Table of contents
The best sizeWhat a featured image doesWhy featured image size mattersHow featured image sizes changeDefault sizesHow to change sizesHow to add sizesHow to regenerate thumbnailsBest practicesHow hosting affectsCommon mistakesFAQNext
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WordPress Guide → Images → Size

WordPress featured image size: 1200×628 px (in general …)

Featured images play a big role in how your WordPress posts look—both on your site and across social platforms. But if your images are blurry, cropped weirdly, or slow to load, they’re doing more harm than good.

Let’s walk through the ideal WordPress featured image sizes, how they work behind the scenes, and how to customize them to fit your theme and brand.

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The best size for a WordPress featured image

The best size for a WordPress featured image is 1200 x 628 pixels, because it fits most modern themes and aligns with the standard social sharing aspect ratio. This size gives you a wide, clean layout for blog posts and keeps your thumbnails sharp without inflating file size. It also prevents awkward cropping on archive pages, hero headers, and mobile layouts across a wide range of WordPress designs.

Default WordPress image sizes (and how they affect featured images)

WordPress creates several image sizes every time you upload a file: thumbnail, medium, medium_large, and large. Themes pick from these sizes depending on the template you’re using. If a theme pulls the medium or large size instead of the full image, your featured image might appear smaller or more compressed than expected. 

Understanding these defaults helps you control how your featured image appears in different parts of your site.

How to change WordPress image sizes in Settings > Media

WordPress lets you change some image sizes directly in the dashboard. These settings affect thumbnails and medium or large images that themes sometimes use.

  1. Open Settings in your WordPress dashboard and click Media.
  2. Adjust the pixel values for thumbnail, medium, or large image sizes based on your design preferences.
  3. Click Save Changes to update the defaults.

These settings don’t change theme-specific image sizes, but they do influence how your featured images display on archives and widgets. Keep in mind that WordPress won’t apply your changes to images you uploaded before this point

How to add custom featured image sizes

Sometimes your theme doesn’t offer the exact dimensions you want. In those cases, you can create custom sizes to make your images fit specific templates or branding needs. You can add custom sizes with a few lines of code or by installing a plugin.

Method 1: Add a custom image size with code

You can create your own size if you’re comfortable editing theme files. Add something like this to your theme’s functions.php:

add_theme_support(‘post-thumbnails’);
add_image_size(‘custom-featured’, 1200, 628, true);

This tells WordPress to create a new 1200 x 628 cropped version of every image you upload. After you add this code, you want to regenerate your existing images so WordPress creates the new size for older uploads.

Method 2: Use a plugin to manage custom sizes

If you want an easier approach, plugins help you define new image sizes without editing code. Plugins like Regenerate Thumbnails and Imagify Image Optimization let you create new dimensions, control cropping behavior, and regenerate images in one place. 

Beginners usually go with this method, because it keeps everything inside the dashboard.

How to regenerate thumbnails after changing sizes

WordPress won’t retroactively apply changes when you add new image sizes or adjust existing ones. You need to regenerate thumbnails so older uploads match your new rules. 

Tools like Regenerate Thumbnails scan your Media Library and generate fresh versions of every image. If you work on a large site with thousands of uploads, plan extra time for processing.

Best practices for featured image optimization

With a few habits, you can improve both design consistency and performance.

  • Keep your image width under 2000px so you don’t overload your pages.
  • Compress images before upload to stay within roughly 100–150KB for quick loading.
  • Stick to a consistent aspect ratio so your blog archive looks aligned.
  • Start with a high-quality image since WordPress creates several cropped versions.
  • Use WebP to cut file size without losing clarity.

How hosting affects image handling and performance

Your hosting setup also influences how fast your images generate and load. 

  • A strong server handles image processing quickly, so thumbnails appear without delays. 
  • Faster CPUs and more memory process large uploads efficiently. 
  • Built-in caching or a CDN deliver images faster, which improves your Core Web Vitals. 
  • When your site grows, high-performance hosting makes your image-heavy templates feel smooth and responsive.

Common mistakes to avoid

Many site owners run into avoidable problems when handling featured images. 

  • Oversized files slow down your site, so resize and compress images before uploading. Aim for a width under 2000px and a file size around 100–150KB to keep pages fast on both desktop and mobile.
  • Inconsistent aspect ratios create a messy layout, so pick one ratio and use it for every post. Most themes look best with 16:9 or 1200 x 628, and sticking to it keeps your archive pages aligned.
  • Ignoring your theme’s recommended image size leads to unwanted cropping, so check the theme documentation first. Every theme handles featured images differently, and following the developer’s size guidelines prevents stretched or cut-off visuals.
  • Changing image sizes without regenerating thumbnails causes older posts to display incorrectly, so run a thumbnail regeneration after any size adjustment. Tools like Regenerate Thumbnails apply your new image rules across your entire Media Library.
  • Uploading low-quality images results in pixelated featured images, so start with crisp, high-resolution files. WordPress generates multiple versions of each upload, and strong source quality keeps all variations clear.
  • Relying only on automatic WordPress cropping removes control over your image composition, so crop intentionally before uploading. Editing your image manually lets you choose what stays in frame and what gets trimmed.
  • Using the wrong file format increases file size unnecessarily, so pick WebP or JPEG depending on your needs. WebP gives you small, sharp images, while JPEG works well for high-quality photos when WebP support isn’t available.
  • Not testing featured images on mobile leads to awkward scaling, so preview your posts on smaller screens during upload. Mobile layouts often use different crop rules that can shift the focal point of your image.

Featured image FAQs

WordPress crops your featured image to match the aspect ratio your theme requires. Many themes use strict sizes for grids, headers, or sliders, so WordPress trims your image to fit those layouts. If you want more control, you can change your cropping settings, upload an image with the correct aspect ratio, or use a plugin to customize how WordPress handles cropping.

Most featured images use a 16:9 or 1200 x 628 ratio because it works well for wide blog layouts and social sharing. Themes can use different ratios, which means your image might need to follow a more square or rectangular format. Check your theme’s documentation or inspect its demo to confirm the exact ratio.

You can fix image size issues by adjusting your Media Settings, matching your uploads to your theme’s recommended dimensions, or adding a custom image size. When your images look incorrect after you change settings or add new sizes, regenerate thumbnails to apply those new rules to older images.

WordPress doesn’t enforce a universal aspect ratio. Themes control image shape and cropping. Most themes use 16:9, 4:3, or 3:2 ratios for featured images because these fit modern layouts. Once you find the ratio your theme supports, stick to it so every post stays visually consistent.

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Maddy Osman is a WordPress expert, WordCamp US speaker, bestselling author, and the Founder and SEO Content Strategist at The Blogsmith. She has a B.A. in Marketing from the University of Iowa and is a WordCamp Denver organizer while also operating The Blogsmith, an SEO content agency for B2B tech companies that works with clients like HubSpot, Automattic, and Sprout Social. Learn more about The Blogsmith’s process and get in touch to talk content strategy: www.TheBlogsmith.com

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