How To Use Font Awesome 5 In WordPress And Beyond

How to use Font Awesome 5 is one of those questions we hear right after a site redesign goes live and someone says, “Wait… where did the icons go?“ We have been there. You swap a theme, install a page builder, or add WooCommerce, and suddenly your cart icon turns into a sad little square.

Quick answer: pick one Font Awesome 5 install method (CDN, plugin, or self-hosted), load it once, and add icons with the right style prefix (solid, regular, brands) plus basic accessibility rules. Keep it boring and consistent, and your icons stay stable.

What Font Awesome 5 Is (And When It Is The Right Choice)

Font Awesome 5 is an icon library you load into a site so you can place icons like a shopping cart, phone, map pin, or social logos without designing each one from scratch. You can use it in WordPress, landing pages, email templates (with limits), and custom apps.

Font Awesome 5 is a good choice when:

• You want a library that lots of themes and plugins already support.
• You need consistent icon style across pages and funnels.
• You want solid UI icons plus brand logos in one system.
• You want an upgrade path from older Font Awesome setups.

Font Awesome 5 is a bad choice when:

• You only need 3 icons and you want absolute best performance. In that case, inline SVG files can win.
• Your legal or compliance team blocks third-party CDNs and you cannot self-host.

Solid vs Regular vs Brands: Picking The Right Style

Font Awesome 5 introduced style families that change the look and weight of the same icon.

Here is the practical way to think about it:

• Solid icons look bold and filled. They read well at small sizes. We use them for primary UI actions.
• Regular icons look lighter and outlined. They work well as secondary cues.
• Brands icons cover logos like Facebook, X, LinkedIn, GitHub, and so on.

In your markup, the style choice often shows up as a prefix class:

• fas for solid
• far for regular
• fab for brands

That one detail causes most “my icon is missing“ tickets.

Icons, SVG, Web Fonts, And Why It Matters For Performance

Font Awesome gives you two common delivery modes:

1. Web fonts + CSS: your browser downloads font files that contain many icons. This is simple, but it can load more than you use.
2. SVG with JavaScript: a script swaps your icon markup for SVG output. This can reduce payload when set up to include only what you need.

Cause and effect matters here: Loading fewer icon assets -> reduces page weight -> improves Core Web Vitals. On ecommerce sites, that can show up as fewer abandoned carts. Not magic. Just faster pages.

If your WordPress site already carries a heavy theme, a page builder, and WooCommerce scripts, you should treat icons like any other asset. Load them with intent.

Sources:

• Font Awesome 5: “Upgrading from Version 4“ (style prefixes, version notes), Font Awesome, 2018, Font Awesome documentation
• Font Awesome: “SVG with JavaScript“ (how the JS replacement works), Font Awesome, 2018, SVG with JS docs
• Google: “Web Vitals” (why performance ties to user experience), Google, 2020, Web Vitals overview

Choose Your Install Method: CDN, WordPress Plugin, Or Self-Hosted

Pick one install method. Then stick with it.

Cause and effect again: Loading Font Awesome twice -> creates version conflicts -> icons render wrong or not at all.

We usually choose based on risk and control:

• CDN: fastest to set up, least control.
• Self-host: most control, best for privacy teams.
• Plugin: easiest for non-dev teams, but you still need to confirm it only loads one version.

CDN Setup For Quick Wins (Best For Simple Sites)

A CDN setup loads the Font Awesome 5 CSS file from a third party. It works well for brochure sites, early-stage startups, and quick landing pages.

What to watch:

• Your privacy policy may need to mention third-party asset delivery.
• Some regulated orgs do not allow it.
• Ad blockers and corporate firewalls can block some CDNs.

If you go this route, keep it simple and load one stylesheet.

Self-Hosting For Control, Privacy, And Long-Term Stability

Self-hosting means you download the Font Awesome 5 files and serve them from your own domain.

This usually helps when:

• You want predictable behavior over time.
• You need tighter data handling rules.
• You want to reduce third-party requests.

It also makes caching easier: Local assets -> better cache control -> fewer repeat downloads.

Font Awesome provides packages you can download, and you can also install with npm when you manage a build step.

Using A Plugin When You Need Convenience And Updates

Plugins can help when your team does not want to touch code. A decent plugin can:

• enqueue the right files
• avoid theme edits
• give you settings for version and loading location

Still, plugins can stack. Two icon plugins can load two versions.

