Do you want to add image icons to your WordPress navigation menus?
Images can help visitors understand your site’s navigation at a glance. You can even use icons to highlight the menu’s most important content or call to action.
In this article, we will show you how to add image icons to navigation menus in WordPress.
Why Add Image Icons With Navigation Menus in WordPress?
Usually, WordPress navigation menus are plain text links. These links work for most websites, but they don’t always look interesting or engaging.
By adding image icons to the navigation menu, you can encourage visitors to pay attention to the menu and explore more of your site.
If your menu has lots of different options, then image icons can make it easier for visitors to scan the content and find what they’re looking for. This can be an easy way to increase pageviews and reduce bounce rate in WordPress.
You might even use an image icon to highlight the most important menu item, such as the Checkout link on your online marketplace.
By highlighting a call to action in the menu bar, you can often get more signups, sales, members, and other conversions.
With that being said, let’s see how you can add image icons to your WordPress navigation menu. Simply use the quick links below to jump straight to the method you want to use.
Method 1: Add Image Icons to Navigation Menus Using a Plugin (Quick and Easy)
The easiest way to add image icons to your WordPress menus is by using the Menu Image plugin. This plugin comes with dashicon icons that you can add with just a few clicks.
If you have added Font Awesome icons to your website, then you can use them with this free plugin. For more information on how to set up Font Awesome, see our guide on how to easily add icon fonts to your WordPress theme.
If you want to use your own icon files, then Menu Image also lets you select an image or icon from the WordPress media library.
The first thing you need to do is to install and activate the Menu Image plugin. For more details, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.
Upon activation, click on Menu Image in the WordPress dashboard. On this screen, you can choose whether to get security and feature notifications or click on the ‘Skip’ button.
This will take you to a screen where you can configure the plugin’s settings. To start, you’ll see all the different sizes you can use for the image icons.
If you plan to use icons from Font Awesome or dashicons, then Menu Image will resize them automatically. However, if you use images from the media library, then you’ll need to select the size manually.
The plugin supports the default WordPress image sizes, such as thumbnail, image, and large. It also adds three unique sizes that are set to 24×24, 36×36, and 48×48 pixels by default.
These settings should work well for most websites, but you can make the icons bigger or smaller by typing in different numbers for 1st, 2nd, or 3rd Menu Image size.
When you’re adding icons to your menu, you’ll see an ‘image on hover’ field by default. This allows you to show a different icon when the visitor hovers over that menu item.
Just be aware this setting is only available when you’re using your own images. You don’t need to worry about the ‘image on hover’ feature if you plan to use dashicons or Font Awesome icons.
Showing a different icon can help visitors see where they are in the navigation menu. This is particularly useful if a menu has lots of different items. For example, you might use different colors or icon sizes to highlight the currently-selected menu item.
If you want to try different hover effects, then make sure you check ‘Enable the image on hover field.’
With that done, click on ‘Save Changes’ to store your settings.
To add icons to the navigation menu, head over to Appearance » Menus. By default, WordPress will show your site’s primary menu.
If you want to edit a different menu, then simply open the ‘Select a menu to edit’ dropdown and choose a menu from the list. After that, click on ‘Select.’
Now, find the first menu item where you want to add an icon and give it a click. Then, simply select the new ‘Add Image / Icon’ button.
You can now decide whether to use your own image or choose an icon.
To use a ready-made icon, click on the radio button next to ‘Icons.’ You can then click to select any dashicon or Font Awesome icon.
Do you want to use your own images instead?
Then select the radio button next to ‘Image’ and click the ‘Set Image’ link.
You can now either choose an image from the WordPress media library or upload a new file from your computer.
If you checked ‘Enable the image on hover field’ in the plugin’s settings, then you’ll also need to click on ‘Set image on hover.’
Now, choose an image to show when the user hovers over this menu item.
Sometimes, you may want to ignore this setting and show the same icon no matter what. To do this, click on ‘Set image on hover’ and then choose the exact same image.
If you don’t do this, then the icon will disappear when the visitor hovers over it.
