WordPress Thumbnail Explained

The WordPress thumbnail is also called the WordPress ‘featured image’. Visit our related post to learn more WordPress vocabulary. You can set a WordPress thumbnail on your posts and pages. The WordPress thumbnail is the image that appears in your archives. Your archive pages include your blog feed, search results or category archives. Using a featured image can add colour and interest to your archives. The size and positioning of the WordPress thumbnail is controlled by your theme. An attractive WordPress thumbnail can encourage visitors to click through to read your post.
Set a WordPress Thumbnail
You can set your thumbnail by configuring the featured image of your post or page:
- Go to your Posts > All Posts (or Add New)
- Click the title of your Post to edit (or create your new Post)
- Click the ‘Set featured image’ link in your sidebar
- Browse to the image you wish to use
- Click the ‘Use as featured image’ link
- Update (or publish) your Post
You’ve now set your WordPress thumbnail. Go to your blog archive and refresh your browser (Ctrl+F5 for Windows and Cmd+R for Mac) and your thumbnail will be loaded. Check out our screen cast for step by step instructions.
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