Title: URL To Featured Image
Author: François-Régis Ferry
Published: <strong>September 27, 2025</strong>
Last modified: December 27, 2025

---

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# URL To Featured Image

 By [François-Régis Ferry](https://profiles.wordpress.org/friss777/)

[Download](https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/url-to-featured-image.1.1.0.zip)

 * [Details](https://en-au.wordpress.org/plugins/url-to-featured-image/#description)
 * [Reviews](https://en-au.wordpress.org/plugins/url-to-featured-image/#reviews)
 *  [Installation](https://en-au.wordpress.org/plugins/url-to-featured-image/#installation)
 * [Development](https://en-au.wordpress.org/plugins/url-to-featured-image/#developers)

 [Support](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/url-to-featured-image/)

## Description

**URL To Featured Image** allows you to use an image hosted anywhere on the internet
as the featured image (post thumbnail) for any post, page, or custom post type.

Perfect for:
 – Using CDN-hosted images as thumbnails. – Saving server space by 
not uploading large images. – Dynamically updating featured images from an external
source.

**Key Features:**
 – Simple URL field in the post editor. – Works with posts, pages,
and custom post types. – No extra database tables. – Fully compatible with WordPress
themes and loops. – Uses standard WordPress functions like `the_post_thumbnail()`.–
Ability to save the target image in the media libary if needed

**How it works:**
 When displaying the post, the plugin replaces the default WordPress
featured image with the one provided via the URL.

### Custom Hooks

#### Filters

 * `friss_utfi_post_type_exclusions`
    Filters the post types where the URL To Featured
   Image metabox should not appear. **Parameters**:
    - (array) $exclusions_list List of post types where the metabox is excluded.
    - (object) $post Current post.
       **Return**: (array) Modified exclusions list.
 * `friss_utfi_url_allowed`
    Filters whether an external image URL is allowed before
   fetching. **Parameters**:
    - (bool) $authorization Whether the URL is allowed.
    - (string) $url The external image URL.
    - (array) $parts Parsed URL parts (from `wp_parse_url`).
       **Return**: (bool)
      True to allow, false to block.
 * `friss_utfi_allowed_mime_types`
    Filters the allowed MIME types for external 
   images. **Parameters**:
    - (array) $mime_types Allowed MIME types.
       **Return**: (array) Modified list
      of MIME types.
 * `friss_utfi_max_image_size`
    Filters the maximum allowed image size when fetching
   external images. **Parameters**:
    - (int) $size Max file size in bytes.
       **Return**: (int) Modified maximum size.
 * `friss_utfi_image_data`
    Filters the raw image data fetched from the external
   URL. **Parameters**:
    - (string) $image_data Raw image data (string).
    - (object) $post Current post object.
       **Return**: (string) Modified image data.
 * `friss_utfi_external_featured_image_alt`
    Filters the alt text for the external
   featured image. **Parameters**:
    - (string) $alt_text The alt text (default: post title).
    - (int) $post_id Current post ID.
       **Return**: (string) Modified alt text.
 * `friss_utfi_post_thumbnail_html_preserve_existing_markup`
    Controls whether the
   existing markup is preserved before regenerating the HTML via the post_thumbnail_html
   filter hook. **Parameters**:
    - (bool) $preserve_existing_markup Whether to preserve or not the existing image
      tag markup.
    - (int) $post_id Current post ID.
       **Return**: (bool) True to preserve, false
      to skip this step.
 * `friss_utfi_post_thumbnail_html_attributes`
    Filters the image tag attributes
   for the recreated html content generated by the post_thumbnail_html filter hook.**
   Parameters**:
    - (array) $attributes The attributes array to filter.
    - (int) $post_id Current post ID.
       **Return**: (array) Modified attributes array.
 * `friss_utfi_allowed_img_attributes`
    Filters the whitelist of allowed attributes
   kept on the generated tag when rendering the external featured image. **Parameters**:
    - (array) $allowed_attributes List of allowed attribute names (default: src,
      alt, width, height, class, loading, decoding).
    - (int) $post_id Current post ID.
       **Return**: (array) Modified list of attribute
      names.
 * `friss_utfi_external_featured_image_styles`
    Filters the inline CSS styles applied
   to the external featured image. By default, the plugin enforces responsive behavior(`
   max-width:100%; height:auto;`). **Parameters**:
    - (string) $default_styles The default style string.
    - (int) $post_id Current post ID.
       **Return**: (string) Modified CSS styles.
 * `friss_utfi_active_post_types`
    Filters the final list of active post types for
   which the URL To Featured Image feature is enabled. Parameters:
    - (array) $active_post_types Current list of active post type slugs.
       Return:(
      array) Modified list.
 * `friss_utfi_active_post_types_posttype_exclusions`
    Filters the list of post 
   types excluded before computing active post types. Parameters:
    - (array) $exclusions Current exclusions (internal post types or ones you want
      suppressed).
       Return: (array) Modified exclusions list.

