Techcript Solutions

Step 1: Verify the Icon Issue

Before you begin troubleshooting, you should confirm that the issue is due to missing or improperly loaded Font Awesome icons.

1. Check the site’s frontend to see where the icons should appear. Are the icons showing up as empty squares, question marks, or boxes?
2. Inspect the page source (Right-click > Inspect or press F12 on your browser). Look for any missing resources (such as the Font Awesome font files or CSS).
3. Test with a default icon (e.g., the “home” icon or “heart” icon) to see if it’s a global issue or specific to certain icons.

If you’ve confirmed that the icons are not displaying properly across your site, continue with the following steps.

Step 2: Install the Font Awesome Plugin

Font Awesome is a popular library for displaying vector icons, and WordPress offers a dedicated plugin to integrate Font Awesome seamlessly. By installing and configuring this plugin, you can fix your icon display issue.

1. Log in to your WordPress Dashboard

Go to your WordPress admin area by navigating to yourwebsite.com/wp-admin.

2. Go to the Plugins Page

• In the left sidebar, hover over Plugins and click on Add New.

3. Search for the Font Awesome Plugin

• In the search bar, type “Font Awesome” and press enter.
• The plugin you’re looking for is called Font Awesome – Icon Library by Font Awesome.

4. Install the Plugin

• Click on the Install Now button next to the Font Awesome plugin.

5. Activate the Plugin

Once the plugin is installed, click Activate to activate the Font Awesome plugin on your site.

Step 3: Configure Font Awesome Plugin Settings

After installing and activating the plugin, you’ll need to configure it to ensure that the Font Awesome icons load correctly.

1. Go to Font Awesome Settings

• In the WordPress dashboard, go to Settings and click on Font Awesome.

2. Choose the Version of Font Awesome

• Font Awesome frequently updates, so it’s important to choose the correct version.
• Under the Version dropdown, choose the latest version of Font Awesome (or the one that best suits your theme or plugin requirements).

3. Enable Global Access to Icons

• Ensure that the Enable Font Awesome Kit option is selected. This ensures that Font Awesome’s library is loaded properly across your site.

4. Save Changes

Once you’ve selected the appropriate version and options, click Save Changes to apply the settings.

Step 4: Clear Caches and Check

Sometimes, WordPress sites can cache old stylesheets or scripts, which might prevent newly added icons from displaying correctly.

1. Clear Browser Cache

• Clear your browser’s cache to ensure that it’s loading the latest version of your website’s styles and scripts.

2. Clear WordPress Caches (if applicable)

• If you’re using a caching plugin (e.g., W3 Total Cache, WP Super Cache, or LiteSpeed Cache), clear the cache from the plugin’s settings page.

3. Clear CDN Cache (if applicable)

• If you’re using a Content Delivery Network (CDN) like Cloudflare or StackPath, ensure that you purge the CDN cache so that your site’s content updates across the network.

Step 5: Test the Icons

After completing the previous steps, visit the frontend of your site again to check if the icons are now displaying correctly.

1. Reload your website.
2. Check multiple pages and posts to confirm that all the Font Awesome icons are showing properly.
3. If the issue persists, try using Inspect in your browser’s developer tools to identify any loading issues with Font Awesome.

Step 6: Troubleshoot Additional Issues

If the icons still display as squares or fail to load properly, consider these additional troubleshooting steps:

1. Check for CSS Conflicts
   Sometimes, themes or plugins might have conflicting CSS rules that override Font Awesome’s default styles. To troubleshoot this:

   • Disable other plugins one by one to see if there’s a conflict.
   • Try switching to a default WordPress theme like Twenty Twenty-One to see if the issue is theme-related.

2. Use the Correct Icon Class
   Make sure you’re using the correct Font Awesome class names for your icons. For example, to display a home icon, use the class fa fa-home.

3. Reinstall the Plugin
   If all else fails, try deactivating and deleting the Font Awesome plugin and reinstalling it to resolve any issues with its installation.

Conclusion

Font Awesome is a powerful tool for adding scalable vector icons to your WordPress site. If your WordPress icons are displaying as squares or boxes, it’s often due to issues with how the icons are being loaded or referenced. By installing the Font Awesome plugin, configuring it correctly, and clearing your site’s cache, you should be able to resolve these issues and restore the correct icon display. If necessary, you can also manually add Font Awesome or troubleshoot further by inspecting CSS and plugin conflicts.

By following these steps, you’ll ensure that your icons load properly, improving the user experience on your site!