Table of contents
1. Check for plugin or theme conflicts 2. Clear browser and WordPress cache 3. Fix WebP image delivery issues 4. Reconvert and regenerate WebP images 5. Check for server-level or system issues 6. Bonus fix: Disable lazy loading for WebP images 7. Re-upload or replace specific blank images Getting started Additional resources
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WordPress Guide → Images → WebP Files Blank

WordPress WebP files went blank? Let’s fix it

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WebP is a fast, lightweight image format that helps WordPress sites load quickly. But when WebP files go blank, it can break your layout, confuse your visitors, and hurt your SEO.

The good news? This problem is usually caused by something small—like a caching plugin or a server setting—and it’s fixable. Below, we’ll walk through the most common reasons WebP images break in WordPress and how to fix each one.

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1. Check for plugin or theme conflicts

Most WordPress image problems come from conflicts between plugins or your theme. Here’s how to check for both.

Step 1: Deactivate all plugins temporarily

  • Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
  • Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins.
  • Select all plugins using the checkbox at the top.
  • From the Bulk actions dropdown, choose Deactivate, then click Apply.

Now refresh your site. If your WebP images are showing again, that means one of your plugins is causing the issue.

To find out which one:

  1. Reactivate plugins one at a time.
  2. After each activation, refresh your site and check if the WebP images break again.
  3. When they do, you’ve found the plugin causing the problem.

You can then look for an alternative plugin or contact the plugin developer for support.

Step 2: Switch to a default theme

If disabling plugins didn’t help, your theme might be the problem.

  1. Go to Appearance > Themes.
  2. Activate a default theme like Twenty Twenty-Three or Twenty Twenty-Four.
  3. Reload your website.

If the WebP images now show correctly, your original theme may not support WebP image output properly, or it might be doing something unusual with image tags or lazy loading.

In that case, you can:

  • Contact the theme developer for support.
  • Use a child theme and customize how images are handled.
  • Consider switching to a theme that fully supports modern image formats.

2. Clear browser and WordPress cache

Caching helps your website load faster, but it can also store broken or outdated versions of images. Let’s clear both types of cache.

Step 1: Clear your browser cache

Sometimes your computer is still loading the old, broken version of the page.

  1. Open your website in a browser.
  2. Do a hard refresh:
    • Windows: Press Ctrl + Shift + R
    • Mac: Press Cmd + Shift + R
  3. Or go to your browser’s settings and manually clear the cache.

Check if your images appear now.

Step 2: Clear your WordPress cache

If you use a caching plugin like WP Super Cache, W3 Total Cache, or LiteSpeed Cache:

  1. Go to your WordPress dashboard.
  2. Look in your top admin bar for your caching plugin (e.g., “LiteSpeed”, “W3TC”, or “WP Super Cache”).
  3. Find the option to Purge All Caches or Clear Cache.

If you use managed WordPress hosting, check your hosting control panel for server-side cache clearing.

3. Fix WebP image delivery issues

Even if your images are fine, your server might not be serving them the right way. This is where settings, optimization plugins, and HTML markup matter.

Step 1: Check your image optimization plugin

Plugins like Imagify, ShortPixel, or Smush help convert and serve WebP files, but only if settings are right.

  1. Go to Settings > Imagify (or whichever plugin you’re using).
  2. Look for an option like “Create WebP versions of images” and make sure it’s enabled.
  3. Check for “Display WebP images on site” or “Serve WebP to supported browsers” and enable that too.

Some plugins require you to use the <picture> tag or add a rewrite rule (especially if you’re using Apache).

Step 2: Use the <picture> tag for fallbacks

Older browsers don’t support WebP. To keep your images showing for everyone, use HTML like this:

<picture>   <source srcset="image.webp" type="image/webp">   <img src="image.jpg" alt="Descriptive text here"> </picture>

WordPress doesn’t automatically add this to images in posts, so if your theme doesn’t support it, consider using a plugin like WebP Converter for Media that can handle fallbacks automatically.

Step 3: Check server support for WebP

Your server must allow WebP files to be served. Here’s what to check:

  • .htaccess rules (if you use Apache): WebP plugins often add rewrite rules to serve .webp instead of .jpg. If these are missing or broken, WebP fails.
  • MIME types: Your server must support the MIME type image/webp.
  • mod_rewrite and mod_headers: These Apache modules must be enabled for WebP rewriting to work.
  • Nginx servers: Make sure you’re using try_files or other rules to serve WebP if available.

Check with your host’s support if you’re unsure how to configure this.

4. Reconvert and regenerate WebP images

Sometimes images were only partially converted or corrupted during optimization.

Step 1: Reconvert images using a plugin

  1. Go to your optimization plugin’s settings.
  2. Find the option to re-optimize or re-convert images.
  3. Select WebP as the output format and run the tool.

Sometimes images were only partially converted or corrupted during optimization.

  • Imagify
  • ShortPixel
  • EWWW Image Optimizer

Step 2: Use bulk conversion to fix all images

If you have many blank images:

  1. Install WebP Converter for Media or Converter for Media.
  2. Go to the plugin settings.
  3. Click Bulk Convert or Regenerate All Images.

This will scan your media library and regenerate working versions of your WebP files.

5. Check for server-level or system issues

If all else fails, the problem may lie deeper—with your PHP settings, permissions, or server downtime.

Step 1: Increase PHP memory limit

Low memory limits can cause image loading problems.

  1. Access your site’s files via File Manager or FTP.
  2. Open wp-config.php.
  3. Add this line above the line that says /* That’s all, stop editing! */:
    define(‘WP_MEMORY_LIMIT’, ‘256M’);

This gives WordPress more room to handle large images.

Step 2: Fix file permissions

Incorrect permissions can block images from being accessed.

  1. Use an FTP program or File Manager.
  2. Navigate to /wp-content/uploads/.
  3. Make sure the folder has permission set to 755 and image files are 644.
  4. If needed, right-click > Permissions > update them and apply to subfolders/files.

Step 3: Check server or CDN status

If you’re using a content delivery network like Cloudflare or Jetpack CDN:

  • Log into your CDN dashboard.
  • Clear the cache or purge files.
  • Check for any outage alerts or sync issues.

Sometimes the problem is just a hiccup with the CDN serving the wrong version of your images.

6. Bonus fix: Disable lazy loading for WebP images

Lazy loading delays the loading of images until the user scrolls, which helps speed—but it can cause problems with certain image formats.

If WebP images only load partially or not at all until you scroll:

  1. Go to Appearance > Theme File Editor.
  2. Open functions.php.
  3. Add this line:
    add_filter(‘wp_lazy_loading_enabled’, ‘__return_false’);

Save the file, then refresh your site. If images show up now, lazy loading was interfering.

7. Re-upload or replace specific blank images

If only a few images are affected and the rest work fine, just re-upload them.

  1. Go to Media > Library.
  2. Delete the blank image(s).
  3. Upload a fresh version in JPEG or PNG.
  4. Let your image optimization plugin reconvert it to WebP.

Sometimes files get corrupted or fail during the upload process, and re-uploading is the simplest fix.

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