Do you want to change the default Gravatar on your WordPress site? By adding your own default gravatar image, you can make your comments section branded. In this article, we will show you how to change the default gravatar in WordPress and replace it with your own custom default gravatar image.
What is Default Gravatar and Why Change it?
Gravatar is a web service created and run by WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg’s company called Automattic. It allows anyone to create a profile and associate avatar images to their email addresses.
This avatar image is then displayed on all WordPress blogs where users leave comments or write blog posts. For more details see our guide on What is gravatar and why you should start using it right away.
All WordPress sites come with built-in support for gravatars and automatically show users’ avatars when they write posts or leave comments.
However, if a user doesn’t have a gravatar image, then WordPress automatically shows the default gravatar image. The default option is to show an image called mystery man. It looks like this:
If you don’t want to use the mystery man as default image, then you can change it to your own branded image.
Having said that, let’s see how you can change the default gravatar image on your WordPress site, so you can use a custom default gravatar image.
Changing Default Gravatar Image in WordPress
First, you need to visit Settings » Discussion page and scroll down to Avatars section. This is where you can configure and change gravatar settings on your WordPress site.
You will notice that there are a few choices available under the default avatar option. These avatars are used when a user does not have a gravatar associated with their email address.
Out of the box WordPress uses the mystery person icon as the default gravatar. You can change that to blank or gravatar logo.
There are few other options available as well. These are automatically generated images in different designs. These images use comment author’s name or email address to mathematically generate a unique gravatar image.
Don’t forget to click on the save changes button after changing your default gravatar.
Using Custom Default Gravatar Image in WordPress
WordPress also allows you to use your own default gravatar images. Here is how you can easily add your own custom default gravatar image in WordPress.
First you need to create an image that you want to use as the default gravatar. This image should be a square, like 250×250 pixels.
Next, you need to upload this image to your WordPress site. Head over to Media » Add New and upload your custom default gravatar image.
After the image is uploaded, you need to click on the Edit link next to the image.
WordPress will now open your image for editing. You need to just copy the image file URL and paste it in a plain text editor like Notepad.
Now you need to add some code to your WordPress site. If you haven’t done this before, then please take a look at our guide on how to copy paste code in WordPress.
Add the following code to your theme’s functions.php file or a site-specific plugin.
add_filter( 'avatar_defaults', 'wpb_new_gravatar' );
function wpb_new_gravatar ($avatar_defaults) {
$myavatar = 'http://example.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/wpb-default-gravatar.png';
$avatar_defaults[$myavatar] = "Default Gravatar";
return $avatar_defaults;
}
Don’t forget to replace $myavatar value to the URL of the custom gravatar image you uploaded earlier.
You can now visit Settings » Discussion page and you will notice your custom default avatar added to default avatar choices.
Select your custom default avatar image, and then click on the save changes button.
WordPress will now use your image for users who don’t have their gravatar associated with their email addresses.
We hope this article helped you learn how to change the default gravatar on WordPress. You may also want to see our guide on how to set custom avatars for users in WordPress.
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Thanks for the nice explanation, Now I’m clear about setting up my gravatar in WordPress site.
this is very useful
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I’ve looked everywhere on how to change the default avatar and you were the only ones who simple explained it and displayed how! Sometimes finding the answer in the haystack of information can be just mind blowing. You rock!
how set when user comment your post show him/her original profile. please help me. thanks
Hello, I’ve tried this in my child’s theme function and it just will not work. The image in the discussion settings and on the front-end appear broken. When I right click to view the path it displays:
It affixes the i1.wp.com before the link. Even when I tried to connect directly to the child theme stylesheet directory and pickup from the folder, ‘images/chicken_avatar.png’, it still affixed the i1.wp.com
Any ideas how to fix this? Thank you.
Hey Joy,
We tested it again with a child theme and it worked as expected. We are not sure what may be causing the issue. You can follow the instructions again. Make sure you add the full image URL in the code.
Hmm, not sure what I was doing wrong. I just gave it another go and it works. Thank you!
Joy: Mine Via Another WordPress Script, is Going to (i0.wp.com/MySite…). Very Strange. :–)
It Still Shows i0.wp.com/MySite Whwn Going to the Image Location, but I Changed the URL Code to (‘/custom-gravatar/mh-profile-photo-default.png’), Instead of ‘example.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/mh-profile-photo-default.png’). In Settings > Discussion It Shows My Admin Photo as the Default User Gravatar, but On User Profiles, It Views Properly! :–)
Hello.
The code worked perfectly fine for me. But this arises another problem:
Same gravatar appears when everyone else including visitor comments on my blog.
