There is no single featured-image size or aspect ratio that works for every WordPress site. The right choice depends on the active theme and the image’s destination—such as a blog card, archive, or single-post page. Check the theme’s image requirements, understand how WordPress creates image sizes, and preview the result in the layouts where readers will see it.
What determines a WordPress featured image’s size?
A featured image—also called a post thumbnail—is an image assigned to a post, page, or custom post type. The theme decides whether to display it and where; common placements include the home page and blog or archive listings. See the WordPress Theme Handbook’s featured-image documentation and the Page/Post Settings sidebar guide.
Three separate layers affect what you see:
- Media settings: WordPress’s built-in thumbnail, medium, and large dimensions define general image-size settings.
- Theme image sizes: A theme can register sizes and select one for a particular template or placement.
- Display treatment: A block or template can scale or crop the selected image to fit a displayed shape.
These layers are related, but they are not interchangeable. A number in Settings > Media does not by itself tell you which dimensions a theme uses for every featured image.
What do Settings > Media dimensions control?
In the WordPress dashboard, open Settings > Media. The screen lists width and height for Thumbnail, maximum width and height for Medium, and maximum width and height for Large. The “Crop thumbnail to exact dimensions” checkbox determines whether thumbnails are cropped to those dimensions rather than kept proportional. The Settings Media screen documentation describes these as image and media settings used in posts and pages.
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The WordPress Developer Resources handbook documents the following default examples. They are useful reference values, not a universal featured-image recommendation or a guarantee that a theme uses them:
| Built-in size | Documented default example | What the value means |
|---|---|---|
| Thumbnail | 150 × 150 pixels maximum | Square dimensions; the Media screen’s exact-crop option controls whether the thumbnail is cropped to the configured shape. |
| Medium | 300 × 300 pixels maximum | Maximum width and height, not a requirement to stretch every image to a square. |
| Medium Large | 768 pixels wide; no height limit | A documented built-in size that does not have a height limit in this example. |
| Large | 1024 × 1024 pixels maximum | Maximum width and height. |
| Full Size | Original resolution | The original image, unmodified by this size selection. |
These defaults and their qualifications come from Featured Images & Post Thumbnails. The separate Edit Media documentation also describes 150 × 150 pixels as the default thumbnail size and says it can be changed in Settings > Media. Your site’s settings or theme may differ.
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How do themes define featured-image sizes?
A theme must enable post-thumbnail support for the featured-image interface. Theme code can then register image sizes and request the appropriate one for a template. Two relevant functions are add_image_size() and set_post_thumbnail_size(); the former registers a named size, while the latter sets the post-thumbnail size. The add_image_size() reference documents the available parameters and crop behavior.
With add_image_size( 'name', width, height ), WordPress creates a proportional, or soft-crop, size. Adding true requests a hard crop to the specified dimensions. An array can also set the horizontal crop position to left, center, or right, and the vertical position to top, center, or bottom. A theme can use a different registered size for an archive card than for a single-post layout.
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Changing a registered size does not resize image files already uploaded. Existing media may need new size variants generated before the revised dimensions are available. Confirm how the site handles existing uploads before choosing a regeneration method; the function reference does not recommend a particular plugin.
How do aspect ratio, Cover, and Contain affect display?
A stored image size and the shape in which a block displays that image are different things. In the Post Featured Image block, the Aspect Ratio control changes the displayed shape and may affect displayed size; available choices depend on theme settings. A site-editor template may offer additional scale settings. WordPress’s documentation notes: “Depending on the theme settings, aspect ratio could be different.” See the Post Featured Image block guide.
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For the Image block, the scale setting determines how an image fits its display area:
- Cover: Fills the selected shape, cropping parts of the image when needed. If the control is available, adjust the focal point to keep the important subject in view.
- Contain: Keeps the entire image visible, which can leave empty space inside the display area.
The Image block documentation explains these options and focal-point controls. The controls available can differ between an Image block, a Post Featured Image block, and a theme template.
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How to choose a size and ratio for your site
- Identify the placement. Check whether the image will appear in an archive or home-page card, a single post, or both. Note the actual shape and dimensions of those display areas.
- Check the active theme’s guidance. Look for the image size the theme registers or requests for each template. Theme documentation or, where appropriate, its template code can clarify what a Media setting alone cannot.
- Review Settings > Media. Check the thumbnail, medium, and large values and the exact-crop checkbox. Treat them as general settings, not proof of a theme’s chosen featured-image size.
- Choose the crop behavior. If every part of the image must remain visible, use a proportional size or a display treatment such as Contain. If the layout needs a filled, fixed shape, a hard crop or Cover may fit better; position the subject safely within the crop.
- Check resolution and file weight. Use enough image detail for the display size without serving an unnecessarily large file. WordPress’s image size and quality guidance covers image dimensions and quality considerations.
- Preview the actual layouts. Check the image in the relevant archive or card and single-post views, not just in the editor. Confirm that the crop preserves the subject at the sizes readers will encounter.
Because themes and templates determine the useful shape, no single aspect ratio can be recommended for all WordPress featured images. Choose based on the target container, how much cropping the image can tolerate, where the subject sits, and the resolution needed for that placement.
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