Title: Better Font Awesome Author: Mickey Kay Published: 5. April 2014 Last modified: 10. September 2026 --- Search plugins ![](https://ps.w.org/better-font-awesome/assets/banner-772x250.png?rev=3681680) ![](https://ps.w.org/better-font-awesome/assets/icon-256x256.gif?rev=3681680) # Better Font Awesome By [Mickey Kay](https://profiles.wordpress.org/mcguive7/) [Download](https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/better-font-awesome.3.2.0.zip) * [Details](https://de-ch.wordpress.org/plugins/better-font-awesome/#description) * [Reviews](https://de-ch.wordpress.org/plugins/better-font-awesome/#reviews) * [Installation](https://de-ch.wordpress.org/plugins/better-font-awesome/#installation) * [Development](https://de-ch.wordpress.org/plugins/better-font-awesome/#developers) [Support](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/better-font-awesome/) ## Description **Do you find this plugin helpful? Please consider [leaving a 5-star review](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/better-font-awesome/reviews/).** Add Font Awesome Free icons to WordPress using a native Icon block, shortcodes, the Classic Editor picker, or HTML. Search the latest compatible Free catalog, customize icons in the Block Editor, and keep established Font Awesome 4 and 5 content working. A built-in fallback means icons work immediately. Better Font Awesome automatically keeps Font Awesome Free icons current with newer compatible releases in the background, while pages and editors keep loading normally. ### Key features * **Native Icon block** – search the latest compatible Font Awesome Free icons and styles, then adjust size, color, spacing, alignment, and an optional accessible label. * **Flexible workflows** – use the block, shortcodes, the Classic Editor picker, or HTML and CSS. * **Automatic icon updates** – start with the built-in fallback and receive newer compatible icons automatically in the background. * **Legacy compatibility** – keep established Font Awesome 4 and 5 content working, with optional controls for older or competing styles. ### Getting started #### Native Icon block In the Block Editor, insert the **Font Awesome Icon** block. Choose an icon once in the Icon picker, then select an available Free style in the Style control. Use WordPress controls for font size, text color, margin, padding, and left, center, or right alignment. Add an accessible label when the icon communicates meaning, or leave it empty for a decorative icon. Set **Default block icon style** to Solid or Regular under **Settings > Better Font Awesome**. New blocks added through the standard inserter follow **Site default**. Existing icons retain their styling unless you explicitly choose **Site default**; individual blocks can override it with an available style. If the default style is unavailable for an icon, the block uses Solid, then Regular, then Brands, choosing the first available style. Brand-only icons stay Brands. The Style control shows the effective style. Missing icons and unavailable explicitly saved styles keep their saved selections until you change them. Changing the default updates inherited icons without rewriting posts. Refresh page caches and reopen an already open editor to see the change. If you downgrade to an older BFA version, inherited styles render as Solid. Choose explicit supported styles before downgrading if their appearance must stay the same. The Icon block is a standalone block that works in layouts such as Groups, Rows, and Columns. To place an icon directly within a line of text, use the shortcode. #### Shortcodes Use the `[icon]` shortcode wherever WordPress processes shortcodes: ``` [icon name="flag" class="2x spin border" unprefixed_class="my-custom-class"] ``` The `fa-` and `icon-` prefixes are optional in shortcode attributes, and established prefixed forms continue to work. #### Classic Editor picker In the Classic Editor visual toolbar, choose **Insert Icon**, search the Free catalog, and select an icon. The picker inserts the matching shortcode into your content. #### HTML and CSS You can also use Font Awesome classes in HTML or CSS. Unlike shortcodes, HTML class prefixes are required and depend on the selected style. For current syntax, see the [Font Awesome guide to adding icons](https://docs.fontawesome.com/web/add-icons/how-to/). ### Automatic icon updates and built-in fallback Font Awesome Free CSS, fonts, and icon data ship with the plugin, so icons render immediately after activation. With **Serve Font Awesome locally** unchecked (the default), a scheduled task checks for the latest compatible release in the background and uses it only after validation. If a check is delayed or fails, the last validated release or built-in fallback stays active. #### Optional local delivery Under **Settings > Better Font Awesome**, check **Serve Font Awesome locally** to serve the bundled Font Awesome 7 Free catalog, CSS, compatibility styles, and fonts from your site. This mode disables BFA background metadata and asset-validation requests. New icons arrive through plugin updates. It never falls back to third- party assets if bundled files are unavailable. The bundled catalog may be older than a previously adopted automatic release. Icons introduced after the bundled version will not render until a plugin update includes them or you switch back to automatic delivery. Existing content and stored metadata are preserved; switching back reuses valid metadata and schedules a background check when needed. Settings saving does not wait for remote metadata. A refresh already running when the setting changes cannot be retroactively canceled. The settings page reports the effective delivery mode. If a theme, plugin, or initialization filter has already selected the shared library configuration, BFA preserves that selection and explains any mismatch. Explicit Font Awesome 5 ownership cannot be combined with local delivery. Local delivery does not control other plugins, themes, or site infrastructure that rewrites asset URLs to a CDN. ### Compatibility and conflicts Established Font Awesome 4 and 5 shortcode names and classes are supported through compatible aliases and styles, plus an optional Font Awesome 4 CSS shim. Font Awesome Pro and a separate Font Awesome 6 channel are not provided. If a theme or another plugin also loads Font Awesome, go to **Settings > Better Font Awesome** and enable **Remove existing Font Awesome**. This can reduce duplicate or conflicting styles, but no automatic conflict tool can cover every theme or plugin integration. ### External services Better Font Awesome works immediately from its built-in Font Awesome Free fallback. In automatic mode, it uses the following external services for background updates or for assets from a newer validated release. Effective local mode makes no BFA/ BFAL requests to these services. Other site components and site CDN infrastructure remain outside this setting. No Font Awesome account or API token is required for the Free channel. * **Font Awesome GraphQL API** (`https://api.fontawesome.com`) – an asynchronous server-side WP-Cron worker requests the latest public compatible Font Awesome Free release version, icon names, aliases, families, and styles. Review the [Font Awesome terms of service](https://fontawesome.com/tos) and [privacy policy](https://fontawesome.com/privacy). * **npm registry** (`https://registry.npmjs.org/%40fortawesome%2Ffontawesome-free/{ version}`) – when Font Awesome reports a newer candidate, the same background worker confirms that exact official Free package version, name, and license. Review the [npm terms](https://docs.npmjs.com/policies/terms) and [privacy notice](https://docs.npmjs.com/policies/privacy). * **cdnjs asset service** (`https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/font-awesome/{ version}/`) – the background worker downloads an allowlisted set of exact-version CSS and WOFF2 files for validation. BFAL does not call a separate cdnjs catalog API. After a newer release passes every check, visitors‘ browsers may request its selected CSS and referenced font files from this host. Review the [cdnjs service information](https://cdnjs.com/about), [Cloudflare website terms](https://www.cloudflare.com/website-terms/), and [Cloudflare privacy policy](https://www.cloudflare.com/privacypolicy/). * **jsDelivr asset service** (`https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/@fortawesome/fontawesome- free@{version}/`) – the background worker independently downloads the same allowlisted files and requires their bytes to match cdnjs. BFA does not select jsDelivr as the browser runtime host. Review the [jsDelivr terms and policies](https://www.jsdelivr.com/terms). * **Legacy Font Awesome 5 CDN** (`https://use.fontawesome.com/releases/`) – if another plugin or theme deliberately initializes BFAL first and selects the legacy` 5.x` channel, visitors‘ browsers may request that selected version’s CSS and fonts from this host. Normal