How to solve this?
Hi, i added and sucesfully saved input(type = url) for each user profile, on ly localhost installation.
I’m trying to change original code from WP Codex wesbsite:
From:
add_filter( ‘avatar_defaults’, ‘new_default_avatar’ );
function new_default_avatar ( $avatar_defaults ) {
//Set the URL where the image file for your avatar is located
$new_avatar_url = get_bloginfo( ‘template_directory’ ) . ‘/images/new_default_avatar.png’;
//Set the text that will appear to the right of your avatar in Settings>>Discussion
$avatar_defaults[$new_avatar_url] = ‘Your New Default Avatar’;
return $avatar_defaults;
}
To something that will replace default avatar url foreach user with value from custom input field(if its not empty), any help?
I know there are plugins that allows subsciribers to upload gravatar images, but i don’t want to allow them doing that, i want to give them a chance to put url to their own images
I am not able to show avatars next to comments. I am using Hitchcock WordPress Theme.
THANK YOU!
Actually I’ve been looking for this solution for my blog for 3 months!
Thanks again!
Claire xo
I have the Gravatar set up in WordPress, but when the e-mail goes out to my followers for my blog, the mystery man is there. Looks really bad at the top of my e-mail. Any suggestions?
Thanks!
Here are two folders of images in Cpanel.
1. /public_html/wp-includes/images
2. /public_html/wp-content/themes/divi/images
In which folder where I upload the image.
I can’t see my avatar even after setting in comment box but i see it about me.
I am facing the same issue.
I’m looking for a plugin, or SIMPLE code solution that will allow me to create a number of ‘default’ gravatar/avatar images that are color coded based on the member’s gender/orientation. Obvious ones like blue for male, pink for female, but I’ll likely add lavender for transgender and possibly others. Basically, the decision about the ‘default’ avatar that appears for the member (until they upload an image) would at least let people browsing the site know if the person they see posting (or online) is male / female / transgender / etc.. Any ideas?
Is there code to force the default avatar to be blank? I have it set to blank in the WP settings, but it’s still showing up as mystery man. Is there code to either delete mystery man entirely so it’s not even an option. Or to make sure it’s blank and not mystery man? Thanks!
See our guide how to disable gravatars in WordPress.
Thanks! I tried that already. When I do that, the avatars also disappear from the author box (I’m using Starbox). I’m at a loss. I’ve even checked my WP tables, and it shows the default avatar is set to blank. I can’t figure out how to get rid of mystery man…
How would one go about rotating a set of images in that Gravatar thumbnail spot? Meaning: if I had 5 different images, to have them randomly appear for users without Gravatars, so there was a variation of the 5?
If anyone is facing issues with child themes, just use:
$myavatar = get_stylesheet_directory_uri().’/img/favicon.png’;
It works.
This was a life saver!
Great, thanks!
Thanks for the information!
Wow – found this post 2 years after my first post and got it working this time
Thanks WP Beginner
Thanks!
okay i get the whole idea but how you put your personal pciture of you into the gravatar that what i’m trying to figure out..
Goto Gravatar website and sign in with WordPress. Then you can upload your avatar and tie it to one or more of your emails.
Thank you!
It works. Thanks Bookmarked your blog!
Thank you Syed Balkhi. it really worked for me. just keep the good work going.
Hi, just checking what happens next
Thank you so much
it’s working 
Thank you so much for these instructions. For some reason, things were wonky when I used a .png file, but a gif worked easy peasy!
I am having the same issue as Keely. I am using a child theme so get_bloginfo does not work. When I check the URL of the broken image it displays the path to the parent theme. Is there a way to get this to work with a child theme?
What should be the size of the image file to be uploaded to the theme folder?
Thanks
Any way to make this use a SSL connection using the same code? Always loads “insecure content”. What changes to make it a secure image during loading?
If you are loading gravatar on a secure page then it should automatically load securely. Also check Settings » General change your site and WordPress address to use https. Let us know if this solved the issue.
Thank you for sharing this , i was not able to change the default image but after reading this i changed
What if you’re using a child theme …
I changed the line
$myavatar = get_bloginfo(‘template_directory’) . ‘/images/gravataricon.gif’;
to
$myavatar = get_bloginfo(‘stylesheet_directory’) . ‘/images/gravataricon.gif’;
but still not working
Is the image not showing or the code altogether is not working (i.e it’s not even adding an option for custom gravatar)?
I am having issues with the code also. I used it on another site and it worked perfectly, however on the site I’m currently working on… it shows as an option in the admin panel under settings-discussion, however it is showing as a broken image and does not display on the blog pages either. Any help is greatly appreciated.
