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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteWordPress includes Gravatar support in core. An administrator can enable comment avatars from the Settings > Discussion screen, choose an allowed content rating, select a fallback image, and save the page. A commenter’s avatar appears when the email address used for the comment matches an image registered with Gravatar.
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Enable Gravatars from the WordPress dashboard
These controls apply to standard WordPress comments. You need an administrator account because Discussion settings affect the whole site.
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- In the left-hand menu, open Settings > Discussion. The current WordPress documentation identifies this page as the place for avatar controls: Settings Discussion screen.
- Scroll to the Avatars section.
- Under Avatar Display, select Show Avatars. The alternative, Don’t show Avatars, suppresses them in standard comment output.
- Set Maximum Rating. This is the content-rating ceiling for Gravatars that WordPress will display.
- Choose a Default Avatar. This image is used when the supplied email address has no matching Gravatar.
- Click Save Changes. WordPress does not apply the new selection until the page is saved.
The official WordPress guide to using Gravatars documents the same workflow and explains how matching works.
What WordPress uses a Gravatar for
“Gravatar” means “Globally Recognized Avatar.” The service associates an image with an email address. When a visitor comments, WordPress uses the email address submitted with that comment to request the corresponding image. If that address is not associated with a Gravatar, WordPress displays the default avatar selected in Discussion settings.
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This means the commenter does not choose an image inside your WordPress comment form. They must use the same email address that is registered with their Gravatar account. A different address, a typo, or an address that has no Gravatar profile produces the selected fallback instead.
WordPress documentation states that Gravatars are integrated into every WordPress site. You therefore do not need a separate plugin merely to display avatars in normal comments.
Understanding every avatar setting
Avatar Display
Show Avatars permits avatar output wherever the active WordPress comment system supports standard avatar rendering. Don’t show Avatars disables that display. Switching this control does not delete anyone’s Gravatar or change a commenter’s account; it changes whether your site requests and displays the image in the relevant WordPress output.
Maximum Rating
The rating setting prevents images above the selected maturity level from appearing. WordPress documents the four choices as follows:
| Rating | WordPress description | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| G | Suitable for all audiences | Most conservative choice for a general-audience site |
| PG | May be offensive; generally intended for audiences aged 13 and older | Sites that permit mildly mature imagery |
| R | Intended for adults over 17 | Adult-oriented communities that accept mature images |
| X | The most mature category | Only where the site’s audience and policies permit the most mature imagery |
Choose the lowest level that fits your audience and moderation policy. A commenter can have a perfectly valid Gravatar and still receive the fallback image if the account’s image exceeds your selected maximum rating.
Default Avatar
The default is shown when no acceptable matching Gravatar is available. WordPress lists these choices:
| Default option | How it appears |
|---|---|
| Mystery Man | A generic person silhouette |
| Blank | A blank avatar area |
| Gravatar Logo | The Gravatar service logo |
| Identicon (Generated) | A generated geometric pattern |
| Wavatar (Generated) | A generated illustrated face |
| MonsterID (Generated) | A generated monster-style face |
| Retro (Generated) | A generated retro-style image |
The generated choices use the commenter’s email address to produce a repeatable image. As a result, the same commenter can receive the same fallback on later comments even without creating a Gravatar account. The fallback does not reveal that a particular person owns a Gravatar; it simply fills the avatar slot when no usable match is returned.
Choose settings that fit your site
For a broad public audience
Select Show Avatars, keep Maximum Rating at G, and use a neutral fallback such as Mystery Man, Blank, or a generated option. G is the documented rating suitable for all audiences and is the least likely to expose visitors to an image your editorial policy would reject.
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For a community that wants consistent visual identities
Choose one of the generated defaults. Identicon, Wavatar, MonsterID, and Retro create repeatable images from the email address, so commenters without Gravatars can still be visually distinguished from one another. This is useful when you want recognizable placeholders without asking every participant to create an account.
