Featured Image from URL (FIFU)

Remote featured images for WordPress and WooCommerce

Featured Image from URL (FIFU) lets you use externally hosted images as featured images for WordPress posts, pages, custom post types, and WooCommerce products and categories — without downloading the original files to your Media Library.

FIFU integrates with WordPress featured image functionality, allowing compatible themes and plugins to display external images.

FIFU has supported remote WordPress featured images since 2015.

10 Reasons to Use FIFU Free

1. No uploads, no wasted storage: Set featured images using external URLs without storing the original files on your server.
2. WooCommerce support: Use remote images for products and product categories.
3. Automatic featured images: Automatically assign featured images from your post content.
4. Quick Editor: Preview, replace, or remove featured images directly from WordPress content lists.
5. Flexible image display: Set default featured images, control their visibility, and avoid showing the same featured image twice.
6. SEO and social sharing: Support remote image metadata, structured data, and social sharing with compatible SEO plugins.
7. Developer automation: Manage featured images programmatically with WP-CLI and PHP functions.
8. Unsplash image search: Find and select images directly from WordPress.
9. Replace broken images: Automatically display a fallback image when an external image fails to load, without changing its saved URL.
10. Optional image optimization: Use compatible CDN delivery, responsive images, and lazy loading.

Get started in three steps

1. Edit a post, page, or WooCommerce product.
2. Paste a public image URL into the FIFU featured image field.
3. Preview the image and save your changes.

For best results, use a direct image URL that is publicly accessible and allows external display. If an image does not load, check the URL and the source site’s hotlink settings.

Try it: Launch FIFU Free on TasteWP to set your first remote featured image.

Third-party integrations require the corresponding plugins and may depend on supported workflows.

FIFU Free — Included features

All features in this section are available in FIFU Free.

Featured images and settings

• Featured image from URL: Set remote featured images for posts, pages, and custom post types.
• Quick Editor: Manage remote featured images directly from WordPress content lists. Preview, replace, or remove images without opening individual posts.
• Replace Not Found Image: Display a fallback if an external image fails, without changing the saved URL.
• Image alt text: Set descriptive alternative text without uploading the original file.
• Unsplash image search: Search Unsplash and select an image URL from the results.
• Default featured image: Show a chosen image when no featured image is set.
• Featured image admin column: See images in WordPress post, page, supported custom post type, and WooCommerce product category lists.
• Featured image list filter: Find content with no featured image, or filter by featured, remote, or local image.
• Image metadata tools: Generate, synchronize, or clean up image metadata in batches with progress updates.
• Square image options: Choose square cropping or added space separately for desktop and mobile. These options apply to images served by FIFU CDN or FIFU Cloud.
• Hide Featured Media: Hide FIFU featured images on selected post types or post formats where FIFU controls their display.
• Post content options: Add the featured image to post content or remove it to prevent duplicates, and choose which post types are affected.
• Disable right-click: Discourage saving images from the context menu on the frontend. This setting cannot prevent every way of accessing an image.

WooCommerce product images

• Product image from URL: Set a WooCommerce product’s main image using an external image URL.
• Product category images: Set remote images and alternative text for WooCommerce product categories.
• Product image lightbox: Open compatible product images in WooCommerce lightboxes.
• Product image zoom: Use WooCommerce zoom with compatible remote product images.

Using external URLs for multiple-image product galleries, product video galleries, or variation image galleries requires FIFU PRO.

Automation and integrations

• Featured image from post content: Automatically assign featured images from post content, eliminating the need to set them manually for each post. Choose supported post types, exclude image-host domains, and control whether existing featured images can be replaced.
• WP-CLI: Configure FIFU settings and manage featured images from the command line.
• FIFU Image block: Add remote images with FIFU’s image block in the WordPress block editor.
• FIFU Featured Media widget: Display the current post’s remote featured image in a WordPress widget area.

SEO, social images, and structured data

FIFU supports SEO and social metadata for remote images, helping supported search and social platforms use them.

• Open Graph and Twitter image tags: Use featured image URLs in supported social sharing metadata.
• Rank Math SEO: Keep full featured image URLs, including query parameters, in compatible social tags and expose image alt text.
• Yoast SEO: Supply remote featured images to supported social tags and structured-data entries.
• Structured data (JSON-LD): Expose image URLs in supported page, article, and product data.
• Media RSS: Add the featured image to RSS as media:content.

