Why WordPress images aren’t showing: fixes

WordPress is a powerful content management system that allows users to build all kinds of websites — from blogs to e-commerce platforms and beyond. One key feature that enhances both the appearance and usability of WordPress sites is images. However, sometimes you may encounter a frustrating issue: images on your WordPress site simply aren’t showing up. It can negatively impact user experience, site performance, and even SEO.

This issue is surprisingly common and can result from a number of causes, ranging from server settings to simple user error. In this article, we’ll explore the reasons why images might not be displaying on your WordPress site, and more importantly, how to fix them. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned developer, this guide will help you troubleshoot your way back to a fully visual website.

Common Reasons WordPress Images Aren’t Showing

Before jumping into fixes, it helps to understand some of the typical culprits:

• Incorrect file permissions
• Broken image links or missing media files
• Plugin or theme conflicts
• Hotlinking disabled
• CDN configuration issues
• Incorrect upload paths
• Corrupted .htaccess file

Let’s dig deeper into each issue and explore how you can fix them.

1. Check File Permissions

The file permissions for your image files must be correctly configured for browsers to retrieve and display them. WordPress stores media files in the /wp-content/uploads/ directory, and if the server blocks public access, images won’t display.

How to fix it:

• Access your site via FTP or a file manager (like cPanel).
• Navigate to /wp-content/uploads/.
• Make sure the file permissions for folders are set to 755 and files to 644.

After correcting permissions, clear your cache and refresh the page to see if your images load.

2. Fix Broken Image URLs

If you move your WordPress site from one domain to another or change its structure, image URLs might break, resulting in missing images.

How to fix it:

• Go to the WordPress dashboard.
• Navigate to Media > Library and select an image that’s not displaying.
• Check the URL in the “File URL” section. If it links to the old site or a malformed address, that’s your issue.

You can use a plugin like Velvet Blues Update URLs or Better Search Replace to correct all URLs in your database.

3. Theme or Plugin Conflicts

Certain themes or plugins may interfere with how images are called or displayed on your site. A lazy-load feature, for example, could cause images to not render if it’s misconfigured.

How to fix it:

1. Temporarily deactivate all plugins via the Plugins section in the dashboard.
2. Switch to a default theme like Twenty Twenty-One.
3. Check if images now appear. If they do, reactivate your plugins one at a time to find the culprit.

Consider updating the conflicting plugin(s) or theme or looking for alternatives that play nicely with your setup.

4. Issues with Hotlinking

If you’re using images hosted on external domains, and hotlink protection is enabled either on your site or the source’s end, the images won’t load.

How to fix it:

• If you control the other site, disable hotlink protection or whitelist your domain.
• Better yet, upload images directly to your Media Library instead of linking externally.

Tools like Pingdom or Chrome DevTools can help identify images failing due to hotlink restrictions.

5. CDN Configuration Errors

Using a CDN (Content Delivery Network) can speed up your WordPress site, but an incorrectly-configured CDN can prevent images from showing. They may show up as broken links or not load at all in some regions.

How to fix it:

• Log into your CDN provider’s dashboard (e.g., Cloudflare, BunnyCDN).
• Ensure that image paths are correctly syncing and caching.
• Purge the entire CDN cache and refresh your site.

If the images display after purging the cache, it confirms the issue was with outdated or missing files on the CDN.

6. Incorrect WordPress Upload Path

WordPress uses a specific path to reference files in the media library. If this path is wrongly configured — often after migrations or changes in settings — the image links may no longer match the actual file locations.

How to fix it:

• From the WordPress dashboard, go to Settings > Media. If you don’t see the upload path field, you might need to define it via the wp-config.php file.
• Check if the upload_path setting has been overridden. Remove the incorrect setting or make sure it reads as wp-content/uploads.

7. Corrupted .htaccess File

The .htaccess file controls server behaviors including redirects and file access. A corruption or misconfiguration can block images from loading, especially if certain rules block external image access.

How to fix it:

1. Log in via FTP and download your existing .htaccess file as a backup.
2. Delete the existing file from your root folder.
3. Go to your WordPress dashboard, navigate to Settings > Permalinks, and click “Save Changes.” This auto-generates a new working .htaccess file.

After these steps, reload your site to check if the image display issue is resolved.

8. Browser Console and DevTools Diagnosis

Browser developer tools can be incredibly helpful in identifying broken links, permission errors, or cross-origin issues. Access them by right-clicking the page and selecting “Inspect,” then go to the Console or Network tab.

Look for errors such as:

• 403 forbidden – likely a permissions issue
• 404 not found – broken or incorrect URL
• Mixed content warning – HTTP content on an HTTPS site

These clues will guide which fix you apply among those listed above.

9. Regenerate Thumbnails

Sometimes WordPress doesn’t generate image thumbnails correctly, especially after switching themes or updating media settings. This can lead to images not appearing as expected in galleries or featured sections.

How to fix it:

Install and use the Regenerate Thumbnails plugin:

• Go to Plugins > Add New and search for “Regenerate Thumbnails”.
• Install and activate the plugin.
• Navigate to Tools > Regenerate Thumbnails and run the bulk process.

This will recreate the image sizes needed for your active theme.

Conclusion

Image visibility issues in WordPress can look daunting, but most are solvable with a structured approach and some patience. By checking permissions, diagnosing plugin conflicts, scrutinizing paths, and using built-in tools, you can zero in on the core problem and solve it efficiently.

Whether your images disappeared after a site