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Open the post or page in the WordPress editor, click the gear icon if the settings sidebar is hidden, then choose the Post or Page tab. In the Featured image panel, click Set featured image, select or upload an image, confirm, and save or update the post. You can also assign an image already in your content from that Image block’s More options menu. The image’s eventual appearance is controlled by the theme and template, not just by assigning it.
Set a featured image from the post or page settings
A featured image is associated with a post, page, or custom post type. It is separate from an image inserted into the body of the content: adding an Image block does not, by itself, make that image the featured image. The standard block-editor route is through the settings for the item you are editing.
- Open the post or page in the WordPress editor.
- If the settings sidebar is closed, click the gear icon in the upper-right corner.
- In the sidebar, select the tab for the item—not the selected block. It is usually labeled Post or Page. A custom post type may have its own tab label.
- Find the Featured image panel and click Set featured image.
- Choose an image in the Media Library, or upload one. Confirm by clicking Set featured image in the selection interface.
- Save or update the post or page so the change is retained.
The sidebar and assignment controls are described in the WordPress Page/Post Settings sidebar guide. After an image is assigned, the panel offers Replace and Remove controls. Removing it unassigns the image; it does not remove an image block that may also be present in the article content.
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Use an image that is already in the post
If the image is already inserted as an Image block, you can assign that image without starting from the Featured image panel:
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- Select the Image block in the editor.
- Open its More options menu.
- Choose Set as featured image.
This action assigns the image as the featured image. It does not mean the featured-image setting and the content image are the same thing: the image can remain in the body while also serving as the post’s featured image. WordPress documents the option in its Image block guide.
Which method should you use?
| Route | Best starting point | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Featured image panel | You need to select or upload an image for the post or page. | Assigns an image to the post or page; it does not insert that image into the body. |
| Image block menu | The image is already inserted in the content. | Assigns that existing image as the featured image; the content image can remain in place. |
Both routes assign a featured image. How it is displayed on the site is a separate theme or template decision.
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Where does the featured image appear?
WordPress does not impose one display location for every site. A theme may use the image on a blog index, home page, or elsewhere; another theme may not show it in a particular view. Assignment alone does not guarantee a location, size, or crop. WordPress’s settings documentation notes that themes use featured images differently.
Block themes and templates
In a block theme that supports the Site Editor, the Post Featured Image block can display the assigned image in a template. It is often used inside a Query Loop to control how a list of posts appears. To inspect or change the display, open the relevant template in the Site Editor and check whether it includes that block. The block’s available alignment, dimensions, aspect ratio, and link behavior depend on its settings and the theme. See the Post Featured Image block guide and the developer block reference.
Classic themes
Classic themes can define featured-image support and image sizes. The developer documentation identifies add_theme_support( 'post-thumbnails' ) as the theme support needed for the Featured Image interface, and developers can register image sizes with different scaling or crop behavior. If you maintain a site using a classic theme and the control is absent, ask its administrator or developer to check the theme configuration rather than editing theme files casually. See Featured Images & Post Thumbnails and set_post_thumbnail_size().
Choose an image, size, and alt text
There is no single universal featured-image pixel size established in the WordPress user documentation. The theme, template, and display block determine how an image is fitted or cropped. Follow your site’s image guidance and preview the result in the places it will appear—such as a post page and a listing—before settling on an image.
- Check the crop in context. A crop or cover-style fit can cut off part of the original image. A contain-style fit shows the full image but may leave empty space around it. The relevant options vary by block and theme.
- Use an image you have permission to use. WordPress’s Image block documentation describes optional image sources, including Openverse when supported by the theme; no external service is required to assign a featured image.
- Write useful alt text when the image conveys information. If it is purely decorative and adds no information or functionality, mark it decorative instead. Alt text set in an Image block applies to that post or page; alt text added in the Media Library can act as the default when the image is inserted elsewhere. See the Image block documentation.
Why is the featured image setting missing?
- The sidebar is hidden: click the gear icon in the upper-right corner of the editor.
- You are looking at block settings: the sidebar has a tab for the selected block and another for the post or page. Choose the tab for the item being edited.
- You are in a different editing context: in the Site Editor, the sidebar tab is Template. That is not the post or page editor. Return to the item itself to assign its featured image.
- The item is a custom post type: look for the tab labeled for that post type, rather than assuming it will say Post or Page.
- A classic theme does not expose the control: the theme may not declare post-thumbnail support. Ask the site administrator or theme developer to check the setup.
For the sidebar’s editor-context distinctions, see WordPress’s Page/Post Settings sidebar documentation.
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An image can be correctly assigned and still not appear in the location you expected. Check the relevant theme and template rather than assigning it repeatedly.
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- Confirm the image is visible in the post’s Featured image panel in the editor.
- Identify the view where it is missing: the individual post, a blog or home-page listing, or another layout.
- If the site uses a block theme, inspect the template for that view. The template needs a Post Featured Image block in the place where you want the image shown.
- Check that block’s dimensions, aspect ratio, alignment, and link settings, along with any theme styling that affects the result.
- Preview the page and listing again; a template may show the same assigned image differently in each context.
WordPress’s Post Featured Image block documentation describes template display settings. If you use a classic theme, consult its settings or ask its developer how it handles featured images.
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ScreenshotNeo is a website screenshot API and MCP server, not a WordPress control for setting featured images. If you also need a screenshot of a rendered page—for example, to document an editor workflow—one GET request can return an image or PDF. The call below captures the WordPress settings-sidebar documentation page; it does not change a post. See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for request options.
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://wordpress.org/documentation/article/page-post-settings-sidebar/ -o shot.webpimport requests
r = requests.get("https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot", params={"access_key": "YOUR_API_KEY", "url": "https://wordpress.org/documentation/article/page-post-settings-sidebar/"}, timeout=90)
open("shot.webp", "wb").write(r.content)const q = new URLSearchParams({ access_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY', url: 'https://wordpress.org/documentation/article/page-post-settings-sidebar/' });
const res = await fetch(`https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot?${q}`);- Cookie and consent banners, newsletter popups, and chat widgets are removed before capture; each cleanup step can be turned off.
- Bot checks or CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits are not billed. Responses identify the page verdict and billing status in headers.
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