You add icons to menu items with WP Menu Icons. Menu looks great. Then you update theme. Icons are gone. Empty spaces where icons should be. That is frustrating because you spent time customizing.
A common issue is that the new theme loads icon fonts differently or not at all. WP Menu Icons stores icon choices. They are not lost. The theme is not displaying them.
This is not WP Menu Icons being bad. Theme update broke icon display.
Why WP Menu Icons Disappear After Theme Update
WP Menu Icons saves icon names in database. When theme updates, it may deregister the icon font (Font Awesome, Dashicons, etc.). Icons are still selected in database. But font is not loaded. Browser cannot show icons.
This is not WP Menu Icons being broken. Theme no longer loads required font.
The Most Common Icon Disappearance Causes
- New theme does not load Font Awesome (most common)
- Theme loads different Font Awesome version (icon codes changed)
- Theme deregisters Dashicons on frontend
- Cache plugin serves old CSS without icon fonts
- CDN blocks icon font loading
Check if icon font is loading.
How to Fix WP Menu Icons After Theme Update
- Check if icons are still selected (Appearance → Menus → edit menu item)
- If selected, icons are in database but not displaying
- Go to WP Menu Icons → Settings
- Enable “Load Font Awesome” (forces plugin to load font)
- Enable “Load Dashicons” if needed
- Save settings and clear cache
Forcing plugin to load font fixes the issue.
How to Add Custom CSS for Icons
If icons still missing, add custom CSS to force icon display:
.menu-item i { font-family: "Font Awesome 6 Free"; font-weight: 900; }
Adjust font family to match your icon set. This forces browser to use correct font.
Alternative: Use SVG Icons Instead of Font Icons
WP Menu Icons supports SVG icons. SVG never breaks with theme updates. Go to settings → Icon type → SVG. Upload custom SVG icons. They will survive any theme update.
SVG is more reliable than icon fonts.
People Also Ask About WP Menu Icons Problems
Why did my menu icons disappear after theme update?
New theme does not load icon font. Enable “Load Font Awesome” in plugin settings.
Should I stop using WP Menu Icons?
No. Enable font loading in settings. Icons will return.
Is WP Menu Icons worse than Menu Icons by ThemeIsle?
Menu Icons has same font loading issues. Enable font loading in any icon plugin.
Final Thoughts
If WP Menu Icons disappear after theme update, enable font loading in plugin settings. Icons return. Use SVG icons for future-proof solution.