Performance and image delivery

Remote images can reduce local storage use and simplify imports. Page loading speed varies with the image host, file size, caching, and CDN settings.

• Optional image CDN integration: Use compatible WordPress.com/Jetpack image CDN delivery.
• Optional post-content image optimization: Opt into CDN URLs, responsive sources, and lazy loading for eligible images.

CDN delivery and resizing are available for supported images and depend on the image host and selected settings.

Compatibility with other WordPress plugins

• Yoast Duplicate Post: Keep featured image URLs when duplicating posts without sharing FIFU attachment IDs.
• Content Egg: Assign images from product data without overriding explicit changes.
• MultiVendorX (MVX): Enter external product image URLs in supported vendor product forms.
• WoodMart theme: Compatibility support for remote featured images.

FIFU PRO — Advanced media and integrations

FIFU Free covers external featured images and main WooCommerce product images. FIFU PRO adds featured videos, audio, sliders, multiple-image galleries, variation galleries, and additional import and export integrations.

Try the FIFU PRO live demo or see PRO features and pricing.

10 Reasons to Upgrade to FIFU PRO

1. Featured videos and audio: Use YouTube, Vimeo, and other supported video and audio sources as featured media instead of static images.
2. WooCommerce product galleries: Create product galleries with multiple external images and videos.
3. Variation image galleries: Assign different images and galleries to individual WooCommerce product variations.
4. Automatic featured media: Find images using post-title searches, web page URLs, or ASINs, and automatically assign featured media from custom fields.
5. Featured sliders: Replace a single featured image with an interactive image slider.
6. Automatic social sharing: Share featured media automatically through supported Facebook, Instagram, and X workflows.
7. Quick Buy: Let shoppers preview products and access buying controls directly from compatible WooCommerce shop pages.
8. Advanced import and export: Manage remote images, videos, and galleries through WP All Import, WP All Export, WooCommerce CSV, and other supported integrations.
9. REST API integration: Connect FIFU with external applications and automate supported media operations using REST API endpoints.
10. FIFU CDN: Deliver remote images through FIFU’s CDN with responsive image sizes where supported.

Featured videos

Use compatible video URLs as featured media instead of a static image. Browser and provider playback restrictions still apply.

• Supported video and audio sources: YouTube, Vimeo, Twitter, 9GAG, Cloudinary, Tumblr, Publitio, JW Player, VideoPress, Sprout, Odysee, Rumble, Dailymotion, Cloudflare Stream, Bunny Stream, Amazon, BitChute, Brighteon, Google Drive, Spotify, and SoundCloud. FIFU also supports local videos from the Media Library and remote video files.
• Video thumbnails: Remote videos need a remote featured image as their thumbnail. For a video in the Media Library, choose a frame and save it as the thumbnail.
• Video previews: Show video thumbnails and optional play buttons.
• Player display: Configure controls and minimum width, and show a thumbnail when a video container is too narrow.
• Playback: Set autoplay for YouTube, Vimeo, Odysee, Rumble, and local or remote video files. Hover playback and looping work with YouTube, Vimeo, and local or remote video files; muting is available for videos.
• Provider options: Use background playback with Vimeo and privacy-enhanced mode with YouTube.
• Watch Later and Queue: Add buttons for compatible featured videos.

FIFU CDN image delivery

• FIFU CDN (PRO): Deliver remote images through FIFU’s CDN, with responsive image sizes where available.

WooCommerce galleries and product variations

• Remote product image galleries: Create a WooCommerce product image gallery using multiple externally hosted image URLs.
• Product video galleries: Include external videos alongside images in WooCommerce product galleries.
• FIFU product gallery: Use FIFU PRO’s own product gallery display and controls for compatible products.
• Variable product images: Set remote images for WooCommerce product variations, including each variation’s main image.
• Variation image galleries: Add several external images to individual product variations.
• Automatic product category images: Assign WooCommerce product category images automatically.
• Quick Buy: Open product previews with buying controls on compatible shop pages.
• Add image to order email: Include product images in WooCommerce order emails.
• Download to Media Library: Optionally download external images to local media.