After that, open the Image Size dropdown and choose a size from the list. Using the same size for all icons tends to make the menu look more organized.
However, you might make the menu’s most important icon bigger. For example, if you’ve created an online store using a plugin like WooCommerce, then you might use a bigger icon for ‘Checkout’ so it stands out.
When you’re happy with the icon, it’s time to look at the menu item’s label.
By default, the plugin shows the title label after the icon.
To change this, select any of the radio buttons in the ‘Title position’ section.
Another option is to remove the navigation label completely, creating an icon-only menu. This can prevent a menu with a lot of items from looking cluttered.
However, you should only hide the labels if it’s obvious what each icon means. If it’s unclear, then visitors will struggle to navigate your WordPress blog or website.
To go ahead and hide the label, select the radio button next to ‘None.’
When you’re happy with how the menu item is set up, click on ‘Save Changes.’
To add an icon to other menu items, simply follow the same process described above.
When you’ve finished, don’t forget to click on the ‘Save Menu’ button. Now, if you visit your website you’ll see the updated navigation menu live.
Method 2: Add Icons to WordPress Menus Using Code (More Customizable)
You can also add image icons to your navigation menus using custom CSS. This gives you more flexibility to control exactly where the icons appear in your menus.
However, it does require you to add custom code in WordPress, so it’s recommended for more intermediate or advanced WordPress users.
Before you start, go ahead and upload all your image files to the WordPress media library. For each image, make sure you copy its URL and paste it into a text editor like Notepad. You’ll need to use the links in your code, so this can save you a lot of time.
To find an image’s URL, simply select it in the WordPress media library and then look at the ‘File URL’ field.
For more detailed instructions, please see our guide on how to get the URL of images you upload in WordPress.
After that, go to Appearance » Menus.
Next, open the ‘Select a menu to edit’ dropdown and choose the menu where you want to add the image icons.
After that, go ahead and click on ‘Select.’
Next, you need to enable custom CSS classes by clicking on ‘Screen Options.’
In the panel that appears, check the box next to ‘CSS Classes.’
With that done, you can add custom CSS classes to any item in the navigation menu. This is how you will link each menu item to an image in the WordPress media library.
You can call these classes anything you want, but it’s a good idea to use something that helps you identify the menu item.
To get started, simply click on the first item you want to add an image icon to. In the ‘CSS Classes (optional)’ field, type in the class name you want to use.
You’ll use these custom CSS classes in the next step, so make a note of them in your Notepad or similar app.
Simply follow the same process to add a separate class to all your menu items. After that, click on ‘Save Menu’ to store your settings.
Note: Each icon will be tied to its own CSS class, so be sure to label the menu items differently if you want to use separate icons.
Now you’re ready to add image icons to your WordPress navigation menus using CSS.
Often, WordPress tutorials will tell you to add code snippets to your WordPress theme files. However, doing so may cause common WordPress errors and isn’t very beginner-friendly.
That’s why we recommend WPCode.
WPCode is the most popular code snippets plugin used by over 1 million WordPress websites. It allows you to add custom code without editing your theme’s functions.php file.
The first thing you need to do is install and activate the free WPCode plugin. For more details, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.
Upon activation, head over to Code Snippets » Add Snippet.
Here, simply hover your mouse over ‘Add Your Custom Code.’
When it appears, click on ‘Use snippet.’
To start, type in a title for the custom code snippet. This can be anything that helps you identify the snippet in the WordPress dashboard.
With that done, open the ‘Code Type’ dropdown and select ‘CSS Snippet.’
In the code editor, you’ll need to add some code for every icon you want to show.
To help you out, we’ve created a sample snippet below. You can go ahead and change ‘.carticon’ to the custom CSS class you created in the previous step. You’ll also need to replace the URL with a link to the image in your WordPress media library:
.carticon {
background-image: url('http://localhost:10013/wp-content/my-media/cartcheckout.png');
background-repeat: no-repeat;
background-position: left;
padding-left: 5px;
}
Note: You will need to keep the dot ‘.’ in front of the CSS class in the code snippet. That’s what tells WordPress that it’s a class and not another kind of CSS selector.