Our rule: after installing a plugin, open your page source and search for font-awesome or fontawesome. You should see one set of assets, not three.

Sources:

• Font Awesome: “Get Started” (install options, packages), Font Awesome, 2018, Get started
• npm: “@fortawesome/fontawesome-free“ (package install reference), npm, accessed 2026, package page

Add Font Awesome 5 To WordPress The Safe Way (No Theme File Edits)

If you only remember one thing from this post, make it this: do not paste Font Awesome links into theme files. Themes change. Child themes get skipped. And someone will update the theme on a Friday.

Quick answer: enqueue Font Awesome 5 with WordPress hooks, or use a small utility plugin you control.

Enqueue In functions.php Or A Small Utility Plugin

We prefer a tiny utility plugin for anything client-facing. It survives theme changes and keeps responsibilities clean.

If you must use functions.php, enqueue the stylesheet the WordPress way:

• You load assets with wp_enqueue_scripts.
• You set a version string.
• You load it only on the front end.

You can also enqueue it inside a custom plugin. That keeps your “how to use Font Awesome 5“ setup stable across redesigns.

Add Only What You Need: Scope To Front End, Specific Pages, Or Blocks

Most sites do not need icons everywhere.

Here are common scoping patterns:

• Front end only: do not load icons in wp-admin unless an admin screen truly needs them.
• Specific pages: only load on checkout, account, or landing pages.
• Specific blocks: load when a block appears, if your stack supports conditional loading.

Cause and effect: Scoped loading -> fewer requests -> faster pages. That matters in WooCommerce where the checkout page already carries extra scripts.

If you want to pressure-test your setup, run Chrome DevTools and look at Network. You should see one Font Awesome 5 file load once per page view.

How To Use Icons In HTML, Blocks, And Page Builders

Once Font Awesome 5 loads, you can place icons in three common ways: raw HTML, WordPress blocks, or builder widgets.

The trap: page builders sometimes add their own icon packs. Elementor, some themes, and some menu plugins ship icon libraries. So you need to confirm your builder is not loading Font Awesome 4 while you load Font Awesome 5.

Basic HTML Examples: i Tags, Classes, And Accessibility Labels

Old tutorials still show <i> tags. Font Awesome 5 still supports that pattern when you load the CSS.

Examples:

• Solid home icon: <i class="fas fa-home" aria-hidden="true"></i>
• Regular clock icon: <i class="far fa-clock" aria-hidden="true"></i>
• Brand GitHub icon: <i class="fab fa-github" aria-hidden="true"></i>

Use aria-hidden="true" when the icon is decorative.

When the icon carries meaning, add a text label for screen readers. One simple pattern is a visually hidden span:

• <i class="fas fa-phone" aria-hidden="true"></i><span class="screen-reader-text">Call us</span>

That pattern keeps the UI clean and keeps assistive tech informed.

Sizing, Colors, Alignment, And Spacing With CSS Utilities

Font Awesome 5 gives you helper classes like:

• fa-xs, fa-sm, fa-lg, fa-2x, fa-3x
• fa-fw for fixed width (nice for lists)

Color and spacing usually belong in your site CSS, not inline styles.

We often do this:

• Set icon color via color: currentColor: so icons follow the text color.
• Add spacing with a small utility class, like .icon-left { margin-right: .4rem: }.

Cause and effect: Consistent CSS rules -> fewer one-off overrides -> fewer layout bugs.

Buttons, Menus, And WooCommerce Touchpoints (Cart, Account, Checkout)

Icons pay for themselves when they reduce friction.

Places we see immediate wins:

• Add to Cart buttons: a cart icon supports scanning.
• Mini-cart and cart link: brand-consistent cart icons reduce “where is my cart?“ support pings.
• Account menu: a user icon can make the login link easier to spot.
• Checkout trust cues: lock icons can help, but do not imply claims you cannot back up.

If you run WooCommerce, keep icon usage consistent with your conversion flow. Too many icons can feel like a slot machine UI.

Common Issues And Guardrails (So Icons Do Not Break Your Site)

Most Font Awesome 5 problems come from two things: conflicting versions and unclear ownership. A theme loads v4. A plugin loads v5. A builder loads a kit. Then everyone points fingers.

Here is the checklist we use.

Version Conflicts, Missing Icons, And Mixed Kits

Symptoms:

• Icons show as empty squares.
• Some icons work, others do not.
• Brand icons fail but solid icons show.

