The Kadence Blocks post grid block is a powerful tool for displaying blog posts, portfolio items, or any custom post type in a customizable grid layout. It can show post titles, excerpts, metadata, and featured images, creating an attractive overview of content that encourages clicks. However, sometimes the post grid displays everything correctly except the featured images, which appear as empty spaces or broken image icons that ruin the visual appeal of the grid and make it less effective at attracting attention to the content.
This problem can be particularly frustrating because the post grid settings appear correct, and the featured images exist in the media library and display correctly on the individual post pages. The grid may show some images but not others, or no images at all, leaving a grid of text-only cards that look incomplete and unprofessional. Understanding why Kadence Blocks post grids fail to display featured images is essential for creating engaging content overviews.
The most common cause of this problem is that the post grid block is looking for a specific image size that does not exist for some or all posts. Another cause is that the posts do not have featured images set at all, or the featured images were set using a method that Kadence Blocks does not recognize (like ACF or custom meta fields). Caching plugins that serve old versions of thumbnails can also cause images to disappear after they have been updated.
Why Kadence Blocks post grid fails to show featured images
Kadence Blocks post grid uses the WordPress featured image system, which stores the image attachment ID for each post. When rendering the grid, the block checks for a featured image and then outputs an img tag with the specified image size. If the post does not have a featured image set, the grid shows nothing (or a placeholder if configured). If the image size specified in the grid settings does not exist for that image, WordPress generates a thumbnail on the fly, but this can sometimes fail, especially on large sites with many images or when image optimization plugins are active.
Another common cause is that the post grid block’s image size setting is set to a custom size that was not properly registered with WordPress. Custom image sizes must be added using add_image_size() in the theme’s functions.php file, and thumbnails must be regenerated after adding the new size. If the custom size is not registered, WordPress will not generate thumbnails at that size, and the grid will display nothing.
The post grid may also fail to show images if the posts were imported from another site or created using a bulk import tool that did not properly set the featured image metadata. The images may exist in the media library, but the attachment ID may not be correctly stored in the post meta. In these cases, the grid block has no way of knowing which image to display, and it shows nothing even though images exist in the library.
How to check if posts have featured images set
Go to the WordPress admin dashboard and navigate to Posts → All Posts. Look at the list of posts and check the “Featured Image” column. If the column is empty or shows “No featured image” for some posts, those posts will not display images in the post grid. To set a featured image for a post, edit the post and click on the “Set featured image” link in the sidebar, then select an image from the media library. After setting featured images, regenerate thumbnails to ensure all image sizes are available.
Step by step guide to fixing Kadence Blocks post grid images
Follow these steps in order to restore missing featured images in the Kadence Blocks post grid. Start with the simplest solutions before moving to more advanced troubleshooting steps.
- Check that each post has a featured image set in the post edit screen
- Verify that the image size selected in the post grid block is correct and exists
- Regenerate all thumbnails using a plugin like Regenerate Thumbnails
- Clear all caches including plugin cache, CDN cache, and browser cache completely
- Change the image size in the post grid block to “Medium” or “Large” for testing
- Check that the image files actually exist on the server and are not corrupted
- Temporarily disable all image optimization plugins to test if they cause the problem
- Update Kadence Blocks to the latest version available from the WordPress repository
- Recreate the post grid block from scratch if the existing block is corrupted
- Contact Kadence Blocks support with specific details about missing featured images
How to register custom image sizes for Kadence Blocks post grid
Add this code to the theme’s functions.php file to register custom image sizes for use in the Kadence Blocks post grid. After adding the code, regenerate thumbnails to create the new image sizes for all existing images. The custom size will then appear in the post grid block’s image size dropdown menu.
add_image_size('kadence-grid-thumb', 400, 300, true);
add_image_size('kadence-grid-large', 800, 600, true);
Kadence Blocks post grid troubleshooting reference table
Here is a reference table for diagnosing post grid image problems in Kadence Blocks based on specific symptoms you might encounter.
| Symptom | Most likely cause | Recommended solution | No featured images appear in the grid | Posts do not have featured images set | Set featured images for each post in the grid | Some images appear, others are missing | Inconsistent featured image setting across posts | Check each post for missing featured images | Images appear but are blurry or pixelated | Wrong image size selected or thumbnails too small | Increase image size in grid settings and regenerate thumbnails | Images worked before but stopped after plugin update | Image size settings changed or thumbnails need regeneration | Regenerate thumbnails and clear all caches |
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For more information about Kadence Blocks post grid settings, visit the Kadence Blocks page on wpwizzy.com.
Preventing Kadence Blocks post grid image problems in the future
Always set a featured image for every post that will be displayed in a post grid, as this is the most common cause of missing images. Regenerate thumbnails after changing any image size settings, and clear all caches immediately after making changes to post grid settings or after updating posts. Use a consistent image size across all posts in the grid to ensure uniform appearance, and consider using a default fallback image for posts without featured images.
Keep Kadence Blocks and all image-related plugins updated to their latest versions on a regular schedule, and test the post grid after every update to catch problems early. Use a staging website to test major changes to image settings before applying them to the live production site, and document any custom image sizes added for the post grid for future reference. Regularly check the post grid on the frontend to ensure that all featured images are displaying correctly.