Bart Kuijper

<p>When displaying a post or comment with avatars enabled, WordPress will always check for the existence of a Gravatar. (Note: even the default avatars ‘mystery person’ and ‘blank’ are in fact Gravatars served from gravatar.com.) WordPress does this by sending an MD5 hash of every displayed post or comment author’s email address to gravatar.com. Even with many plugins that introduce locally stored default or user avatars, this check still happens. On top of that, some themes or plugins force (Gr)avatars to load even if the display of avatars is disabled completely in WordPress’ settings. If for whatever reason you do not wish for Gravatar to receive these requests (which some people have voiced GDPR concerns about), this plugin is for you.</p>
<p>The way it works is every time WordPress attempts to display an avatar, this plugin first checks if the image is about to be retrieved from gravatar.com. If it is, the URL is changed to the locally stored ‘mystery person’ image (included with this plugin). If the avatar has any other source, this plugin doesn’t interfere.</p>
<p>Gravatars are also removed from the Discussion page in Settings and replaced with the locally stored ‘mystery person’ image. Again, any non-Gravatar images are left alone.</p>
<p>Upon activation of this plugin, if a Gravatar is selected as the default avatar, that setting is changed to the locally stored ‘mystery person’ image. If any non-Gravatar avatar is selected, that setting isn’t changed.</p>
<p>Upon deactivation of this plugin, if the locally stored ‘mystery person’ image is selected as the default avatar, that setting is changed to the Gravatar logo. If any non-Gravatar avatar is selected, that setting isn’t changed.</p>


Redirect Gravatar requests

All requests to load an avatar from gravatar.com are redirected to a local image, preventing Gravatar from potentially gathering data about your site  …

Automattic

John Godley

Mohammad Jangda

Aarón

Welly Shen

<p>Elevate your WordPress site with Gravatar Enhanced – the plugin that simplifies digital identity and improves user engagement.</p>
<p>Seven Ways Gravatar Enhanced Improves WordPress:</p>
<p>✓ Privacy Protection – Automatic referrer blocking and optional IP address proxy<br />
✓ Accessibility Improvements – Alt-text for all avatars to support screen readers<br />
✓ One-Click Profile Updates – Edit Gravatar directly from the WordPress dashboard<br />
✓ Versatile Profile Block & Patterns – Showcase authors and team members anywhere<br />
✓ Comment Engagement Tools – Remind users to create avatars for better discussions<br />
✓ Comment Form Integration – Show Gravatar directly in the comment form<br />
✓ WooCommerce Integration – Personalized account pages for customers</p>
<h3>Privacy Protection</h3>
<p>Just by enabling the plugin, the plugin ensures that no referrer information is sent to Gravatar. The opt-in proxy service also keeps IP addresses from being exposed or logged.</p>
<h3>Accessibility Improvements</h3>
<p>All avatars now include alt-text, enhancing the experience for users with screen readers. Alt-text can be edited in the Gravatar Profile editor.</p>
<h3>One-Click Profile Updates</h3>
<p>Visit Users > Your Profile to edit your Gravatar profile directly from WordPress. Preview your hovercard and make updates with ease.</p>
<h3>Gravatar Profile Block & Patterns</h3>
<p>Enhance your website with our custom Gravatar profile block and patterns. Seamlessly integrate Gravatar profiles into posts, pages, or biographies to elegantly showcase team members, guest contributors, speakers, event attendees, authors, and more.</p>
<h3>Comment Engagement Tools</h3>
<p>Automatically remind commenters without avatars to create a Gravatar, increasing visual engagement on your blog.</p>
<h3>Comment Form Integration</h3>
<p>When the plugin is enabled we will show a Gravatar profile directly in the comment form, and allow the profile to be updated, so users can feel confident their details are correct, and the site shows richer comments.</p>
<h3>WooCommerce Integration</h3>
<p>Enhance your WooCommerce store by displaying user Gravatar avatars on the My Account page. Customers can view and update their avatars directly from their account dashboard, improving personalization and user engagement.</p>
<ul>
<li>Seamless Integration: Automatically works if WooCommerce is installed and activated.</li>
<li>Direct Avatar Management: Users can change their Gravatar avatars without leaving your site.</li>
<li>Improved Personalization: Adds a personal touch to the shopping experience, fostering customer loyalty.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Automatic Installation</h3>
<ol>
<li>Click ‘Add New Plugin’ from your WordPress plugins page and search for ‘Gravatar Enhanced’</li>
<li>Press the ‘Install Now’ button</li>
<li>Activate the plugin</li>
<li>Go to the “Discussion” Settings page to enable the new features.</li>
</ol>
<h3>Manual Installation</h3>
<ol>
<li>Download the plugin from https://wordpress.org/plugins/gravatar-enhanced/</li>
<li>Upload and extract the plugin to your <code>/wp-content/plugins/</code> directory</li>
<li>Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ menu in WordPress</li>
<li>Go to the “Discussion” Settings page to enable the new features.</li>
</ol>


Gravatar Enhanced – Avatars, Profiles, and Privacy


This plugin handily extends WordPress's built-in Gravatar support with some frequently asked for enhancements.



Besides the handy new Gravatar Profile block, the plugin adds both privacy and accessibility enhancements.



It's easy to use and well-documented.


Finally, more Gravatar Options!


It's great to have a straightforward way to enhance the existing Gravatar abilities. I hope some of these work their way into core too (such as the alt-text).


Fantastic additions to Gravatar

The official Gravatar plugin, featuring privacy-focused settings, easy profile updates, and customizable Gravatar Profile blocks.

Redirect Gravatar requests vs Gravatar Enhanced – Avatars, Profiles, and Privacy