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Instant Featured Images

Set, replace and remove featured images in bulk, assign default images by rule, and manage thumbnails right from your post lists.

Download ZIP (v1.0.09)Read the docs

Free, GPLv2. Coming soon to the WordPress.org plugin directory.

  • Instant Featured Images icon
    Instant Featured Images by Quintaphon
    Version 1.0.09WordPress 5.6+PHP 5.6+Posts, pages & custom typesFree & GPL

    Instant Featured Images is a control center for the featured images on your site. Fill every post that is missing an image in one guided task, swap or remove images in bulk, and let rules give new posts the right image automatically. A thumbnail column and a "Without featured image" filter in your post lists show at a glance what still needs an image. Every feature is free, with no upgrade to buy.

Features

  • Bulk Manager
    Set one image on every matching post, spread several images randomly, swap chosen featured images for another, or remove images, in a guided five-step wizard: task, scope, filters, review and done.
  • Review before anything changes
    The review step lists every matching post with its current and its new image. Large jobs run in batches of 100 with a progress bar, so sites with tens of thousands of posts never time out.
  • Fill the gaps only
    Target only posts without a featured image, or replace images that are already set. Narrow the job down by post type, category or tag.
  • Automated Presets
    Rules give new and updated posts a featured image automatically, by category, tag, author, post type or custom taxonomy. A newer rule for the same term replaces the older one, and the rule list stays fast with hundreds of rules.
  • First image in the content
    Optionally use the first image in a post as its featured image, per post type, with your rules as the fallback.
  • Thumbnail column in post lists
    See every featured image right in the Posts and Pages lists. Click a tile to change it, remove it in one click, and spot posts whose image file is missing.
  • "Without featured image" filter
    Every post list gets a Without featured image (N) link, so you find the posts that still need an image in one click.
  • Dashboard and clean-up
    See your featured image coverage, how many posts are missing an image and how many rules are active, and clean up references to image files that were deleted.

Screenshots

Dashboard. Coverage, posts missing an image and active rules at a glance.
Bulk Manager. Pick a task: set, swap, spread or remove featured images.
Review. Every matching post with its current and its new image.
Done. What was updated, post by post.
Automated Presets. Rules by category, tag, author or post type.
Post lists. A featured image column you can edit right from the list.

How to use

    1. Download the ZIP, then in WordPress go to Plugins > Add New Plugin > Upload Plugin, choose instant-featured-images.zip, install and activate it.
    2. Open Instant Images > Dashboard to see how many posts are missing a featured image.
    3. To fill them in one go, open Bulk Manager, choose a task and an image, tick Only posts without a featured image, add filters if you like, review the list and apply.
    4. For new posts, add rules under Automated Presets, for example "When Category is Travel" with a travel image, and click Save changes.
    5. Turn on the thumbnail column under Columns & Preferences to see and change featured images right in your post lists.

FAQ

  • Does it change my images?

    No. It only changes which image is set as the featured image of a post. Your media files are never edited or deleted.

  • Can I see what will change before a bulk task?

    Yes. The review step lists every matching post with its current and its new image, and nothing is changed until you confirm.

  • Do Automated Presets change existing posts?

    Rules run when a post is saved. By default a post that already has a featured image keeps it; turn on "Replace featured images that are already set" if the matching rule should always win. To fill older posts in one go, use the Bulk Manager with "Only posts without a featured image".

  • Does it work with WooCommerce and custom post types?

    Yes. Any post type that supports featured images works with the Bulk Manager, the presets and the thumbnail column.

  • Who can use it?

    Administrators always can. Under Columns & Preferences you choose the minimum role (for example Editor) for the Dashboard, Bulk Manager and default image rules.

  • Is it free?

    Yes. Instant Featured Images is free and open source under the GPLv2 license, with every feature unlocked. If it saves you time, you can support its development with a coffee.

  • How do I get help?

    Read the documentation, or reach us through the support page.

What's new

    • 1.0.09Automated Presets: a new rule for a category, tag or other term that already has a rule now replaces the older rule instead of adding a duplicate.
    • 1.0.08Fixed: on an empty Automated Presets page, the first added rule could share its number with the starter row, so only one rule was saved.
    • 1.0.07Bulk Manager: the review step opens quickly even with tens of thousands of posts, and changes run in batches of 100 with a progress bar. Two admins can use it at the same time.
    • 1.0.06Fixed: choosing the image a post already has in the posts list now counts as done.
    • 1.0.05Automated Presets: rules are numbered from 1.
    • 1.0.04Translations for every string, safer orphan clean-up, posts whose image file is missing count as "missing", and image tiles show wide logos whole.
    • 1.0.03New design with a Dashboard, a featured image column and a "Without featured image" filter in post lists, faster Automated Presets pages, and plugin-styled dialogs.