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Troubleshooting Hestia Header Image Issues: A Comprehensive Guide

16 threads Sep 16, 2025 Theme → Hestia

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Header image problems are a common source of frustration for users of the Hestia WordPress theme. Based on community reports, these issues often manifest after theme updates, during site translation, or on specific page types like WooCommerce shops. This guide consolidates the most effective solutions to help you regain control over your site's header imagery.

Common Header Image Problems and Their Solutions

1. Header Image Reverts to Default After Update

Several users reported their custom header images being replaced with the default Statue of Liberty image after a Hestia update. This typically occurs when theme files responsible for handling header images are modified.

Solution: Navigate to Appearance → Customize → Header Options → Header Settings. Ensure your custom image is properly selected and the 'Enable Header Image Sitewide' checkbox reflects your desired configuration. Remember to click 'Publish' after making changes, not just 'Save'.

2. Header Image Not Changing in Customizer

If you've selected a new header image in the customizer but it doesn't appear on your live site, the issue could be related to caching or incorrect saving.

Solution: First, ensure you're clicking 'Publish' not just 'Save' in the customizer. Clear your browser cache and any server-side caching plugins. If the problem persists, try using a different browser or incognito mode to rule out local caching issues.

3. WooCommerce Shop Page Header Issues

Many users struggle with customizing header images specifically on WooCommerce shop pages, where the customizer options might not apply as expected.

Solution: For shop pages, you may need to use custom CSS. Add the following code to Appearance → Customize → Additional CSS, replacing 'image-url' with your actual image URL:

.woocommerce.archive .header-filter {
    background: url('image-url') !important;
    background-size: cover !important;
}

First upload your image to the media library and copy its URL to use in this code.

4. Header Image Problems with Translation Plugins

When using multilingual plugins like Polylang, header images might not carry over to translated pages, even with 'Header Image Sitewide' enabled.

Solution: You have two options: either translate each header image in all languages through your translation plugin's media settings, or disable the languages and translations management for media in the Polylang settings.

5. Different Header Images for Specific Pages

If you want a unique header image for just one page while using randomized images sitewide, you'll need custom CSS.

Solution: Find the page ID by editing the page and noting the number in the URL after "post=". Then use this CSS code, replacing "ID" with your page's ID and "image-url" with your image URL:

.page-id-ID .header-filter {
    background-image: url('image-url') !important;
}

6. Featured Image Appearing as Header Image

Some users find their post/page featured images automatically becoming header images, which might not be desirable.

Solution: Navigate to Appearance → Customize → Header → Header Settings and select the third layout option, which doesn't display header images on posts and pages. Alternatively, you can use custom CSS to hide header images on specific content types.

7. Header Image Positioning Problems

Header images may appear incorrectly cropped or positioned, especially on mobile devices where screen aspect ratios differ.

Solution: Consider adjusting the header height via custom CSS or preparing your images specifically for the header container aspect ratio. You can also use CSS background-position properties to adjust how images are displayed on different devices.

When These Solutions Don't Work

If you've tried these solutions without success, consider these additional troubleshooting steps:

  • Plugin conflicts: Temporarily disable all plugins to see if the issue resolves. If it does, reactivate them one by one to identify the conflicting plugin.
  • Custom code interference: Previous developers may have added custom code that interferes with header image functionality. Check your theme's functions.php file and any custom CSS for conflicting code.
  • Child theme issues: If using a child theme, ensure it's properly configured and updated to be compatible with the latest Hestia version.

Most header image issues in Hestia can be resolved through careful configuration in the customizer or with targeted CSS adjustments. The theme's flexibility means there's usually a workaround for even the most specific header image requirements.

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