WordPress Image Sizes 2026 — Featured, Content & Thumbnail
WordPress automatically generates several sizes of every image you upload and serves a responsive one to each visitor, but you still control the originals. Upload at the wrong size and you get blurry featured images or huge files that slow the page. This guide covers the exact dimensions WordPress uses and the best sizes to upload.
WordPress image sizes — quick reference
| Placement | Size | Ratio | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Featured image | 1200×628 px | 1.91:1 | Also used for social previews |
| In-content image | Up to content width | Any | ~1200 px on most themes |
| Thumbnail (default) | 150×150 px | 1:1 | Cropped square |
| Medium (default) | 300×300 px max | Any | Scaled to fit |
| Large (default) | 1024×1024 px max | Any | Scaled to fit |
| Full / original | Upload 1600–2048 px wide | Any | Source for all sizes |
How WordPress handles images
When you upload an image, WordPress keeps the original and creates thumbnail (150×150), medium (max 300×300), and large (max 1024×1024) versions, plus any extra sizes your theme registers. It then serves the most appropriate size with srcset, so visitors on small screens don't download the full-resolution file.
Because WordPress scales down but never up, the original you upload sets the ceiling on quality. Upload at 1600–2048 px on the long edge so every generated size stays sharp.
Featured images and social previews
The featured image is the most important size to get right: it appears at the top of posts, in archive grids, and — via Open Graph — as the preview when your post is shared on social media. A 1200×628 px (1.91:1) featured image looks correct in both places and avoids awkward cropping in link cards.
Stop blurry and oversized images
Blurry images usually mean the upload was smaller than the slot it fills — always start above the display size. Oversized files are the opposite problem: a 5 MB photo slows your page even after WordPress resizes it. Compress images before upload so the originals stay light, and let WordPress serve WebP where supported.