Where Are the Social Media Logos Stored in WordPress?

If you’re adding social media links to your WordPress website, you may eventually wonder where social media logos are stored in WordPress. This usually comes up when an icon needs to be replaced, its link needs to be changed, or you want to remove social icons from a particular part of your site.

The important thing to know is that WordPress doesn’t have one central folder where all social media logos are stored. The location depends on how the icons were added. Your theme may include them as SVG files, an icon font, or built-in theme elements. A plugin or page builder may load them separately, while some sites use images uploaded to the Media Library.

Finding the source first makes customization much easier. It also helps you avoid editing theme files unnecessarily, which can cause your changes to disappear after a theme update.

In this guide, we’ll explain where WordPress social media logos commonly come from, how to find the files or settings behind them, and how to change or replace the icons safely. We’ll also cover what to check when you can’t find a social media logo in your Media Library.

Before diving into social media logos specifically, it’s important to understand the general way WordPress stores files:

• Media Library: Any image you upload (including icons or logos) is stored in the WordPress Media Library.
• File Structure: These files are saved on your server in the wp-content/uploads folder, organized by year and month.
• Database References: WordPress stores the image metadata (title, alt text, URL, etc.) in the database.

This foundational method applies to any images—including social media logos—unless overridden by plugins, themes, or page builders.

Depending on how your site was built, social media icons can be stored in different locations or referenced dynamically. Here are the common scenarios:

1. Icons in WordPress Themes

Many themes come with built-in social media icons. These are often stored as:

• Font icons (like Font Awesome or Ionicons)
• SVG files stored in theme folders (usually /wp-content/themes/your-theme/assets/icons/)
• PNG/JPG images placed in a theme’s image folder

How to Locate:

• Use FTP or File Manager to explore your active theme folder.
• Navigate to the assets, img, or images subfolders.
• Search for files named facebook.svg, twitter.png, linkedin.svg, etc.

How They’re Used:

• Hardcoded in theme files like header.php, footer.php, or sidebar.php
• Dynamically loaded via theme options or customizer settings

2. Icons via Plugins

Social media plugins often bundle their own icon sets. Some popular examples:

• Simple Social Icons
• Smash Balloon Social Media Feed
• Social Warfare

These plugins may:

• Use font icon libraries (e.g., Font Awesome)
• Store images inside plugin directories
• Load assets via CDNs for speed and optimization

How to Locate:

• Visit /wp-content/plugins/plugin-name/
• Look for folders like /images/, /assets/icons/, or /includes/fonts/

Example:

/wp-content/plugins/simple-social-icons/images/facebook.svg

3. Icons Added via Page Builders (Elementor, Divi, etc.)

Modern page builders like Elementor, WPBakery, or Divi offer drag-and-drop social icons. These are often sourced from:

• Font libraries (like Font Awesome)
• Media uploads (custom icons you upload)

Elementor Example:

• Icons are embedded using Font Awesome by default.
• You can override them by uploading custom SVG or PNG icons.

How to Locate:

• Check Elementor’s Icon Library.
• For custom uploads, check the Media Library or wp-content/uploads/

4. Custom Code (Hardcoded Icons)

In custom themes or bespoke development, social media icons might be hardcoded directly into template files using <img>tags or SVGs.

Where They’re Stored:

• In the theme folder, often under /images/, /icons/, or /assets/

Example Code:

<a href=”https://twitter.com/yourprofile”>
 <img src=”/wp-content/themes/mytheme/assets/icons/twitter.svg” alt=”Twitter”>
</a>

Some themes and plugins rely entirely on Font Awesome or similar libraries to display social media icons. In these cases:

• Icons are not image files. They are vector-based characters delivered through CSS.
• You can identify them by tags like <i class=”fab fa-facebook”></i>.

Pros:

• Fast and lightweight
• Scalable without losing quality
• Easy to style with CSS

Cons:

• Limited customization
• Dependent on loading external font libraries (can affect performance)

SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) icons are becoming increasingly popular due to their sharp quality and tiny file size.

Why Use SVGs?

• Smaller in size than PNGs or JPGs
• Retina-friendly
• Easily styled with CSS
• Inline SVGs can reduce HTTP requests

How to Upload SVGs in WordPress:

By default, WordPress blocks SVG uploads. To enable:

1. Install a plugin like Safe SVG or SVG Support.
2. Upload your social media SVG files to the Media Library.
3. Use them in widgets, headers, or page builder sections.

Want to use branded or differently styled social media logos? Here’s how:

1. Upload Your Own Icons

1. Go to Media > Add New and upload your custom icons.
2. Copy the file URLs.
3. Replace default icons in your theme or builder with these new URLs.

2. Override with Custom CSS

If icons are using a background image or font icon, you can override them with custom CSS.

.social-icons .facebook {
    background-image: url(‘your-uploaded-facebook-icon.png’);
    background-size: contain;
}

3. Use a Custom HTML Widget

If your theme allows it, add a Custom HTML block with <img> tags pointing to your icons.
  <a href=”https://facebook.com”>
  <img src=”/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/facebook-custom.png” alt=”Facebook”>
</a>

• Font Awesome Plugin: Easily manage icons without coding.
• Simple Social Icons: Customize icon colors, size, and alignment.
• Elementor or Divi: Drag-and-drop interface for full control.
• Custom Icons Plugin: Upload your own icon set.

• Optimize file sizes for faster loading
• Use SVGs where possible for scalability
• Consistent design: Stick to one style (flat, outline, filled)
• Alt text: Use descriptive alt tags for accessibility and SEO
• Update icons to match branding changes (especially for platforms like X/Twitter)

Social media icons may be small, but they can have an important role in your WordPress site’s navigation and branding. Where the icons come from depends on how they were added, whether through your theme, a plugin, a page builder, or your own uploaded files.

Once you know the source, making changes becomes much easier. You can replace an icon, update its link, remove unwanted icons, or adjust how they appear without searching through unrelated WordPress files.

If you can’t find a social media logo in your Media Library, check your theme and installed plugins first. In many cases, the icon is loaded as part of the theme or plugin rather than as a regular image file.