People search for “WordPress logo” for two very different reasons. Some want the official WordPress mark itself, to use in a presentation, a tutorial or a “built with WordPress” badge. Others want to put their own logo on a WordPress site. This guide covers both: the history of the WordPress logo, where to get official files, what the trademark policy allows, and step-by-step instructions for adding your own logo in block and classic themes.
A short history of the WordPress logo
WordPress launched in 2003 as a fork of b2/cafelog. The logo most people recognize today, a stylized “W” inside a circle, was designed by Jason Santa Maria in the mid-2000s and has stayed essentially the same since, with only refinements to color and proportions over the years. The design has two main parts:
- The W mark (sometimes called the “simplified” logo or icon): the circular “W” on its own. This is what you see as the WordPress favicon, in the admin toolbar and in app icons.
- The full logo: the W mark alongside the “WordPress” wordmark, used where there is room for the name.
Both are commonly shown in a dark gray or the WordPress blue, or reversed out in white on a dark background. The name itself is always written with a capital P: “WordPress”, never “WordPress”. WordPress core even includes a filter, capital_P_dangit, that quietly corrects the spelling in post content and titles.
Where to download the official WordPress logo
The only place you should download the WordPress logo is the official Graphics & Logos page on WordPress.org. It provides the W mark and the full logo in several color variations, in vector formats (such as EPS and SVG) and raster PNG files. Using these files guarantees correct proportions and colors.
Avoid logo files from image search results or “free logo” sites. They are often low resolution, recolored, stretched, or based on older versions of the mark, and they make your work look less professional. For print, use the vector files; for the web, SVG gives crisp results at any size.
WordPress logo trademark rules
The WordPress name and logo are trademarks held by the WordPress Foundation, a non-profit organization. The software is free and open source under the GPL, but the trademarks are not: their use is governed by the WordPress Foundation trademark policy. Read the policy itself before any commercial use, since it is the authoritative source and can be updated. In broad terms, it is designed to let the community refer to WordPress freely while preventing confusion about who is official.
Generally acceptable
- Using the logo to refer to WordPress itself, for example in a tutorial, a news article, a talk slide or a “Powered by WordPress” note.
- Saying that your theme, plugin or service is “for WordPress” or works with WordPress.
- Using the abbreviation “WP” in product and domain names; the policy treats “WP” differently from the full name.
Generally not acceptable
- Using “WordPress” in a domain name. The policy asks people to use “WP” instead (for example,
wpexample.comrather thanwordpressexample.com). - Implying that your product or company is official, endorsed or certified by WordPress when it is not.
- Modifying the logo: changing its colors outside the provided variations, distorting it, adding effects, or combining it with your own mark to form a new logo.
- Using the logo as the main branding of your own product or business.
If you are unsure, the safe pattern is simple: use your own branding for your product, and use the unmodified WordPress logo only when you are talking about WordPress.
Preparing your own logo for WordPress
Now to the other meaning of “WordPress logo”: your own logo on your site. A little preparation avoids blurry or oversized headers.
| Asset | Recommended format | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Header logo | PNG or WebP with transparency | Export at about twice the display size so it stays sharp on high-density screens. |
| Square variant | PNG | Useful for mobile headers and social profiles. |
| Site icon (favicon) | Square PNG, at least 512 by 512 pixels | WordPress generates the smaller sizes for you. |
SVG logos are ideal for sharpness, but WordPress does not allow SVG uploads to the media library by default, because SVG files can contain scripts. If you want SVG, use a well-maintained plugin that sanitizes uploads, and restrict SVG uploads to trusted administrators. The media management guide covers file types and image sizes in more detail.
Adding your logo in a block theme
Block themes use the Site Logo block, usually placed in the header template part. To set or change it:
- Go to Appearance → Editor.
- Open Patterns, find the Header template part, and edit it, or click directly on the header while viewing any template.
- Select the Site Logo block. If it is missing, add it from the block inserter.
- Click the placeholder or the Replace button and choose or upload your logo.
- In the block settings sidebar, set the image width and decide whether the logo links to the homepage.
- Optionally turn on Use as Site Icon to reuse the logo as the favicon, if it works as a square.
- Click Save.
The logo is stored as a site-wide setting, so every Site Logo block across your templates updates at once. The Site Editor tutorial explains template parts if you want different headers for different templates.
Adding your logo in a classic theme
Classic themes that support custom logos expose the setting in the Customizer:
- Go to Appearance → Customize → Site Identity.
- Click Select logo and upload or choose an image. Some themes offer a crop step with suggested dimensions.
- Decide whether to display the site title and tagline alongside the logo.
- Set the Site Icon in the same panel.
- Click Publish.
If there is no logo option, the theme does not declare support for the feature. Developers can add it in a child theme’s functions.php and output it in the header template:
add_action( 'after_setup_theme', function () {
add_theme_support( 'custom-logo', array(
'height' => 100,
'width' => 300,
'flex-height' => true,
'flex-width' => true,
) );
} );
// In header.php:
if ( function_exists( 'the_custom_logo' ) ) {
the_custom_logo();
}The official custom logo documentation lists all the options, and our child themes guide explains how to make this change without losing it on the next theme update.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use the WordPress logo on my website?
Yes, to refer to WordPress, for example in a “Powered by WordPress” credit or a tutorial, as long as you use the official, unmodified file and do not imply endorsement.
Why is my logo blurry in the header?
The uploaded image is usually smaller than the space it fills, or the theme crops it. Upload a file at roughly twice the display width, and avoid cropping in the Customizer if the theme offers flexible sizing.
How do I remove the WordPress logo from the admin toolbar?
Visitors never see it; it appears only to logged-in users in the toolbar. Developers can remove the menu node with the admin_bar_menu hook and remove_node( 'wp-logo' ), but most site owners simply leave it.
Key takeaways
- Download the official WordPress logo only from WordPress.org’s Graphics & Logos page.
- The WordPress Foundation’s trademark policy governs use; refer to WordPress freely, but do not modify the mark or imply endorsement.
- Use “WP” rather than “WordPress” in domain names, and always spell it with a capital P.
- In block themes, set your own logo with the Site Logo block in the Site Editor.
- In classic themes, use Appearance → Customize → Site Identity, or add
custom-logotheme support if it is missing.