Right click on the broken image to get the image URL. Open that URL in another tab to verify that the URL is correct.
I am having the same issues on localhost
I just used your advice here; more explanation that the image needed to be saved in the themes folder too would have been helpful. But your tips here helped me figure some of it out. Thanks.
@wpbeginner Secondly , do you know an good pre image loading plugin for wordpress
@wpbeginner disquess is having some problems at my blog see there http://freakify.com it is not allowing me to upload any custom image>>>? Why
@mrahmadawais That is because Disqus is a third party platform….
tell me plz
any one here now to tell me why disquss is not accpting this
thanx it worked perfectly!
This gravatar custom code is very cool and really work on my blog. Thank you very much.
You rock WPbeginner.
This gravatar custom code is very cool and really work on my blog. Thank you very much.
You rock WPbeginner.
@Kindar We are glad to have you as a user
Let us know if you have any suggestions.
When ever I search for something on the internet i usually get to see your website.. Now I started follow your website and the stuff you share.. What ever you share its really useful and thats why i always check it up, and see whats new. Also i wanted to thank you for the last subject.
When ever I search for something on the internet i usually get to see your website.. Now I started follow your website and the stuff you share.. What ever you share its really useful and thats why i always check it up, and see whats new. Also i wanted to thank you for the last subject.
where is located the file /images/gravataricon.gif ?
Inside your WordPress Theme’s folder.
Hi!
Wow..I’ve gone round and round with code. Not adept with this as a newb…but usually can get things to work.
I added the code to get a default avatar for guest . It worked. At least in admin. The image shows up in ADMIN..but not on the website.
I also signed up at gravatar for my own custom gravatar for my ADMIN comments…and it shows up in their “check point”…but cannot get it to show up in my comments.
Neither does the Guest Gravatar.. but the GRAVATAR image shows up instead.
My custom image IS checked as default in Discussions. Both images are uploaded to the theme/images and the path to the guest image is correct in the code. I made the images 128 x 128 as suggested online nowadaZe… Dunno if THAT sizing must be specified somewhere? I looked thru the functions code…as best as my bewildered eyes can comprehend..but didn’t finding anything that looked like it would work. Maybe in style.css?… Dunno if it makes a difference. Don’t want to go thru changing everything..and still not work. Have already spent DAYS trying to figure this out. Should be a simple thing.
Don’t understand why MY admin gravatar isn’t showing. Per what I read…it should be handled via gravatar. The email address used for the gravatar is the same as listed in admin.
WHAT am I doing wrong/missing?.. I have WP 2.8.4.
I tried pasting the above code at the top…AND at the bottom… but neither works. Does it matter WHERE you paste it in the functions.php?
Can you suggest anything?Would DEEPLY appreciate any help you can give. Can give you any code you might need…just specifiy.
Thank you in advance. tearing out hair..
It sounds like that this issue is not with the function rather it is the comments.php file error.
thanks for this tip. I used this on my site and the default avatar is showing up in the comments section but not in the “Recent Comments” side bar. I’m using the “Get Recent Comments” plugin. Is this treated differently?
http://interactiveblend.com/blog
Unless that plugin has specified a default in their code, this should work. It means the plugin is not coded properly. Contact the developer, and ask them to fix it.
The code works if placed in custom-php.php which has the advantage of sticking through upgrades.
Do you have any ideas on the code for removing the html calls to gravitar.com in buddypress?
Thanks for the tip. Works flawlessly.
I noticed wordpress is changing the quote into a backquote, you should use
'instead of’Problem fixed.
This is the code snippet I was looking for.
But it doesn’t work properly… I put in the code into my functions.php (I’m sure everything is correct, also the path to my picture).
But when I go to discussion, I can’t see my Avatar, and also the WP-backend is a little bit broken… The code i put into the functions.php shows up above the header of the WP-backend.
Can you help me please? Maybe I didn’t only a little thing wrong??
The code above is 100% correct because that is what we are using. I don’t know what you can potentially be doing wrong. But without looking at your codes we won’t be able to help you out. You can hire us for a small fee, and our staff can surely fix the problem.
I think I may be having the same trouble as fantasmo. The snippet works and the gravatar shows up within the discussion admin page but when you click on ‘save changes’ to save the options, you get a white screen which displays the footer from the option-discussions.php instead of the full page saying that the options have been saved.
I saw the same results as Fantasmo. When I copy/pasted the code, the blank line between the add_filter and the function was lost for some reason. Putting the blank line back seemed to fix the problem.