How to Add Retina Logo to WordPress Website?

In today’s multi-device world, your website visitors might be viewing your site on anything from a 24-inch desktop monitor to the latest iPhone with a stunning Retina display. While your content might look crisp on standard screens, logos and images often appear blurry or pixelated on high-resolution displays. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about adding retina-ready logos to your WordPress website—whether you’re a beginner or an experienced developer.

What is a Retina Display?

Apple introduced the Retina display, which has a greater pixel density than their prior models (usually twice). So an image with a resolution of 1000 by 600 on a retina display will appear as 500 by 300 on a standard monitor.

Due to this, you must produce an image that is twice as large as it needs to be in order for it to appear sharp on a retina monitor. If you don’t, the picture will be hazy.

The term “Retina” is Apple’s marketing name for displays with such high pixel density that the human eye cannot distinguish individual pixels at a typical viewing distance. However, the concept applies to all high-resolution displays, including those found on Android devices, Microsoft Surface products, and modern laptops. The technical term is “high-DPI” (dots per inch) displays, but “Retina” has become the common shorthand.

How Can Retina Images Be Enabled on a WordPress Website?

Retina pictures are, unfortunately, not supported by WordPress by default. However, the WP Retina 2x plugin can assist you in fixing that. For the plugin to work properly on your website, you need to install the theme by choosing Dashboard Plugins Add New, searching for WP Retina 2x, installing it, and activating it.

After the installation, the plugin works with the default settings. It would be worth your while to check out the options under Settings Retina. Nevertheless, all default settings are fully operational for standard users.

From now on, every time you upload a new image to the Media Library, the plugin will make a retina copy of that image and, if your display supports it, will very quickly place that retina copy from the backend on the frontend.

What is a Retina Display, and How Does It Work?

Apple introduced the Retina display, which has a higher pixel density than their previous models and was the first company to do so (usually twice). Consequently, a 1000×600 image on a retina display will appear the same size as a 500×300 on a normal display.

Therefore, to ensure that your images appear sharp on a retina display, you must prepare a larger image than it should be by doubling the size of your original image. You will get a blurry image if you do not do this!

On a retina display, the following is an example of how a standard logo appears (taken from the EightyDays theme, which is now retina-ready):

Some newer devices are equipped with “Retina Display,” which, as a result of its high pixel density screen, will make content appear sharper and more clear than ever before. You can include a retina-ready version of your logo in your theme to ensure that your logo is always visible on mobile devices.

What Is the Best Way to Include a Retina Logo Image in My Theme?

A retina logo image is the same as a normal logo image, except that it is twice the original size. Consider the following example: If one’s regular logo image is 100×100 pixels in size, the retina logo image needs 200×200 pixels.

The name you give to the retina image is significant. It needs to be named the same as the regular logo image but with the suffix @2x appended to the end.

If the regular logo image were named “logo.png,” the retina logo image would need to be named “logo@2x.png” to be compatible with retina displays.

You’ll also want to make sure that your regular logo image and your retina logo image are both located in the same WordPress Media Library folder. The quickest and most straightforward way to accomplish this is to upload the two image files to your Media Library simultaneously.

You can upload a retina logo image by going to Appearance > Customize > Logo & Header Settings in your WordPress dashboard.

Performance Is Not Sacrificed to Achieve the Retina Logo

The majority of themes make use of libraries such as Retina JS, which checks to see if a high-resolution version of the logo is available on your server before using it. If a high-resolution variant of the logo is available, the script replaces the logo with it. In addition, there are some other themes to display a high-resolution logo, and some CSS hacks are used.

These methods require additional HTTP requests and unnecessarily complex JavaScript code to request and download both logo versions.

When developing Astra, we used the HTML5 srcset attribute, which allowed browsers to request only the required logo file, resulting in reduced browser response time. You’ll be surprised at how straightforward the code is to read:

<div style="background: #f7f7f7; border-radius: 4px; color: #333; padding: 18px 15px; margin-bottom: 24px;">
<img src="http://example.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Logo-free-img.png" srcset="http://example.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/logo.png 1x, 
http://example.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/logo@2x.png 2x" />
</div>

What Is the Best Way to Include a Retina Logo in WordPress Without Compromising Performance?

