Why are my WordPress images not showing?

Usually the address the page asks for is wrong or refused, not the photo itself: image addresses still pointing at an old domain or http:// after a move, upload files that were never copied, folder permissions or hotlink protection returning 403, a CDN or WebP plugin pointing at a copy that does not exist, or a lazy-load script that never swaps the real image in. Open one broken image in a new tab and read its address and status to tell which.

Why did my WordPress images break after moving to a new host or domain?

WordPress stores the full address of each image inside the post text, so after a move the posts still point at the old domain. Run a database search-and-replace from the old address to the new one (Better Search Replace or wp search-replace), with a backup and a dry run first. If the images return Not Found, the wp-content/uploads folder was not copied in full.

Why do my WordPress images show in the Media Library but not on the site?

The Media Library list lives in the database, so it can list photos whose files are missing, or whose addresses in the pages are out of date. Open a broken image in a new tab: Not Found means the file is missing or its name changed case; an old domain means the addresses need a search-and-replace; a page that loads the photo fine on its own points at a lazy-load or CDN plugin.

What permissions should the WordPress uploads folder have?

Normally 755 for folders and 644 for files. A 403 Forbidden on every image usually means these were changed, or an .htaccess file inside uploads denies access. Do not use 777: it lets anything on the server write to the folder.

More fixes

WordPress images not showing

Your gallery shows grey boxes, a small broken-picture icon, or nothing at all where the photos used to be. The photos are usually still fine; what breaks is the address the page asks for, or the step that is meant to load it. One check on a single broken image tells you which. Below is a rebuilt example (not a real client), that check, and the fix for each answer.

The gallery page

What the checks found

First: ask one broken image what went wrong

Right-click the broken image and choose "Open image in new tab" (or "Copy image address" and paste it). Read the address before anything else: does it start with your current domain and https://? An old domain, a staging address or http:// is already the answer.
See what the new tab shows. A "Not Found" page means the file is not at that address. "Forbidden" or "Access denied" means it is there but the server refuses it. If the photo opens fine on its own, the file is OK and something on the page is stopping it (the last two causes).
For more detail, press F12, open the Network tab, choose the Img filter and reload. Each picture is a row with a status: 404 (missing), 403 (refused), (blocked:mixed-content), or a red row naming another site. Pictures with no row at all were never requested, which points at a lazy-load script. The Console tab names any script error.

The causes, most common first

The site moved and the image addresses did not. After a move to a new host, a new domain or https://, posts still point at the old addresses, because WordPress stores the full address of every image inside the post text. Fix it with a search-and-replace across the database (the Better Search Replace plugin, or wp search-replace if you have WP-CLI): old address to new, a dry run first, and a backup before the real run. Do not edit the database by hand with a text editor: some values carry their own length, and a plain edit breaks them.
The files never arrived. A move or a restore copied the database but not the wp-content/uploads folder, or only part of it. The Media Library still lists the photos (that list lives in the database) but every one is a 404. Copy the uploads folder again from the old host or the backup, keeping the year and month folders as they were.
Upper and lower case changed. Windows servers treat Shop.JPG and shop.jpg as the same file; Linux servers do not. After a move from one to the other, the images whose names differ only in case go missing. Rename the files to match the addresses, or update the addresses.
The server refuses the folder. A 403 on every image usually means the permissions on wp-content/uploads were changed (a security plugin, a host move, a hand-made change). Folders should normally be 755 and files 644; many hosts have a "fix permissions" button. A stray .htaccess inside uploads that denies everything does the same.
Hotlink protection blocks your own site. cPanel's Hotlink Protection and Cloudflare's Hotlink Protection stop other sites showing your pictures, but a list that names only example.com also blocks www.example.com, your CDN, or Google Images. Add every version of your own address, or switch it off to test.
A CDN or image plugin rewrote the addresses. Jetpack's Site Accelerator, Smush, Optimole, ShortPixel, EWWW and similar plugins swap image addresses for their own server, or for a .webp copy. If that copy was never made, or the account ran out, the swapped image fails while the original file is fine. Switch the plugin's CDN or WebP rewrite off; if the photos come back, regenerate its copies or contact the plugin's support.
Lazy loading never finished. To save data, the page holds the real address in a spare slot (data-src) and a script moves it in when you scroll. If that script is broken, delayed or loaded twice (the theme, a speed plugin and WordPress all lazy-load), the swap never happens and you see placeholders. Turn off lazy loading and any "delay JavaScript" option in your speed plugin, one at a time, until the photos appear; keep one lazy loader, not two.
Thumbnails were never made. The full-size photo exists, but the smaller sizes the theme asks for do not (a new theme, a failed upload, or a server with no image library). The Regenerate Thumbnails plugin rebuilds them. If new uploads still come out without sizes, ask the host whether the GD or Imagick PHP extension is installed.

What you see, what it means, what it needs

What you see	Usual cause	Usual fix
Image address names an old domain, a staging site or `http://`	Site moved, addresses did not	Database search-and-replace, dry run and backup first
Image opens on its own as "Not Found"	Uploads not copied, or a name changed case	Copy `wp-content/uploads` again; match file names
"Forbidden" or 403 on every image	Folder permissions or hotlink protection	Folders 755, files 644; add your own addresses to the hotlink list
Address ends in `.webp` or points at a plugin's server	CDN or WebP rewrite with no copy behind it	Switch the rewrite off, regenerate the copies
Grey placeholders, no image requests in the Network tab	Lazy-load script broken or doubled	One lazy loader; switch off "delay JavaScript" to test
Full-size photo fine, small versions missing	Thumbnails never generated	Regenerate Thumbnails; ask the host about GD or Imagick
Photos fine for you, broken for visitors	An old cached page with old addresses	Clear the caches, then check in a private window

What not to do

Do not upload every photo again. It makes a second copy of each, leaves the old broken addresses in the posts, and takes hours. Find the cause first; it is usually one setting.
Do not set the uploads folder to 777 to make a 403 go away. It lets anything on the server write there, which is how hacked sites end up with scripts in their uploads.
Do not run a search-and-replace without a backup and a dry run. One wrong replace across the whole database is much harder to undo than a broken gallery.

Once one broken image has told you its status, the fix is usually minutes. If you would rather hand it over, or the photos still will not show, that is what the box below is for. Related: a photo that will not upload, a site slow because of big photos and changes that do not show on the live site (an old cached page can carry old image addresses too).