Profile pictures in WordPress: how Gravatar works and how to change yours

The short answer: the small photo beside your name (in comments, on authors) comes, by default, from Gravatar, a free service that ties a photo to an e-mail address. To change yours, you change it at Gravatar, not in WordPress. Anyone without a photo there gets a generic image.

How it works

Question Answer
Where does the photo come from? From Gravatar, by the user’s e-mail address. WordPress asks the service for it.
How do I change it? On the Gravatar website, signing in with the user’s same e-mail, and uploading another image.
What if I have no account there? The default image appears, which you choose under Settings > Discussion > Avatars.
Can I switch avatars off? Yes, under Settings > Discussion, by unticking “Show Avatars”.
Can I have a photo only on my site? Yes, with a local avatar plugin, which keeps the photo in the site’s library.

Changing the photo, step by step

1 Confirm the user’s e-mail under Users > Your Profile. The photo is tied to it.
2 Sign in at Gravatar with that address (or create the free account) and upload the image. Use a square one, with the face in the centre.
3 Wait a few minutes and refresh the site. Images are kept in memory for a while, and the old one may stay until then.
4 Choose the default image for people without a photo, and the maximum rating, under Settings > Discussion.
5 If you prefer not to use Gravatar, untick avatars or install a local avatar plugin.
Gravatar is an outside service. To ask for the photo, WordPress sends the service a coded version of the e-mail of each person who appears. On a site with visitors who comment, this counts for the privacy policy: Personal data protection.
If avatars make the page slow, the reason is usually the request to the outside service: switch them off on pages with many comments. WordPress comments.

The photo does not change and you have already waited? Open a ticket with the site’s address and the user’s e-mail.

Open a support ticket

SEE ALSO

Personal data protection: what applies to your website

Stopping spam comments in WordPress

Adding a WordPress user, and which role to give them

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