Yes, website performance is now the most important aspect of a website’s overall design. It should load more quickly on mobile devices, desktop computers connected via Wi-Fi, or even mobile data connections. It is also important for SEO aspects, especially with the new Google Algorithms. Only when it is necessary, do we require a large Retina Logo! As a result, if I view your website from a screen with a normal pixel density, the logo will be displayed in its normal size. This can be accomplished through one of two methods:

Using a WordPress plugin such as WP Retina 2x, as we do in our Specular WordPress Theme, can improve the appearance of your website.

The HTML5 srcset approach is now the industry standard and is supported by all modern browsers. It tells the browser: “Here are two versions of this image. Please download the one that matches your screen’s pixel density.” This means devices with standard screens only download the standard image, while Retina devices download the high-resolution version. No extra JavaScript, no performance penalty—just smart, efficient loading.

How Do I Make My WordPress Website’s Retina Images Available?

As a matter of fact, WordPress has no such feature in its default configuration that would facilitate retina images which means that if you want to fix that problem you should find a solution like the WP Retina 2x plugin. The way this plug-in can operate smoothly on your site is by first installing the theme which you can do by going to Dashboard > Plugins > Add New, searching for WP Retina 2x, and then installing and activating the plug-in.

Right after installation, the plug-in works with the default configurations. You may want to see the settings at Settings > Retina if you think the default options are not good enough. Nevertheless, standard users will consider all of the default settings to be satisfactory.

Henceforth, every time you add new pictures to the Media Library, the plug-in will be able to produce a retina version automatically, and this will be the one used on the frontend if your screen supports it.

So as to work well with the images you already have, you need to first get the plug-in Regenerate Thumbnails and then do this for every picture in the gallery.

Install Retina x2 WordPress Plugin

The easiest method is to put in a plugin that may carry out the wanted actions. We suggest the WP Retina x2 plugin (https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-retina-2x/). This plugin will generate the wanted double-sized photographs and also will insert the wanted markup for the picture components. So, you don’t have to manually create any photographs, the plugin should try this mechanically. In order to put in this plugin, please navigate to

WordPress admin -> Plugins -> Add new. Now, simply enter the phrase “Retina x2” and await the outcomes. Once the plugin is listed, click on set up and activate it. See picture:

Installation of the WP Retina x2 plugin

Once the plugin is put in, you’ll be able to entry its settings contained in the WordPress admin -> Settings. Then, you simply have to test the specified picture sizes that you simply need to make retina prepared. The plugin will generate the double-sized photographs and serve them accordingly.

How to Incorporate a Retina-Ready Logo into Your WordPress Site

However, even though the WP Retina 2x plugin works well with all of the images in WordPress 4.5, it does not work with the custom logo! As a result, we’ll use a simple trick to correct the situation:

Assume you have uploaded a logo image with the filename logo.png and a resolution of 100×100 pixels. You must manually create a retina logo with a resolution of 200×200 pixels and name it logo@2x.png before proceeding. The name you give to the retina image is significant. It needs to be named the same as the regular logo image, but the suffix @2x is appended to the end.

Then save it to your computer’s Media Library. Please make certain that your regular logo image and your retina logo image are located in the same WordPress Media Library folder? The quickest and most straightforward way to accomplish this is to upload the two image files to your Media Library simultaneously.

Step-by-Step: Manual Retina Logo Implementation

Step 1: Prepare Your Images
Create two versions of your logo:
– Standard: logo.png (100×100 pixels)
– Retina: logo@2x.png (200×200 pixels)
Ensure the @2x version is exactly twice the dimensions of the standard version.

Step 2: Upload Both Images
Go to Media > Add New in your WordPress dashboard. Select both files simultaneously and upload them. They will appear in your Media Library together.

Step 3: Note the URLs
Click on each image in the Media Library and copy the File URL. You’ll need both URLs for the next step.

Step 4: Add the Logo via Customizer (Most Themes)
Go to Appearance > Customize > Site Identity. Upload the standard logo (logo.png) as your site logo. Most themes will only ask for one image—the standard version. The retina version won’t be used unless your theme specifically supports retina logos.

Step 5: If Your Theme Doesn’t Support Retina Logos
You have two options:
– Use a child theme and modify the header.php template to include the srcset code.
– Use a plugin like “Custom Logo Retina” (free) that adds retina support to any theme.

Advanced Method: Adding srcset via Functions.php

For developers comfortable with code, you can add retina support directly to your theme’s functions.php file. This method ensures your logo uses the srcset approach for optimal performance.

