Gravatar (Globally Recognized Avatar) is a service that allows you to manage your online avatar and ensure it appears the same across various platforms. It lets you display an avatar image next to your name on WordPress sites.
With years of experience in WordPress, we have seen firsthand the benefits of using Gravatar for both personal and business branding. And in this article, we will discuss what a Gravatar is and why you should start using it right away.
History: Avatar
The term Avatar was borrowed from online gaming communities in the late 90s and early 2000s.
Before that, online forums were mainly text-based communities where users were only identified by their user names.
As these communities grew, it was becoming harder to identify users only by their names.
To solve this, online forums allowed their users to upload an image as their profile photo. They called this an “Avatar” image instead of a profile photo.
The term Avatar refers to an image that represents a person or a user. This image could be their own or any other image they want to use as their profile photo.
As the web and blogging evolved, WordPress blogs faced a similar problem. WordPress comments became the conversation hub for many blogs, and it was harder to identify commenters with just names.
Unlike online forums, where users were required to create an account, WordPress commenters generally didn’t need to make an account to leave a comment.
This is when the Gravatar came in.
Related: See our guide on the History of Blogging.
What Is a Gravatar?
Gravatar stands for Globally Recognized Avatar. It is a popular web service that allows people to create a profile and associate avatar images with their email addresses.
Once you add a Gravatar, it is going to be recognized on all the platforms that come with built-in Gravatar support, including WordPress, Slack, GitHub, Stack Overflow, Atlassian, and more.
This means that when you leave a comment on one of the sites that support Gravatar, it will pull your Globally Recognized Avatar from their servers and showcase it next to your name in the comments and other areas.
For instance, when a user leaves a comment on a WordPress site, their Gravatar is automatically shown next to their comment.
This allows each commenter to have their identity throughout the interwebs.
Why Should I Add Gravatar?
If you are a blogger, non-profit, small business, or anyone wanting to build a brand, you need to start using Gravatar.
A Gravatar allows you to build your identity on the web and build an authoritative voice in your industry.
At first, when you comment on blogs, your Gravatar might not be noticeable immediately.
However, if the same person sees your comment on numerous sites they read, they will probably visit your website.
Some website owners complain that Gravatar slows down their websites, and this is the most cited reason why bloggers choose to disable Gravatar.
Pro tip: See our ultimate guide to speed up WordPress for more performance optimization.
How Can I Get a Gravatar?
You can get a Gravatar by visiting the Gravatar website and signing up for a free account.
It is quite easy to create a Gravatar for your profile.
First, you need to visit the Gravatar website and click on the ‘Get Started Now’ button.
You will now be taken to the signup page.
Here, you must add your email address and click the ‘Continue’ button. Once you do that, you will be sent an email with a verification code. Simply enter that code and click the ‘Continue’ button.
You will now be taken to your Gravatar account dashboard.
Here, click on the ‘Avatars’ tab in the left column to open some new settings.
Once you are there, click the ‘Upload Image’ button in the left column to add a Gravatar image from your computer. You can also take your own picture in real-time by clicking the ‘Use Camera’ button.
We recommend choosing a nice profile picture of yourself or your company logo for the Gravatar. However, if you want to remain anonymous, you can use any other image that represents you.
This will open Gravatar’s image editor, from where you can crop, rotate, zoom, and preview your image.
You can also add filters, and configure the brightness, saturation, and contrast for the image according to your liking. Once you are satisfied, just click the ‘Done’ button at the top.
Your Gravatar has now been set up.
To show this Gravatar on your WordPress site, expand the ‘Verified Accounts’ tab from the left column in the dashboard.
This will open a list of platforms where you can activate your Gravatar. From here, select the ‘WordPress’ option.
This will open some new settings, where you will need to follow the onscreen instructions in the left column to add a Gravatar to your website.
To do this, copy the embed code given in the sidebar and paste it on a published page or post on your website. Once you do that, add the URL of the page under the ‘WordPress URL’ option.
Then, click the ‘Verify Account’ button.