You will need to adjust the snippet above for each individual menu item you created above. You can simply paste them all into the ‘Code Preview’ field.
When you’re happy with your code, scroll to the ‘Insertion’ section. WPCode can add code to different locations, such as after every post, frontend only, or admin only.
You want to use the custom CSS code across our entire WordPress website, so click on ‘Auto Insert’ if it isn’t already selected.
Then, open the ‘Location’ dropdown menu and choose ‘Site Wide Header.’
After that, you’re ready to scroll to the top of the screen and click on the ‘Inactive’ toggle, so it changes to ‘Active.’
Finally, click on ‘Save Snippet’ to make the custom CSS live.
Now, if you visit your website you’ll see all the image icons in your navigation menu.
Depending on your theme, you may need to tweak the CSS so it shows the image icons in exactly the right spot. If this is the case, then head to Code Snippets » Code Snippets in the WordPress dashboard.
Then, simply hover over the snippet and click on the ‘Edit’ link when it appears.
This opens the code editor, ready for you to make some changes.
We hope this article helped you learn how to add image icons to your WordPress navigation menu. You can also go through our guide on the best drag-and-drop WordPress page builders and how to make money online blogging with WordPress.
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JT says
hi with CSS method how do have the icons placed above the menu items instead of to the side?
WPBeginner Support says
It would depend on your specific theme for what would need to be added for that, for the time being we would recommend using the plugin method for what you are wanting to do.
Admin
Linsey Retcofsky says
Hi, how could I modify the code to hide the menu link and only show the icon? Thanks for your help.
WPBeginner Support says
You would want to use the plugin and that would allow you to do what you are wanting.
Admin
Kyle says
Hi,
Im wondering if you can help me.
Using Css how would i make the posts in my menu show their respective featured image.
Thanks
WPBeginner Support says
That would require more than CSS, we would recommend reaching out to your theme’s support and they should be able to assist with your featured image display
Admin
Nick says
I try this plugin but facing issue while creating sub-menu. All things I set it up as per guidelines. but those menu have have sub-menu there i’m unable to see the image.
please help me out.
WPBeginner Support says
We would first recommend reaching out to the plugin’s support and they should be able to assist.
Admin
Quy says
thanks for useful article.
WPBeginner Support says
You’re welcome
Admin
Carlos Reddy says
You guys are awesome!
Thank you very much for this!
WPBeginner Support says
Glad you like our content
Admin
Sotir says
Hey thanks a lot for this advise
WPBeginner Support says
You’re welcome
Admin
Richmond Sagoe says
I used Method 2 and it worked. However, I see ‘home’ besides the icon
WPBeginner Support says
This tutorial is for placing the icon next to the word in your menu. If the positioning isn’t correct, you can use inspect element to test CSS changes that you can do to the site: https://www.wpbeginner.com/wp-tutorials/basics-of-inspect-element-with-your-wordpress-site/
Admin
Jo Lee says
I have done all of the above and within the menu I can see the image that I have uploaded so looks like it’s all worked but when I go to the front page of the website the images are not showing, can’t understand why it’s not working
WPBeginner Support says
If you’re using the plugin you may want to reach out to the plugin’s support otherwise, you would want to reach out to your theme’s support in case it is being overridden by your theme’s settings
Admin
Saviour Ukpong says
Nice one, but how do we do it with font awesome??
Christina says
Love you guys!!!! You always have what I need. This is perfect!!!! Thank you!
zviryatko says
Hello, I’m author of Menu Image plugin, and first of all thanks for great article and video manual! May I use link for this tutorial in plugin official description?
And feel free to contact me in case if it misses some useful features, I can add it in new releases.
Btw, there is new version with new title positions: below and above the image.
WPBeginner Support says
Hi zviryatko,
Yes, please feel free to add the link and we appreciate it. However, we do not allow full copy of an article. Thank you for letting us know about the new version.
