{"id":26938,"date":"2012-06-18T21:58:36","date_gmt":"2012-06-18T16:28:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/?p=26938"},"modified":"2026-10-13T13:40:58","modified_gmt":"2026-10-13T08:10:58","slug":"wordpress-featured-images-quickly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2012\/06\/wordpress-featured-images-quickly\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Add Featured Images to Multiple WordPress Posts Quickly"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>How do you <strong>add featured images to multiple WordPress posts<\/strong> without editing each one? When we turned on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2012\/06\/post-thumbnails-wordpress-theme\/\">post thumbnails in our theme<\/a> in 2012, we found that every old post needed a featured image set by hand: open the post, open the media gallery, pick an image, save. I gave up after a few posts and found a faster way. The plugin we used then is no longer maintained, but better bulk tools exist today. Here is how to do it in 2026.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-63559\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/bulk-featured-images-wordpress.webp\" alt=\"Add featured images to multiple WordPress posts\" width=\"1200\" height=\"630\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/bulk-featured-images-wordpress.webp 1200w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/bulk-featured-images-wordpress-300x158.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/bulk-featured-images-wordpress-1024x538.webp 1024w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/bulk-featured-images-wordpress-150x79.webp 150w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/bulk-featured-images-wordpress-768x403.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Quick answer:<\/strong> Install the free <strong>Quick Featured Images<\/strong> plugin, go to Featured Images, then Set, Replace, Remove, and choose an action such as &#8220;Set the first image in the post as featured image&#8221; or &#8220;Set a selected image as featured image&#8221;, filter the posts by category or tag, preview and apply. Always back up your database before bulk changes.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_89 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6ad5fed37b6bd\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"ez-toc-cssicon\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6ad5fed37b6bd\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2012\/06\/wordpress-featured-images-quickly\/#Why_featured_images_matter\" >Why featured images matter<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2012\/06\/wordpress-featured-images-quickly\/#Method_1_Quick_Featured_Images_bulk\" >Method 1: Quick Featured Images (bulk)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2012\/06\/wordpress-featured-images-quickly\/#Method_2_Use_the_first_image_in_each_post_automatically\" >Method 2: Use the first image in each post automatically<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2012\/06\/wordpress-featured-images-quickly\/#Method_3_Set_images_from_the_Posts_list\" >Method 3: Set images from the Posts list<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2012\/06\/wordpress-featured-images-quickly\/#Tips_for_good_featured_images\" >Tips for good featured images<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2012\/06\/wordpress-featured-images-quickly\/#Should_old_posts_without_images_get_a_default_image\" >Should old posts without images get a default image?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2012\/06\/wordpress-featured-images-quickly\/#Find_posts_without_featured_images\" >Find posts without featured images<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2012\/06\/wordpress-featured-images-quickly\/#FAQ\" >FAQ<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2012\/06\/wordpress-featured-images-quickly\/#Can_I_bulk_add_featured_images_without_a_plugin\" >Can I bulk add featured images without a plugin?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2012\/06\/wordpress-featured-images-quickly\/#Will_setting_featured_images_change_my_post_URLs\" >Will setting featured images change my post URLs?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2012\/06\/wordpress-featured-images-quickly\/#Why_is_my_featured_image_not_showing\" >Why is my featured image not showing?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_featured_images_matter\"><\/span>Why featured images matter<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>They appear on your blog index, archives, related posts and sidebar widgets.<\/li>\n<li>Social networks use them (through the og:image tag) when your posts are shared.<\/li>\n<li>Search engines and Google Discover favour posts with large, relevant images.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>SEO plugins like Rank Math fall back to a default share image when a post has none, so posts without featured images look the same on social media.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Method_1_Quick_Featured_Images_bulk\"><\/span>Method 1: Quick Featured Images (bulk)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Install and activate <a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/quick-featured-images\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Quick Featured Images<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Open <strong>Featured Images &gt; Set, Replace, Remove<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Choose an action: set the first content image as featured, set one chosen image for many posts, replace or remove featured images.<\/li>\n<li>Add filters, such as a category, tag or date range, to limit which posts change.<\/li>\n<li>Review the preview list, then confirm.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>The plugin also adds a featured image column to your Posts list, so you can spot posts without one and set images quickly.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Method_2_Use_the_first_image_in_each_post_automatically\"><\/span>Method 2: Use the first image in each post automatically<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Many old posts already contain images but no featured image. The &#8220;first image&#8221; action above handles this in one go. Plugins like <a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/auto-post-thumbnail\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Auto Featured Image<\/a> can also generate featured images for older and new posts. Check results on a few posts first; small screenshots and icons make poor featured images.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Method_3_Set_images_from_the_Posts_list\"><\/span>Method 3: Set images from the Posts list<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>For a handful of posts, open Posts, use the featured image column added by such plugins, or Quick Edit where your theme supports it. In 2012 we used the Bulk-Select Featured Image plugin to assign images straight from the Media Library; it has not been updated in years, so avoid it on current WordPress versions.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tips_for_good_featured_images\"><\/span>Tips for good featured images<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Use at least 1200 x 630 pixels for good social sharing and Google Discover.<\/li>\n<li>Compress images and use WebP; see our guide to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2021\/11\/wordpress-image-compression\/\">WordPress image compression<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Add descriptive alt text.<\/li>\n<li>Avoid using one generic image for every post; unique images get more clicks.<\/li>\n<li>Do not use images you lack rights to; try <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2022\/12\/best-free-images-stock-photos-sites\/\">free stock photo sites<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Should_old_posts_without_images_get_a_default_image\"><\/span>Should old posts without images get a default image?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>A default fallback image fills gaps, but it can make archive pages look repetitive. For important posts, a custom image is better; for low-traffic old posts, showing text-only cards on archives is often fine.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Find_posts_without_featured_images\"><\/span>Find posts without featured images<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Before bulk changes, see how big the gap is. With Quick Featured Images active, sort the new image column in Posts to bring posts without a featured image to the top. You can also filter by category to fix your most popular sections first. Start with posts that still get traffic, since those are the ones shown in search results, related posts and social shares.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"FAQ\"><\/span>FAQ<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_I_bulk_add_featured_images_without_a_plugin\"><\/span>Can I bulk add featured images without a plugin?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Not from the standard dashboard. Developers can use WP-CLI or a script, but a plugin is safer for most users.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Will_setting_featured_images_change_my_post_URLs\"><\/span>Will setting featured images change my post URLs?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>No. Featured images do not affect permalinks.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_is_my_featured_image_not_showing\"><\/span>Why is my featured image not showing?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Your theme may not display it on that template, or it may need regenerated thumbnail sizes. Check theme settings first.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How do you add featured images to multiple WordPress posts without editing each one? When we turned on post thumbnails&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":63559,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"default","_kad_post_title":"default","_kad_post_layout":"default","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"default","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"default","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[49,17],"class_list":["post-26938","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blogging","tag-tutorials","tag-wordpress"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26938","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26938"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26938\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":65446,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26938\/revisions\/65446"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/63559"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26938"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26938"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26938"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}