Avatars are the small pictures that sit beside each comment. You get to decide whether they show at all, how tame they need to be, and what appears for commenters who haven't set one up.

## Before you start

- An administrator account — only administrators can change discussion settings.
- Commenters who want their own photo need a Gravatar account, which is free and tied to their email address.

## Steps

### Step 1: Open the Discussion settings

In your dashboard, open **Settings** and choose **Discussion**. The avatar options live at the bottom of that page under the **Avatars** heading, so scroll down to find them.

![Open the Discussion settings](https://wordpress.supportpages.io/rails/active_storage/blobs/proxy/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6MTAxMTEsInB1ciI6ImJsb2JfaWQifX0=--12df9eaf15966d1feb80bdfbb2cdfd2343df185e/block_open-discussion-settings.png)

### Step 2: Turn avatars on and set a rating

Under **Avatar Display**, tick **Show Avatars** — while that box is empty, no pictures appear beside comments anywhere on your site. Then pick the highest rating you're comfortable showing under **Maximum Rating**: the four choices run from G, which suits all audiences, up to X, and most sites stay with G or PG.

![Turn avatars on and set a rating](https://wordpress.supportpages.io/rails/active_storage/blobs/proxy/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6MTAxMzgsInB1ciI6ImJsb2JfaWQifX0=--fbdb1ed5b149a5389a760af6b1b7acc165a48c55/block_turn-on-avatars.png)

### Step 3: Pick a default avatar and save

Under **Default Avatar**, choose the picture that stands in for commenters who don't have one of their own — **Mystery Person** is the WordPress default, **Blank** leaves the space empty, and **Gravatar Logo** shows the WordPress mark, while the remaining styles are generated from each commenter's email address. Then click **Save Changes**; WordPress confirms the save at the top of the screen and your comment section picks up the new settings straight away.

![Pick a default avatar and save](https://wordpress.supportpages.io/rails/active_storage/blobs/proxy/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6MTAxMzksInB1ciI6ImJsb2JfaWQifX0=--a2bd4932d97407d43ed5e414abb6fbec77ffdf52/block_choose-default-avatar.png)

## Tips

- Want a text-only comment section? Untick **Show Avatars** and save — the rating and default choices stop mattering.
- The **Default Avatar** only affects people without a picture of their own. Commenters with a Gravatar account always show their own photo.
- Nothing here is permanent. Come back to this screen any time and set it the way you want.

## Summary

You've turned avatars on, picked a rating you're happy with, and chosen a default image for everyone else. Your comments will show them from now on.