frontend, administrator, REST, editor, settings, shortcode, picker, and getter requests do not perform BFA or BFAL metadata discovery or candidate asset-validation HTTP. Separately, WordPress core may fetch a registered external editor stylesheet while constructing Block Editor assets; that core behavior is not a BFA or BFAL metadata-validation request. Server-side provider requests expose ordinary connection data such as the server IP address, requested URL and version, timing, and HTTP headers. WordPress’s default HTTP user agent may include the WordPress version and site URL. Browser asset requests can expose ordinary connection data such as the visitor’s IP address, user agent, referring page, and requested asset. BFA does not add post content, user content, Font Awesome credentials, or an API token to these requests. In automatic mode, if discovery, publication, transport, or validation fails, BFA continues using the packaged fallback or validated last-known-good release. ### Support Need help? Start a topic in the [WordPress.org support forum](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/better-font-awesome/). Developers can also report reproducible issues on [GitHub](https://github.com/MickeyKay/better-font-awesome/issues). If Better Font Awesome helps your site, please consider leaving a brief [WordPress.org review](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/better-font-awesome/reviews/). ## Screenshots [⌊Search the Font Awesome Free catalog, choose an available style, and add an accessible label.⌉⌊Search the Font Awesome Free catalog, choose an available style, and add an accessible label.⌉[ Search the Font Awesome Free catalog, choose an available style, and add an accessible label. [⌊Adjust icon alignment, size, color, and spacing with WordPress block controls.⌉⌊ Adjust icon alignment, size, color, and spacing with WordPress block controls.⌉[ Adjust icon alignment, size, color, and spacing with WordPress block controls. [⌊Combine standalone Icon blocks with text in a polished frontend layout.⌉⌊Combine standalone Icon blocks with text in a polished frontend layout.⌉[ Combine standalone Icon blocks with text in a polished frontend layout. [⌊Search and insert a matching shortcode with the Classic Editor picker.⌉⌊Search and insert a matching shortcode with the Classic Editor picker.⌉[ Search and insert a matching shortcode with the Classic Editor picker. [⌊Review the active Font Awesome version and optional compatibility settings.⌉⌊Review the active Font Awesome version and optional compatibility settings.⌉[ Review the active Font Awesome version and optional compatibility settings. ## Blocks This plugin provides 1 block. * Font Awesome Icon Add a Font Awesome Free icon that stays current with Better Font Awesome. ## Installation 1. Install and activate Better Font Awesome from **Plugins > Add New**. 2. Add the **Font Awesome Icon** block, use an `[icon]` shortcode, or choose **Insert Icon** in the Classic Editor. Optional compatibility controls are under **Settings > Better Font Awesome**. ## FAQ ### Does Better Font Awesome support Font Awesome Pro? No. Better Font Awesome supports Font Awesome Free. ### Do visitors download fonts from another service? Check **Serve Font Awesome locally** to keep BFA’s bundled CSS and fonts on your site, subject to your site’s URL-rewriting infrastructure. In automatic mode, the packaged fallback also loads from your site. If the plugin validates and adopts a newer compatible release, visitors‘ browsers may load that release’s selected CSS and font files from cdnjs. ### Will existing Font Awesome 4 and 5 content keep working? Established shortcode names and classes are supported through compatible aliases and styles. For Font Awesome 4 content, enable the optional CSS shim when needed. Unusual custom markup or CSS may still need site-specific adjustments. ### What if another plugin or theme loads Font Awesome? Enable **Remove existing Font Awesome** under **Settings > Better Font Awesome** to attempt to remove competing styles and shortcodes. Test the result with your theme and plugins because integrations vary. ## Reviews ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1ca31d9dd7429351e7b8fd88b99670c251ff02ca2bc3a0acc9e104fee400a06b? s=60&d=retro&r=g) ### 󠀁[Excellent!](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/excellent-14346/)󠁿 [ellikon](https://profiles.wordpress.org/ellikon/) 14. September 2026 Works good and very useful! ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/5dd1a90ae48fc22c9bf1bf34dc6422fab72db2fb30be75d0c9549164e59f7e1f? s=60&d=retro&r=g) ### 󠀁[Suggested !!](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/suggested-2/)󠁿 [rainafarai](https://profiles.wordpress.org/rainafarai/) 5. September 2026 Good Plugin and good support !! ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/398099564f4c387cafb1f7df942ac04adb67de4cdb49d78ff332a118253fe748? s=60&d=retro&r=g) ### 󠀁[Plugin doesn’t work](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/plugin-doesnt-work-398/)󠁿 [askdesign](https://profiles.wordpress.org/askdesign/) 19. August 2026 1 reply After installation, I see that its CDN connects to Font Awesome v5 (the latest is v7). I tried the shortcode and html methods. Neither one worked. There is no TinyMCE in a block theme. Very little documentation. Hasn't been updated in 2 years. Uninstalled after 15 minutes. Bye bye. ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ede841e9db5ffc673590ba68fc4cc96860a556efb0e9b057e9b17f686ae7da66? s=60&d=retro&r=g) ### 󠀁[Does not seem to work](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/does-not-seem-to-work-35/)󠁿 [Verzenden](https://profiles.wordpress.org/verzenden/) 28. April 2026 1 reply After installation I don't see any tinymce editor anywhere, the only use seems shortcodes. Lack of documentation on how to use it, it is free and it shows. Where I want an icon I cannot use shortcode. Uninstalled after 1 hour. ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/a1b33378077ddc9cf338bd004eb7c48c0a565320869aeecfab6adf7625790398? s=60&d=retro&r=g) ### 󠀁[Worked Perfectly (Better than the Font Awesome plugin)](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/worked-perfectly-better-than-the-font-awesome-plugin/)󠁿 [Avrom](https://profiles.wordpress.org/dividendninja/) 2. Januar 2026 Great job! This plugin worked perfectly and supported the older Font Awesome 5+ versions I prefer. However, I see the plugin hasn't been updated in 11 months. I truly hope the author will continue to support the plugin. Be sad if it becomes abandoned. As an FYI, the official Font Awesome plugin was difficult… and this plugin actually worked right out of the box. ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/496a3e51c73280ae4b6e8ac2bfbab4fab52306c1dee3a301e2dbdbe4a85f9d6b? s=60&d=retro&r=g) ### 󠀁[Search typing no working](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/search-typing-no-working/)󠁿 [luisserrano](https://profiles.wordpress.org/luisserrano/) 13. September 2022 Cant type in search form from Better Font Awesome By Mickey Kay. Click in search bar to start typing is not working. Cant attach Youtube link so you can find the video searching there for: "Wordpress plugin Better Font Awesome By Mickey Kay" [ Read all 88 reviews ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/better-font-awesome/reviews/) ## Contributors & Developers “Better Font Awesome” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin. Contributors * [ Mickey Kay ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/mcguive7/) * [ Aaron [MIGHTYminnow] ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/aaronbmm/) * [ MIGHTYminnow ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/mightyminnow/) “Better Font Awesome” has been translated into 18 locales. Thank you to [the translators](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/better-font-awesome/contributors) for their contributions. [Translate “Better Font Awesome” into your language.](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/better-font-awesome) ### Interested in development? [Browse the code](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/better-font-awesome/), check out the [SVN repository](https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/better-font-awesome/), or subscribe to the [development log](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/better-font-awesome/) by [RSS](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/better-font-awesome/?limit=100&mode=stop_on_copy&format=rss). ## Changelog #### 3.2.0 * Choose an icon once, then select its available Free style with a dedicated Style control. * Set a default block icon style centrally. New blocks added through the standard inserter follow **Site default**, and individual blocks can override it. * Existing icons retain their styling unless explicitly opted in. Changing the default updates inherited icons without rewriting posts. #### 3.1.0 * Adds the optional **Serve Font Awesome locally** setting for loading the bundled Font Awesome Free catalog, CSS, and fonts from your site. * Keeps automatic delivery as the default. When local delivery is enabled, new icons arrive through plugin updates. #### 3.0.1 * Fixes a false metadata validation warning after upgrading a site with valid retained Font Awesome 5 cache data to the default Font Awesome 7 channel. #### 3.0.0 * Adds automatic updates for the current Font Awesome Free catalog with a built- in fallback. * Adds a native Icon block with catalog search, style and design controls, alignment, and accessible labels. * Preserves existing shortcodes, settings, integrations, Classic Editor picker, and Font Awesome 4 and 5 compatibility. Older release history is preserved in the project’s [historical changelog](https://github.com/MickeyKay/better-font-awesome/blob/master/docs/historical-changelog.md). ## Meta * Version **3.2.0** * Last updated **1 Monat ago** * Active installations **60'000+** * WordPress version ** 6.5 or higher ** * Tested up to **7.1.3** * PHP version ** 7.4 or higher ** * Languages * [Catalan](https://ca.wordpress.org/plugins/better-font-awesome/), [Chinese (China)](https://cn.wordpress.org/plugins/better-font-awesome/), [Chinese (Taiwan)](https://tw.wordpress.org/plugins/better-font-awesome/), [Dutch](https://nl.wordpress.org/plugins/better-font-awesome/), [Dutch (Belgium)](https://nl-be.wordpress.org/plugins/better-font-awesome/), [English (Canada)](https://en-ca.wordpress.org/plugins/better-font-awesome/), [English (UK)](https://en-gb.wordpress.org/plugins/better-font-awesome/), [English (US)](https://wordpress.org/plugins/better-font-awesome/), [Galician](https://gl.wordpress.org/plugins/better-font-awesome/), [German](https://de.wordpress.org/plugins/better-font-awesome/), [Italian](https://it.wordpress.org/plugins/better-font-awesome/), [Lithuanian](https://lt.wordpress.org/plugins/better-font-awesome/), [Russian](https://ru.wordpress.org/plugins/better-font-awesome/), [Spanish (Chile)](https://cl.wordpress.org/plugins/better-font-awesome/), [Spanish (Colombia)](https://es-co.wordpress.org/plugins/better-font-awesome/), [Spanish (Ecuador)](https://es-ec.wordpress.org/plugins/better-font-awesome/), [Spanish (Spain)](https://es.wordpress.org/plugins/better-font-awesome/), [Spanish (Venezuela)](https://ve.wordpress.org/plugins/better-font-awesome/) und [Swedish](https://sv.wordpress.org/plugins/better-font-awesome/). * [Translate into your language](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/better-font-awesome) * Tags * [block-editor](https://de-ch.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/block-editor/)[Font Awesome](https://de-ch.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/font-awesome/) [icon font](https://de-ch.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/icon-font/)[icons](https://de-ch.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/icons/) [shortcode](https://de-ch.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/shortcode/) * [Advanced View](https://de-ch.wordpress.org/plugins/better-font-awesome/advanced/) ## Ratings 4.5 von 5 Sternen. * [ 74 5-Sterne-Rezensionen ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/better-font-awesome/reviews/?filter=5) * [ 3 4-Sterne-Rezensionen ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/better-font-awesome/reviews/?filter=4) * [ 1 3-Sterne-Rezension ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/better-font-awesome/reviews/?filter=3) * [ 4 2-Sterne-Rezensionen ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/better-font-awesome/reviews/?filter=2) * [ 6 1-Sterne-Rezensionen ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/better-font-awesome/reviews/?filter=1) [Your review](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/better-font-awesome/reviews/#new-post) [See all reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/better-font-awesome/reviews/) ## Contributors * [ Mickey Kay ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/mcguive7/) * [ Aaron [MIGHTYminnow] ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/aaronbmm/) * [ MIGHTYminnow ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/mightyminnow/) ## Support Issues resolved in last two months: 1 out of 1 [View support forum](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/better-font-awesome/) ## Donate Would you like to support the advancement of this plugin? [ Donate to this plugin ](https://mickeykay.me)