Admin
Steph Reed says
Hey, I’ve been trying to get the newest version of this to work (totally breaks the menu for me, links included) and it looks like all support is dead air. @zviryatko do you intend on maintaining your plugin? I really like it when it works but I’m considering ditching it for a custom coded solution.
zviryatko says
Hello Steph,
I’m doing some small steps, usually helping people with some custom css to fix their theme. But still, have some plan for fixing supports of old themes and providing a version with better support per user.
Ivan says
Thanks!
hamied hassan says
i would like icon to other menu i can do it by this way
NenaRahin says
I can’t edit files . I want to add custom image sizes but when I try to save , it shows
“Unable to save file: Permission denied ‘/var/www/html/wp-content/plugins/menu-image/menu-image.php’ ”
The message also displays whenever I try to edit any files [by atom editor]. Can you please help. Thanks in advance
Jenna says
I was wondering if there was a way to have the image line up evenly with the title? That way the image doesn’t fall in the middle but aligns on the bottom.
David says
I’m sure this is going to be helpful. Especially that font-awesome will always not have enough icons.
Catalin says
The plugin is not available. Please upload a new link, or change the plugin refeer.
CC says
Hi There! I’ve been using Menu-Icons but there is no way to place icon ABOVE the Menu Text with that plugin. Does the Menu Image plugin allow this option? If not, how would I tweek either plugin to make this work. PS: Not a developer so the simpler/more detailed the instructions the better! Thanks much!
YJ says
Hi, i added a shortcode in the description textbox there :[glt language=”English” Label=”English”],
after using this plugin, this shortcode no function and display icon only on my page,anyone can help?
Chris says
that worked really well, thanks!
Geoff Cox says
Hello
‘have just tried the “Menu Image” plugin and have added the Facebook and the Youtube pics form my own Media Library.
But !! I am using the Twenty Sixteen Theme which uses genericons for the social media menu and they are still there!
I want to replace them with my own images. How do I remove the genericons?
Cheers
Geoff
Amanda says
This plugin isn’t working. But I do have an option for icons … but I don’t have the Font Awesome Menu Icons installed … is it possible that maybe it’s built into the theme and it’ conflicting with this plugin?
Sean Vandenberg says
Sheesh, thanks. This saved me lots of time I would have spent coding otherwise. Typically, I use ionicons or font awesome for menus – but the customer is always right!
Again, super thanks!
Jay says
I basically added this to the Menu label
………………………..
It basically turns the text white and my background is white.
A proper solution would be ideal.
Evik says
Hi, this plugin would be perfect, if the hide of the original text would work. I prefer just having my image instead of the text and even if I set “hide”, the text is still showing, on the left of the image. Any ideas why?
Thanks for help.
Madeline says
This all works great, except that each image is stuck behind the text in the navigation bar instead of sitting to the side of it. I think the problem is that each section of the nav bar menu is the exact size of the text so it’s pushing the images inwards to fit into the space. I’ve tried various things with padding, image size etc but can’t get it to work. Thanks for any help with fixing this!
Madeline says
Hi guys, does anyone have any thoughts on this please? I’m really stuck and I feel like there should be a straightforward way of fixing it! Thanks,
Madeline says
I found a solution so am posting in case this is of use to others. I set a ‘min-width’ element for each item in the navigation menu, and reduced padding, margins and text-size to make sure there is enough room for all the items to fit on one line. It’s not a 100% ideal solution because it will look slightly different depending on screen size, but this is the best I could come up with.
Kristine says
Thank you for this! I looked all over before I found this as the solution to my client’s problem. Love that I could replace ONE BUTTON instead of EVERYTHING.
Mahilet says
if you have no Navigation Label. then it deletes your menu item. for example I have a youtube icon and i don’t want any text, just a link so i have to a ‘.’ inthere
Tim Dehring says
One I use heavily and recommend is Menu Icons (https://wordpress.org/plugins/menu-icons/). Allows you to choose from Font Awesome, Genericons, and many other free icon fonts for menu icons.
Mike Hale says
Tim – I use Font Awesome 4 Menus https://wordpress.org/plugins/font-awesome-4-menus/ on a site, but I’ll have to check that one out. Thanks for the tip.
Tim Dehring says
No problem, happy to share!