Now, you can try out your Gravatar by leaving a comment on a website or by checking the author profile on your WordPress blog.
This is how our Gravatar looked in the author bio section on a demo site.
Frequently Asked Questions About Gravatars in WordPress
Users often ask us questions about using Gravatar for their own avatar image as well as using Gravatar on their websites.
Following are the answers to the most frequently asked questions about using Gravatar.
1. How do I turn off Gravatar on my WordPress website?
You can turn off Gravatar on your WordPress website by simply visiting the Settings » Discussion page and unchecking the box next to the Avatar Display option.
For more details, see our tutorial on how to disable Gravatar images in WordPress.
2. What happens when a user does not have a Gravatar image?
By default, WordPress will show the mystery man image next to the comments where the comment author does not have a Gravatar image associated with their email address. This is called the default Gravatar image.
You can change this image by visiting the Settings » Discussion page and scrolling down to the Default Avatar section.
From here, you will see several options. Some of them will automatically attempt to generate a unique image using an algorithm based on the user’s name or email address.
3. Can I add more than one image or email address to my Gravatar account?
Yes, you can add multiple images and email addresses to your Gravatar account. However, you can only use one image as your Gravatar for each email address.
4. Can I disable my Gravatar account?
Yes, you can disable your Gravatar account at any time. Simply log in to your account on the Gravatar website and select the ‘Account Settings’ option from the dropdown menu on the right.
This will open a prompt. You must switch to the ‘Security & data’ tab and click the ‘Disable’ button for your account.
Disabling your Gravatar image will stop processing your images, and any websites where you left comments will stop showing your Gravatar image.
We hope this article helped you learn about what Gravatar is and why you should start using it. You may also want to see our tutorial on how to change the default Gravatar in WordPress and our top picks for the best plugins to improve WordPress comments.
If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.
Syed Balkhi
Hey WPBeginner readers,
Did you know you can win exciting prizes by commenting on WPBeginner?
Every month, our top blog commenters will win HUGE rewards, including premium WordPress plugin licenses and cash prizes.
You can get more details about the contest from here.
Start sharing your thoughts below to stand a chance to win!
Marcelino Rensburg
`Very concise and informative artical! Thanks!
WPBeginner Support
You’re welcome
Admin
Ugbe Shulamite Anyin
Awesome! I love Gravatar!
Ron
Great Article, very helpful, now let’s see if mine loads
WPBeginner Support
Glad our article was helpful, don’t forget to use the same email that you used to create your gravatar account.
Admin
Andrei
Thank you for this article.
It was really helpful.
WPBeginner Support
You’re welcome
Admin
nancy
Commenting to check if its working
WPBeginner Support
Looks like it is working
Admin
james shaw
just testing my gravatar setting out. i hope this is working
WPBeginner Support
It appears to be working
Admin
Julia
Thank you for the article, also testing if it worked.
WPBeginner Support
Looks like you set it up
Admin
PVT
Testing 123, Gravat is cool and will help a lot
WPBeginner Support
Looks like you may have not set your Gravitar for that email address
Admin
Paul McCafferty
Testing to see if this works!
WPBeginner Support
It looks like you set it up correctly
Admin
Muhammad
Testing Gravatar, this is cool
WPBeginner Support
It appears to be set
Admin
Karthick
This is quite interesting!
WPBeginner Support
Glad you liked our article
Admin
Hedgehog
checking my gravatar works or not
WPBeginner Support
It appears to be working
Admin
Lemuel
Thanks for this post. This was very helpful. I am just learning about this.
WPBeginner Support
You’re welcome, glad our guide was helpful
Admin
Iain
Thanks for this and enjoy my gravatar!
WPBeginner Support
You’re welcome, glad we could be helpful in setting it up
Admin
A Mueed
Checking my gravatar. Thanks by the way
WPBeginner Support
It appears to be working, you’re welcome
Admin
Greg
Tried to sign up with gravatar but it keeps forcing me to build a website. All I want to to is upload a photo..
