration in your Font Awesome account that tells the loader which release, icon families, and account features to make available. Kits can be configured for Free icons or Pro styles when your account has the required license. They can also target a specific Font Awesome release or the latest release, and they support uploaded icons.
Create the Kit and token
- Sign in to your Font Awesome account and create a new Kit.
- Choose the Font Awesome version. Select a specific release when you need predictable assets; choose the latest supported release when you want new icons to arrive through the Kit.
- Choose the Free or Pro icon access appropriate to your account. Selecting Pro styles without the required license will not make those styles available.
- Generate the Kit’s API token or API key in the account interface.
- Copy the token without exposing it in a public post, theme repository, or support ticket.
Font Awesome describes the token as a way for the Kit to obtain Kit data without sending your account credentials to the WordPress server. Treat it as a secret: anyone who can use it may be able to request the Kit configuration associated with it.
Enter the Kit details in WordPress
- Return to the plugin settings in WordPress.
- Switch the delivery method to Kit.
- Paste the API token generated for the Kit into the token field.
- Select the Kit you created. If the list is empty, the token is usually invalid, expired, copied incorrectly, or associated with an account that cannot access that Kit.
- Save the settings and reload a page that contains a Font Awesome icon.
After the save, use the plugin’s Icon Chooser where it is available in the editor or admin interface. Search results and inserted icons are governed by the version and Free/Pro access selected in the Kit, so an icon that exists in a newer release or Pro family will not appear when the Kit does not provide it.
Use Font Awesome icons in WordPress content
Keep the icon’s name and style aligned with the Kit you selected. A missing icon is often a version or licensing mismatch rather than a broken WordPress installation. If an editor inserts an SVG, preserve that SVG when you want the Kit’s current rendering behavior.
When upgrading existing content
Older pages may contain markup written for an earlier Font Awesome release. The upgrade documentation notes that existing icons inserted as SVGs may need manual replacement before they can use newly added Font Awesome 7 icons. Reinsert the icon from the current Icon Chooser, or replace the old SVG with markup generated for the new Kit.
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Use the classic Font Awesome CDN when its limits fit
The plugin can load Font Awesome through the classic CDN instead of a Kit. Its documented default is Font Awesome 5, Free icons, delivered with Web Font technology, although the plugin exposes settings that can change the CDN configuration.
This route is appropriate when a site already depends on Font Awesome 5 and does not need Kit-only capabilities. It is not the current path for Font Awesome 7: version 7 is not available through the CDN. The classic CDN is therefore effectively a Font Awesome 5 path for a new installation; use a Kit or host the assets yourself when you need a current 6.x or 7.x workflow.
CDN options exposed by the integration
The official repository documents CDN loading through either all.js or all.css. Optional version-4 shims and conflict-detection support can be enabled for sites that still contain older markup or need help diagnosing collisions. These options affect how legacy content is interpreted; they do not remove the need to choose icon names and styles that exist in the loaded release.
Switch from CDN delivery to Font Awesome 7
- Create a Kit configured for the latest 7.x release.
- Generate the Kit API key or token.
- In the WordPress plugin settings, change the delivery method from CDN to Kit.
- Enter the key, select the 7.x Kit, and save.
- Review existing icons, especially SVGs inserted under an older release, and replace any that need newly added v7 icons.
Do not leave both the CDN and Kit active unless you have a deliberate reason and understand which asset should win. Loading both commonly produces duplicate CSS or JavaScript and can make an icon appear differently in different parts of the site.
Manually enqueue a Kit for developer-controlled setups
Manual integration is for developers who can edit a child theme, custom plugin, or deployment-controlled PHP file and who understand WordPress enqueue hooks. It gives you control over where the Kit loader is registered, but it also bypasses the safeguards and settings UI provided by the official plugin.
Basic Kit enqueue example
The official example registers one function, calls wp_enqueue_script, and attaches that function to the front-end, admin, and login hooks. Replace the example Kit URL with your own:
<?php
function my_font_awesome() {
wp_enqueue_script(
'font-awesome-kit',
'https://kit.fontawesome.com/yourkitcode.js'
);
}
add_action( 'wp_enqueue_scripts', 'my_font_awesome' );
add_action( 'admin_enqueue_scripts', 'my_font_awesome' );
add_action( 'login_enqueue_scripts', 'my_font_awesome' );Keep this code in a child theme or a custom plugin rather than editing a parent theme that may be overwritten during an update. Test the front end, editor, and login screen separately because each hook controls a different WordPress context.
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Prevent duplicate loading
Before enabling a manual enqueue, inspect the theme and every plugin that might already load Font Awesome. The official integration can enqueue a Kit loader, while CDN mode can enqueue all.js or all.css. Two loaders can create duplicate network requests, conflicting CSS rules, or JavaScript initialization problems. Keep one intentional source of Font Awesome assets and remove or disable the others.