Fix path:

1. Search your page source for font-awesome and fontawesome.
2. Count the loads. You want one.
3. Confirm your markup matches Font Awesome 5 class prefixes: fas, far, fab.
4. If you upgraded from v4, remove old v4 assets.

Cause and effect: Mixed versions -> class name mismatch -> missing icons.

Accessibility And Legal-Safe Usage: Decorative vs Meaningful Icons

We treat icons like UI text.

Rules we follow:

• Decorative icon –> aria-hidden="true".
• Meaningful icon -> include a readable label.
• Icon-only buttons -> add an accessible name with visible text or aria-label.

If you work in healthcare, legal, finance, or public services, do not let icons imply promises. A shield icon can look like “guaranteed security.“ That can create compliance questions.

If you publish endorsements or reviews near icons, read the FTC’s Endorsement Guides. They shape how you present claims and disclosures.

Sources:

• W3C: “Using aria-hidden“ (decorative content guidance), W3C WAI, 2019, ARIA guidance
• FTC: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising“ (disclosure rules), Federal Trade Commission, updated 2023, FTC endorsement guides

Performance And Security Basics: Cache, Subsetting, And Update Hygiene

Icons feel small, but they still ship bytes.

Performance guardrails:

• Cache your Font Awesome 5 assets (browser cache plus a WordPress cache plugin).
• Avoid loading all.css if you self-host and can load only what you need.
• Run a quick audit after theme and plugin updates.

Security guardrails:

• If you self-host, keep the library updated like any other dependency.
• If you use a plugin, update it on a schedule and confirm it still loads only one version.

Cause and effect: Old libraries -> higher risk surface -> more cleanup later.

If you want a boring, safe routine, we normally pair icon governance with ongoing WordPress hosting and support so updates do not pile up for months.

Conclusion

How to use Font Awesome 5 without headaches comes down to one habit: treat icons like a dependency, not decoration. Pick one loading method, load it once, and document it so your future self does not have to play detective.

If you want the safest starting point, run a small pilot:

• Add Font Awesome 5 on one page.
• Add 5 to 10 icons with solid, regular, and brands.
• Check accessibility labels.
• Check page speed before and after.

Then scale it.

If you want a second set of eyes, we help teams wire this kind of stuff into WordPress the right way, with clear guardrails and easy rollbacks. That is the difference between “icons look nice“ and “icons never break on checkout day.“

Frequently Asked Questions (Font Awesome 5)

How to use Font Awesome 5 without icons going missing after a redesign?

Pick one install method (CDN, WordPress plugin, or self-hosted), make sure Font Awesome 5 loads only once, and use the correct style prefix in your markup: fas (solid), far (regular), or fab (brands). Most “missing icon” issues come from version conflicts or wrong prefixes.

What’s the difference between solid, regular, and brands in Font Awesome 5?

Font Awesome 5 groups icons into style families. Solid icons (fas) are bold and filled for primary UI actions. Regular icons (far) are lighter and outlined for secondary cues. Brands icons (fab) are for logos like GitHub, LinkedIn, or X. Using the wrong prefix often breaks rendering.

How do I add Font Awesome 5 icons in HTML, and what are the accessibility basics?

After loading Font Awesome 5, you can place icons with classes like or . For decorative icons, add aria-hidden=”true“. If the icon conveys meaning, include a readable label (e.g., screen-reader-text) or an aria-label for icon-only buttons.

What’s the best way to add Font Awesome 5 to WordPress without editing theme files?

Avoid pasting links into theme files because themes update and change. Instead, enqueue Font Awesome 5 using WordPress hooks (wp_enqueue_scripts) in functions.php or, more reliably, a small utility plugin you control. Then confirm in page source that only one Font Awesome load appears.

Font Awesome 5 isn’t showing—why do I only see squares or blank icons?

Squares usually mean a mismatch between what you loaded and the classes you used. Check page source for multiple Font Awesome versions (themes, builders, and plugins often stack). Ensure you’re using Font Awesome 5 prefixes (fas/far/fab) and remove old v4 assets that can override or conflict.

Is Font Awesome 5 better via CDN, self-hosting, or npm for performance and privacy?

CDN is quickest but offers less control and can be blocked by corporate firewalls or privacy rules. Self-hosting improves control, caching, and reduces third-party requests. npm works best when you have a build step and want tighter dependency management. In all cases, load it once and scope it to pages that need icons.