Title: Clickable Featured Image
Author: Bjorn Solstad
Published: May 2, 2023
Last modified: May 20, 2026
---
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# Clickable Featured Image
By [Bjorn Solstad](https://profiles.wordpress.org/basicus/)
[Download](https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/clickable-featured-image.1.1.0.zip)
* [Details](https://sa.wordpress.org/plugins/clickable-featured-image/#description)
* [Reviews](https://sa.wordpress.org/plugins/clickable-featured-image/#reviews)
* [Installation](https://sa.wordpress.org/plugins/clickable-featured-image/#installation)
* [Development](https://sa.wordpress.org/plugins/clickable-featured-image/#developers)
[Support](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/clickable-featured-image/)
## Description
Clickable Featured Image fixes a common WordPress problem: featured images often
look clickable, but nothing happens when visitors click them.
Activate the plugin and featured images become useful links:
* On single posts and pages, featured images link to the full-size image file by
default, which works well with common lightbox plugins.
* On archive pages, category pages, search results, and Query Loop blocks, featured
images link to the post by default.
* If a theme or block already links the featured image, the plugin leaves it alone
to avoid duplicate links.
The default setup is still zero configuration, but version 1.1.0 adds a small Settings
screen for sites that need more control.
### Features
* Make post featured images clickable
* Link single-post featured images to the full-size image file
* Link archive and Query Loop featured images to the post permalink
* Optional attachment-page or no-link behavior on single posts
* Optional no-link behavior on archives
* Enable only the post types you want
* Works with the core Featured Image block and Query Loop block
* Tested with GeneratePress, Twenty Twenty-Four, and common lightbox workflows
* Lightweight: no front-end JavaScript unless Meow/Lightbox compatibility is needed
### When to use it
Use this plugin when:
* Your blog archive thumbnails should link to posts.
* Your single-post featured image should open in a lightbox.
* Your theme displays featured images but does not make them clickable.
* You want a small plugin instead of a full gallery or lightbox suite.
### Settings
Go to Settings > Clickable Featured Image.
Available settings:
* Single posts and pages: full-size image file, attachment page, or do not link.
* Archives and query loops: post permalink or do not link.
* Post types: choose which public post types with featured image support should
be affected.
Defaults match the original plugin behavior: single posts link to the full-size
image and archive images link to the post.
## Screenshots
[⌊Featured image on a single post linking to the full-size image for lightbox use.⌉⌊
Featured image on a single post linking to the full-size image for lightbox use.⌉[
Featured image on a single post linking to the full-size image for lightbox use.
[⌊Featured images in an archive or Query Loop linking to their posts.⌉⌊Featured
images in an archive or Query Loop linking to their posts.⌉[
Featured images in an archive or Query Loop linking to their posts.
[⌊Settings screen for single-post behavior, archive behavior, and post types.⌉⌊Settings
screen for single-post behavior, archive behavior, and post types.⌉[
Settings screen for single-post behavior, archive behavior, and post types.
## Installation
1. Install the plugin from Plugins > Add New in your WordPress admin.
2. Activate the plugin.
3. Optional: go to Settings > Clickable Featured Image to adjust link behavior.
## FAQ
### Does the plugin have a Settings page?
Yes. Go to Settings > Clickable Featured Image. The defaults work without configuration.
### Will this plugin work with my lightbox plugin?
The default single-post behavior links the featured image to the full-size image
file, which is the link format many lightbox plugins expect. It has been tested
with “Lightbox for Gallery & Image Block” and Meow Lightbox style workflows.
### Does this replace a lightbox plugin?
No. This plugin makes featured images clickable. If you want an overlay/modal lightbox,
keep using your preferred lightbox plugin.
### Will this plugin work with block themes and Query Loop blocks?
Yes. It checks the core Featured Image block and avoids wrapping images that are
already linked by the block or theme.
### Will this plugin work with any WordPress theme?
It should work with most themes that use standard WordPress featured image output.
It has been tested with GeneratePress and Twenty Twenty-Four.
### Can I disable it for pages or custom post types?
Yes. Version 1.1.0 adds post type checkboxes on the settings page.
## Reviews
### [For me it is a useful plugin](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/for-me-it-is-a-useful-plugin/)
[megavip](https://profiles.wordpress.org/megavip/) January 5, 2025
Thanks for your work.
### [Unusable](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/unusable-66/)
[Virtualtopia](https://profiles.wordpress.org/virtualtopia/) November 27, 2023
While it worked perfectly for a single post, it disabled the ability to click to
the posts in the archive pages and related posts widget etc.