// Add retina logo support via customizer
function mytheme_customize_register($wp_customize) {
    // Add a setting for retina logo
    $wp_customize->add_setting('retina_logo', array(
        'sanitize_callback' => 'esc_url_raw'
    ));
    
    // Add control for retina logo upload
    $wp_customize->add_control(new WP_Customize_Image_Control($wp_customize, 'retina_logo', array(
        'label' => 'Retina Logo (2x)',
        'section' => 'title_tagline',
        'settings' => 'retina_logo'
    )));
}
add_action('customize_register', 'mytheme_customize_register');

// Display logo with srcset in header
function mytheme_display_logo() {
    $logo_url = get_theme_mod('custom_logo');
    $retina_url = get_theme_mod('retina_logo');
    
    if ($logo_url && $retina_url) {
        echo '<img src="' . esc_url($logo_url) . '" srcset="' . esc_url($logo_url) . ' 1x, ' . esc_url($retina_url) . ' 2x" alt="' . get_bloginfo('name') . '">';
    } elseif ($logo_url) {
        echo '<img src="' . esc_url($logo_url) . '" alt="' . get_bloginfo('name') . '">';
    }
}

Understanding Device Pixel Ratio

Modern displays have a property called “device pixel ratio” (DPR). Standard displays have a DPR of 1, Retina displays have DPR of 2, and some high-end phones have DPR of 3 or even 4. The srcset attribute with 1x, 2x, and 3x descriptors tells the browser exactly which image to choose based on the device’s DPR.

For complete future-proofing, consider creating three versions:

• logo.png (1x, standard displays)
• logo@2x.png (2x, most Retina devices)
• logo@3x.png (3x, latest iPhones, high-end Android)

The HTML would then be:

<img src="logo.png" srcset="logo.png 1x, logo@2x.png 2x, logo@3x.png 3x" alt="Site Logo">

Troubleshooting Common Retina Logo Issues

Issue: Logo Still Blurry After Following Steps

Solution: Check that your @2x image is exactly twice the dimensions of your standard image. If your standard logo is 100×50, your retina logo must be 200×100. Any deviation will cause scaling artifacts. Also verify that your theme is actually outputting the srcset attribute—inspect the logo element in your browser’s developer tools to see what HTML is being generated.

Issue: Plugin Creates Retina Images but Logo Remains Blurry

Solution: The WP Retina 2x plugin works with content images, but the custom logo is handled differently by WordPress. You may need the “Custom Logo Retina” plugin specifically, or implement the manual method described above.

Issue: Site Speed Decreased After Adding Retina Images

Solution: Retina images are larger by nature. Implement lazy loading for images, use a CDN, and compress all images before uploading. Tools like ShortPixel or Smush can compress images without visible quality loss.

Issue: Logo Appears Sharp but Layout Breaks

Solution: If your retina logo is larger, it may overflow its container. Ensure your CSS sets max-width: 100% on the logo image. For example:

.site-logo img {
    max-width: 100%;
    height: auto;
}

Choosing a WordPress Theme That Includes Retina Functionality as Default

WordPress’s support for media is constantly being improved. WordPress has supported responsive images since version 4.4 and custom logos since version 4.5 of the software package. However, as of right now, WordPress does not support retina images, which is particularly problematic for the custom logo. On retina displays, all of the images appear to be severely blurry. It is demonstrated in this post how to optimize your website for retina displays, along with a small tip on how to include the retina logo on your website.

When selecting a WordPress theme, look for themes that explicitly advertise “Retina Ready” or “High-DPI Support.” Premium themes from reputable developers like Astra, GeneratePress, Kadence, and Divi all include built-in retina support. Free themes from WordPress.org may vary—check the theme’s documentation or demo site on a Retina device to test.

Some themes go beyond simple retina support and offer SVG logo uploads. SVGs are vector-based and scale infinitely without quality loss or additional file sizes. If your theme supports SVG logos, that’s often the best solution for crisp logos on all devices.

The Future: WebP and AVIF Formats

Modern image formats like WebP (supported by all major browsers) and AVIF (emerging) offer better compression than PNG or JPEG. You can serve WebP images with retina resolutions while keeping file sizes manageable. Plugins like ShortPixel, Imagify, and Smush can automatically convert your images to WebP and serve them to compatible browsers.

For logos, SVG remains the gold standard, but for photographs and complex images on your site, WebP with retina support is the way forward. Many retina plugins now offer WebP conversion as part of their feature set.