For an age-restricted site
Set the maximum rating deliberately rather than accepting a higher level simply because it allows more matches. The R and X categories are intended for mature audiences, and your site’s own access rules and moderation standards should support that choice.
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Confirm that the change works
- Open a post that accepts comments, or create a short test post with comments enabled.
- Submit a comment using an email address that is registered with a Gravatar.
- Use an address without a Gravatar as a second test. It should display the default you selected.
- Check the result while logged out or in a private browser window so you see the public comment output rather than an administrator-only view.
If both tests show no avatar, first confirm that Show Avatars is selected and that Save Changes completed successfully. Then work through the troubleshooting cases below.
Why a WordPress avatar may be missing
The comment uses a different email address
WordPress matches the submitted comment email to the Gravatar account. Ask the commenter to use the exact address registered with Gravatar, including the correct spelling and domain. A display name or website URL does not perform the match.
The image exceeds the site’s maximum rating
Review the account’s Gravatar rating and compare it with the site’s Maximum Rating. If the image is rated above the site’s ceiling, WordPress uses the selected default instead. Lowering the site’s maximum rating cannot make a restricted image appear; the account image must meet the site’s limit.
Avatars are disabled in Discussion settings
Return to Settings > Discussion > Avatars and verify Show Avatars. Saving a different default while Don’t show Avatars remains selected does not make avatars visible; the display control must be enabled separately.
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The image is absent only in a custom author area
Standard comments and custom author cards do not necessarily use the same markup. A theme, page-builder template, membership system, or comments plugin can omit avatar output even while core settings are correct. Inspect the active theme’s author and comment templates and any plugin that replaces those areas.
The WordPress Codex identifies get_avatar as the function that returns a complete avatar image HTML tag and notes that theme code determines where it is rendered. If a developer is debugging a custom area, they should check whether that code calls get_avatar and whether a later template or CSS rule removes the returned image. See Using Gravatars in the WordPress Codex.
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A cache is showing an older page
After saving the setting, clear any page cache or proxy cache used by the site and retest in a private window. This is especially important when the comment form or the comment list is cached separately from the Discussion settings page.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Core settings versus the optional Gravatar Enhanced plugin
Core WordPress is sufficient for ordinary avatar display. The official Gravatar Enhanced plugin is an optional layer for additional Gravatar-related features, not a prerequisite for the seven-step setup above.
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| Capability | WordPress core | Gravatar Enhanced plugin |
|---|---|---|
| Display Gravatars in standard WordPress comments | Supported through Settings > Discussion | Not required |
| Choose display, rating, and fallback settings | Supported in the Avatars section | Uses the same Discussion settings area for its configuration |
| Hovercards | Not part of the basic core avatar controls | Available as an optional module according to Gravatar Support |
| Privacy-proxy option | Not part of the basic core avatar controls | Described as an optional feature in Gravatar’s plugin materials |
Read the current Gravatar Enhanced plugin documentation and Gravatar’s WordPress plugin page before installing it. Check compatibility with your WordPress version, theme, and other comment extensions, and review the plugin’s current terms before relying on an advanced module.
Privacy and external requests
Displaying a Gravatar requires WordPress to use the commenter’s supplied email address to request the associated image. That is convenient for visitors who already use Gravatar, but it also means avatar display involves a request to an external avatar service rather than an image stored solely in your media library.
If that trade-off matters to your site, explain it in your privacy information and consider whether the optional privacy-proxy feature documented by Gravatar is appropriate. A proxy can change how the image request is handled, but it does not remove the need to decide whether third-party avatar matching fits your site’s policy.
When to use a local image instead
Use the built-in Gravatar controls when you want a site-wide, email-based identity that works across participating WordPress sites. Choose a locally managed avatar system instead when your project requires images to remain in your own storage, needs account-level moderation unrelated to email matching, or uses a custom profile system that does not render standard WordPress avatars.
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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →For a normal WordPress comment section, however, the core Avatars settings are the complete solution: enable display, set the rating ceiling, choose a fallback, save, and verify with both a matching and a non-matching email address.
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