## Screenshots

[⌊URL To Featured Image field in the Gutenberg editor.⌉⌊URL To Featured Image field
in the Gutenberg editor.⌉[

URL To Featured Image field in the Gutenberg editor.

[⌊URL To Featured Image field in the classic editor.⌉⌊URL To Featured Image field
in the classic editor.⌉[

URL To Featured Image field in the classic editor.

## Installation

 1. Upload the plugin folder to the `/wp-content/plugins/` directory.
 2. Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ menu in WordPress.
 3. Edit any post or page and enter an image URL in the “URL To Featured Image” field.
 4. Save and view your post to see the external image as the featured image.

## FAQ

### Does this plugin download the image to my server?

You have the choice: the image can be loaded directly from the provided URL or you
can save it to the media libary if you prefer.

### Will this work with my theme?

Yes. The plugin hooks into WordPres’s standard “get_the_post_thumbnail()” function.

### Can I use this for WooCommerce products?

Yes, if your theme uses WordPress’s featured image functions for product images.

## Reviews

There are no reviews for this plugin.

## Contributors & Developers

“URL To Featured Image” is open source software. The following people have contributed
to this plugin.

Contributors

 *   [ François-Régis Ferry ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/friss777/)

[Translate “URL To Featured Image” into your language.](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/url-to-featured-image)

### Interested in development?

[Browse the code](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/url-to-featured-image/),
check out the [SVN repository](https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/url-to-featured-image/),
or subscribe to the [development log](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/url-to-featured-image/)
by [RSS](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/url-to-featured-image/?limit=100&mode=stop_on_copy&format=rss).

## Changelog

#### 1.1.0

 * Enhancement – Add option page.
 * Enhancement – Enable the user to select which post_types can have the URL to 
   Feature Image feature.
 * Enhancement – Enable the user to activate or not webp comprssion if available.
 * Enhancement – Add image preview in the meta box.
 * Enhancement – Better way to retrieve images.

#### 1.0.0

 * Initial release.

## Meta

 *  Version **1.1.0**
 *  Last updated **10 months ago**
 *  Active installations **Fewer than 10**
 *  WordPress Version ** 5.0 or higher **
 *  Tested up to **6.9.10**
 *  PHP Version ** 7.2 or higher **
 *  Language
 * [English (US)](https://wordpress.org/plugins/url-to-featured-image/)
 * Tags
 * [external](https://en-au.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/external/)[featured](https://en-au.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/featured/)
   [image](https://en-au.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/image/)[url](https://en-au.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/url/)
 *  [Advanced View](https://en-au.wordpress.org/plugins/url-to-featured-image/advanced/)

## Ratings

No reviews have been submitted yet.

[Your review](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/url-to-featured-image/reviews/#new-post)

[See all reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/url-to-featured-image/reviews/)

## Contributors

 *   [ François-Régis Ferry ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/friss777/)

## Support

Got something to say? Need help?

 [View support forum](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/url-to-featured-image/)

## Donate

Would you like to support the advancement of this plugin?

 [ Donate to this plugin ](https://paypal.me/friss777)