[ Read all 2 reviews ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/clickable-featured-image/reviews/)
## Contributors & Developers
“Clickable Featured Image” is open source software. The following people have contributed
to this plugin.
Contributors
* [ Bjorn Solstad ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/basicus/)
“Clickable Featured Image” has been translated into 1 locale. Thank you to [the translators](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/clickable-featured-image/contributors)
for their contributions.
[Translate “Clickable Featured Image” into your language.](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/clickable-featured-image)
### Interested in development?
[Browse the code](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/clickable-featured-image/),
check out the [SVN repository](https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/clickable-featured-image/),
or subscribe to the [development log](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/clickable-featured-image/)
by [RSS](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/clickable-featured-image/?limit=100&mode=stop_on_copy&format=rss).
## Changelog
#### 1.1.0
* Added: Settings screen for single-post link target, archive link target, and
enabled post types.
* Improved: WordPress.org description, screenshots, and positioning around clickable/
linkable featured images.
* Improved: Added Text Domain plugin header for translation tooling.
#### 1.0.13
* Fixed: Archive featured images using medium sizes no longer inherit browser `
sizes="auto"` behavior that can render later lazy-loaded images much larger than
the theme-requested size.
#### 1.0.12
* Fixed: Explicitly reserves the configured WordPress thumbnail dimensions for
archive thumbnails, preventing lazy-loaded images from expanding to full archive
width before load.
#### 1.0.11
* Fixed: Archive image links no longer force featured images to full container
width, preserving theme-requested thumbnail sizes in GeneratePress archives.
#### 1.0.9
* Fixed: Let Meow Lightbox re-register singular featured images by using `wp-image-
` classes instead of pre-setting `data-mwl-img-id`
#### 1.0.8
* Fixed: Register singular featured-image containers with Meow Lightbox when themes
render them outside `.entry-content`
#### 1.0.7
* Fixed: Add `data-mwl-img-id` to singular featured images for Meow Lightbox compatibility
#### 1.0.6
* Fixed: Prevent duplicate anchor tags on query loops when theme already wraps
featured images
#### 1.0.5
* Fixed: Added CSS to prevent layout spacing issues on archive pages with Twenty
Twenty-Four theme
#### 1.0.4
* Fixed: Avoid wrapping full block markup on archives by linking only the image/
picture, reducing theme layout spacing issues
#### 1.0.3
* Fixed: No longer breaks archive page links when theme already wraps images in
links
* Fixed: Added proper URL escaping for security
* Tested compatibility with WordPress 6.9
* Updated minimum PHP requirement to 7.4
#### 1.0.2
Fixed a syntax error in the plugin code that caused a parse error.
#### 1.0.1
Updated stable tag and function names to follow guidelines for the Clickable Featured
Image WordPress Plugin.
#### 1.0
Initial release
## Meta
* Version **1.1.0**
* Last updated **4 weeks ago**
* Active installations **70+**
* WordPress version ** 5.4 or higher **
* Tested up to **7.0**
* PHP version ** 7.4 or higher **
* Languages
* [English (US)](https://wordpress.org/plugins/clickable-featured-image/) and [Norwegian (Bokmål)](https://nb.wordpress.org/plugins/clickable-featured-image/).
* [Translate into your language](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/clickable-featured-image)
* Tags
* [clickable image](https://sa.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/clickable-image/)[featured image](https://sa.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/featured-image/)
[image link](https://sa.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/image-link/)[lightbox](https://sa.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/lightbox/)
[post thumbnail](https://sa.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/post-thumbnail/)
* [Advanced View](https://sa.wordpress.org/plugins/clickable-featured-image/advanced/)
## Ratings
3.5 out of 5 stars.
* [ 1 5-star review ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/clickable-featured-image/reviews/?filter=5)
* [ 0 4-star reviews ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/clickable-featured-image/reviews/?filter=4)
* [ 0 3-star reviews ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/clickable-featured-image/reviews/?filter=3)
* [ 1 2-star review ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/clickable-featured-image/reviews/?filter=2)
* [ 0 1-star reviews ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/clickable-featured-image/reviews/?filter=1)
[Your review](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/clickable-featured-image/reviews/#new-post)
[See all reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/clickable-featured-image/reviews/)
## Contributors
* [ Bjorn Solstad ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/basicus/)
## Support
Got something to say? Need help?
[View support forum](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/clickable-featured-image/)
## Donate
Would you like to support the advancement of this plugin?
[ Donate to this plugin ](https://devenia.com/)