Import, export, and REST API integrations

• WP All Import: Import FIFU media URLs, including compatible product and variation data.
• WP All Export: Export FIFU image, video, gallery, and slider URL fields, including saved export configurations.
• WooCommerce product CSV imports: Process remote images and galleries in compatible product imports.
• WebToffee product import/export: Map or export FIFU image, alt text, and video-list fields.
• REST API endpoints: Access FIFU URL information and supported media operations.

Supported fields and media types depend on each plugin’s import or export configuration.

More third-party integrations

FIFU PRO extends several import, affiliate, and gallery workflows.

• WP Automatic: Convert imported FIFU image lists into remote galleries.
• AAWP (Amazon Affiliate WordPress Plugin): Set featured images from compatible AAWP bestseller shortcodes.

Automatic featured media

• Search engine image search: Search for candidate featured images using FIFU PRO’s image search service.
• Title-based image search: Use a post’s title to search for a featured image.
• Web page URL: Find an image using the URL of a web page.
• ASIN: Find product images using an Amazon Standard Identification Number (ASIN).
• Custom fields: Assign featured media automatically from URLs stored in custom fields.
• Website screenshots: Use a website screenshot as featured media.
• Automatic social sharing: Support configured Facebook, Instagram, and X workflows.

Galleries, sliders, and audio

• Remote image galleries: Create galleries with multiple external image URLs.
• Remote video galleries: Build galleries from multiple video URLs.
• Featured sliders: Use a slider as featured media instead of a single image.
• Slider controls: Configure compatible slider autoplay, navigation thumbnails, counters, and transition options.
• Featured audio: Set audio as featured media for supported content.

Additional integrations and controls

• bbPress: Add and display images for supported bbPress forums, topics, and replies.
• BuddyBoss Platform: Display remote images in supported BuddyBoss activity content.
• Media popups: Configure popup display for compatible media.
• Image click redirection: Link featured images to a configured destination URL when visitors click them.
• Shortcodes: Display supported FIFU images, galleries, sliders, and taxonomy images with PRO shortcodes.

Integrations across Free and PRO

• Elementor: Free adds a featured image widget; PRO adds a featured video widget.
• Gravity Forms: Free adds a featured image field; PRO adds featured video and slider fields.
• Dokan: Free adds a product featured image URL field; PRO adds product gallery URL fields.
• WPML, Polylang, and WooCommerce Multilingual: Free helps preserve featured image URLs in translated or duplicated content; PRO synchronizes product image lists and compatible variation media.
• WP Sheet Editor: Free edits featured image URLs; PRO adds WooCommerce remote image gallery editing.
• WooCommerce Bulk Editor (WOOBE): Free edits featured image URLs; PRO adds remote video URL and image-list editing.
• Datafeedr: Free uses imported feed images as remote featured images; PRO adds remote product galleries from supported feed image fields.
• WPAuto Pro: Free supports remote featured images in automated content workflows; PRO adds remote galleries and featured videos from YouTube URLs.
• Houzez (DataTransport): Compatibility support for property image transfers; PRO also converts property image URL lists into featured sliders.

Additional compatibility

FIFU is compatible with these plugins and themes:

• AIOSEO
• AMP
• Force Login
• Google Web Stories
• OL Scrapes
• Search & Filter Pro
• WordPress Importer
• Variation Swatches for WooCommerce
• Flatsome and WPResidence themes

Found a conflict with another plugin or theme? Let us know in the FIFU support forum. We’ll investigate and work on a fix as soon as possible.

Developer functions

Use FIFU’s PHP functions to automate featured media. Free includes functions for featured and category images; PRO adds functions for videos, sliders, and galleries.

Optional: FIFU Cloud image service

FIFU Cloud is a separate service for sites that need managed image delivery. It is not required to use FIFU Free or remote featured images.

• Keep images available: Save remote images in Google Cloud and use stable FIFU Cloud URLs if the original source changes its image URL.
• Smart cropping: Face and object detection helps keep the important subject in view when themes and social networks crop images.
• Optimized delivery: Serve automatically generated WebP thumbnails through Google’s global Edge Network, with image sizes suited to different placements.
• Automatic image management: Upload remote images and remove cloud images that are no longer used on your site.
• Hotlink protection: Restrict other websites from displaying your cloud images, while allowing social media platforms.
• Cloud processing: Process and store images on Google Cloud instead of using your website’s resources for image processing.

FIFU Cloud has separate service terms.