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Reduce front-end CDN requests with local delivery
Privacy-sensitive sites can use the advanced local-delivery setup. It fetches the Kit stylesheet into the WordPress uploads directory and then prevents the normal Kit enqueue with this filter:
add_filter( 'font_awesome_skip_enqueue_kit', '__return_true' );With that arrangement, normal front-end visitors do not contact the Font Awesome CDN for the Kit stylesheet. The Icon Chooser still contacts the CDN from the WordPress admin or editor when it needs SVGs and Kit search data, so this is not a complete no-network mode for administrators.
Important local-mode limitation
Skipping the Kit works only for embedded SVG icons. It does not render <i> elements, [icon] shortcodes, or CSS pseudo-elements. If your theme or content uses those patterns, either replace them with embedded SVG icons or restore a Kit or stylesheet that supports the patterns. Switching to local delivery without auditing existing markup is the most common reason icons disappear after this change.
Diagnose icons that are missing or displaying incorrectly
1. Look for duplicate Font Awesome assets
View the affected page’s source and search for repeated Font Awesome CSS or JavaScript references. Check the theme, the official plugin, custom PHP, optimization plugins, and page-builder integrations. Disable the extra loader so one deliberate source controls the icons.
2. Confirm the active Kit and token
Open the plugin settings and verify that the delivery method is Kit, the intended Kit is selected, and the saved API token is valid. A token copied with an extra character, revoked in the Font Awesome account, or issued for a different account can prevent the Kit list or assets from loading.
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3. Check the icon’s release, style, and license tier
Confirm that the icon name exists in the selected Font Awesome version and that its style is included in the Kit’s Free or Pro access. An icon may be real but unavailable because the site is loading an older release or only Free families.
4. Add legacy compatibility only when legacy markup requires it
Sites migrated from Font Awesome 4 may need the documented v4 compatibility support. Enable it when old class names or conventions are still present, then plan to update those references instead of assuming the shim supplies every modern icon.
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5. Audit markup after enabling local delivery
If icons vanished immediately after the local stylesheet and skip filter were enabled, inspect the content for <i> tags, [icon] shortcodes, and pseudo-element rules. Convert those usages to embedded SVGs or return to a delivery method that supports them.
6. Recheck upgraded SVGs
An SVG embedded from an older release will not automatically become a newly introduced Font Awesome 7 icon. Replace it through the current Kit or Icon Chooser when you need an icon that was added in the newer release.
Which setup should you use?
Choose the official plugin plus Kit when
- You are starting a new WordPress site.
- You want the current Font Awesome release, including a 7.x Kit.
- You may need Pro styles, uploaded icons, or the Icon Chooser.
- You want a supported settings-based workflow rather than custom PHP.
Choose the classic CDN when
- Your existing site is intentionally standardized on Font Awesome 5.
- You prefer the documented Web Font CDN path and do not need Kit features.
- You accept that the classic CDN is not the route for Font Awesome 7.
Choose manual enqueueing when
- You maintain a child theme or custom plugin and need precise control of WordPress hooks.
- Your deployment process manages PHP and asset loading centrally.
- You are prepared to audit every other theme and plugin for duplicate Font Awesome files.
Choose local delivery when
- Reducing third-party front-end requests is a firm privacy or compliance requirement.
- Your icon implementation can use embedded SVGs exclusively.
- You accept that admin and editor searches still contact the CDN and that legacy
<i>, shortcode, and pseudo-element patterns must be replaced.
Recommended implementation checklist
- Install and activate the official Font Awesome WordPress plugin.
- Create a Kit and select the release and Free or Pro access your site actually needs.
- Generate an API token, keep it private, and connect the Kit in the plugin settings.
- Insert an icon that is present in that release and tier, then test it on the front end.
- Search page source for duplicate Font Awesome CSS or JavaScript before troubleshooting individual icons.
- Enable v4 compatibility only for genuinely legacy markup.
- When moving from CDN delivery to version 7, switch to a latest 7.x Kit and review older SVGs.
- Use local delivery only after confirming that your site can render embedded SVGs instead of
<i>tags, shortcodes, or pseudo-elements.
Final recommendation
For almost every current WordPress installation, the official plugin connected to a carefully configured Kit is the best balance of compatibility, version access, and maintainability. The classic CDN remains a practical Font Awesome 5 option, while manual PHP and local SVG delivery are specialist choices for developers with a clear asset-control or privacy requirement. Whichever route you select, use one intentional asset source, match icon names and styles to the Kit’s version and license tier, and verify legacy markup before declaring the installation broken.
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