WPBeginner Support
Gravatar currently requires you to have a WordPress.com account, you should be able to skip creating a site and go back to Gravatar’s site if you created an account on WordPress.com.
Admin
jack dowie
Checking gravatar for gravitas! thanks
WPBeginner Support
You’re welcome, your Gravitar appears to be set
Admin
Amanda
Nice read, great concept.
WPBeginner Support
Thank you, glad you like our content
Admin
Delseta
Checking to see if my gravatar works. Good info!
WPBeginner Support
Looks like your Gravatar is working correctly
Admin
Henry Ayoroh
Thanks. Allow me check to see if my avatar is set…
WPBeginner Support
It appears your Gravatar is set
Admin
tor
Just checking my Gravatar
WPBeginner Support
It appears to be set
Admin
Zohaib Mjeed
Wow Very useful content. Keep it up
WPBeginner Support
Thank you for your kind words
Admin
Hasieishere
Thanks for the info!!
WPBeginner Support
You’re welcome
Admin
David Lee
Does mine work?
WPBeginner Support
It appears to be set up
Admin
Ciara Janay
test testing my gravatar I dont think its working
WPBeginner Support
From taking a look it appears that your gravatar is set
Admin
Huraira
Found it to be a cool concept, especially from the point of view of building a brand. Really useful for such lot!
WPBeginner Support
Thanks for sharing your opinion of Gravatar
Admin
Sigourney Humus
This is great thanks!
WPBeginner Support
You’re welcome
Admin
Apoorva
Checking gravatar
WPBeginner Support
It appears to be set
Admin
danish arafat
very nice this is really useful
WPBeginner Support
Thank you, glad you found our content useful
Admin
RAHASIA
aloha ! Does it work ?
WPBeginner Support
Looks like you set it up correctly
Admin
Bill Helmken
Thanks for the information
WPBeginner Support
You’re welcome
Admin
Gail Fernandes
Thanks for sharing. Just checking to see if my Gravatar works.
WPBeginner Support
Looks like you set it up correctly
Admin
Jennye Guy
Thanks for this tutorial. This is also a test as this is my very first comment!
WPBeginner Support
You’re welcome, looks like you set up your Gravatar correctly
Admin
Campinghood
Testing my Gravatar
WPBeginner Support
Looks like it is set up correctly
Admin
ricky lovenuts
hi just a test gravatar!
WPBeginner Support
Looks like you set it up
Admin
John
Test avatar
WPBeginner Support
Looks like you set it up correctly
Admin
dd
Gravatar test
WPBeginner Support
Looks like you set it up correctly
Admin
Michelle Thomas
Gravatar Test
WPBeginner Support
Looks like you set it up correctly
Admin
tawnyfeatherstone
Gravatar test
WPBeginner Support
Looks like you set it up correctly
Admin
razvan
Gravatar test
WPBeginner Support
Looks like you set it up correctly
Admin
Sophia Sanchez
Interesting article!
WPBeginner Support
Thank you
Admin
Acha Mercy
I’ve been trying to charge my own; think i’m making some mistakes. thanks for this
WPBeginner Support
Glad our article could help
Admin
Stephen Cabral
Testing Gravatar
WPBeginner Support
Looks like you set it up correctly
Admin
cheryl
I don’t understand the difference between avatar (an image) and gravatar (an image, probably the same image).
WPBeginner Support
They are essentially the same thing, Gravatar is a website that works with WordPress so if you post a comment on a site, it will include your avatar image that is linked to your email address without the need for you to have a user on that site.
Admin
Aleksander
Here’s my Gravatar
WPBeginner Support
Nice, it looks like you set it correctly
Admin
Rishi trivedi
Thanks for clarifying
WPBeginner Support
You’re welcome
Admin
Alexander Lewis
Testing my gravatar
WPBeginner Support
It appears to be set
Admin
Mike
Seeing is my gravatar works
WPBeginner Support
It appears to be set
Admin
JEMIMAH
hey i have recently signed to Gravatar
WPBeginner Support
It appears to be set up correctly
Admin
Jacques Lebec
I’m new to Gravatar and figuring it out.