Written by Admin on 2025-05-06

Setting a Default Picture in WordPress if Null

WordPress is a popular CMS (Content Management System) used for designing and developing websites. It offers an option to set a featured image for a post or page. However, sometimes there might be instances where the user forgets to add a featured image or the image upload fails. In such cases, it is essential to set a default picture if there is no image provided.

In this article, we will discuss the steps to set a default picture in WordPress if there is no image assigned to the post.

Using code to set default featured image

WordPress offers a filter called admin_post_thumbnail_html that allows us to modify the HTML output of the featured image metabox. We can use this filter to add a default featured image if there is no image provided.

The following code snippet can be used to add a default featured image:

```php function adddefaultfeatured_image($content) { global $post;

if( $content == '' ) {
    $default_image_url = 'https://example.com/default-image.jpg';
    $content = '<img src="' . $default_image_url . '" alt="' . $post->post_title . '" />';
}

return $content;

}

addfilter('adminpostthumbnailhtml', 'adddefaultfeatured_image'); ```

In the above code, we first check if there is any featured image assigned to the post. If not, then we set a default image URL and add the image tag to the content.

Use a plugin to set default featured image

For those who are not comfortable with coding, there is an easy solution. WordPress offers many plugins that can be used to set default images for posts and pages.

One such plugin is the "Default Featured Image" plugin. This plugin allows you to set a default featured image for all your posts.

To use this plugin, follow the below steps:

1. Install and activate the "Default Featured Image" plugin.
2. Go to Settings > Default Featured Image.
3. Select a default image that you want to use as a fallback image in case no featured image is selected.
4. Choose the image size that you want to use as the default featured image.

The plugin will automatically add the default image to the post if there is no featured image selected.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we have discussed two methods that can be used to set a default picture in WordPress if there is no image provided. Both the methods are easy to implement and can save time and effort when the user forgets to add or upload an image to the post. Whether you choose to use code or a plugin, setting a default picture can enhance the aesthetics of your WordPress website.