How to Wrap Text Around Images in WordPress
Do you want to wrap text around images in WordPress? By default, an image sits on its own line with empty space beside it — wrapping your text around it fills that space and makes the page look polished. In this tutorial, we’ll share how to wrap text around images in WordPress.
The good news: you don’t need any code. WordPress handles text wrapping with a single alignment setting, and we’ll walk through it in both the block editor and the Classic Editor.
Ready to get started? Let’s go!
Wrap Text Around Images in the Block Editor
If your site uses the block editor (the WordPress default), text wrapping takes about ten seconds.
First, add your image where you want it in the post. You can click the + button and choose the Image block, or simply drag a photo straight into the editor.
Next, click the image once to select it. A toolbar appears above the block — click the Align button and choose Align left or Align right.
As soon as you pick a side, the paragraphs after the image flow around it automatically. That’s the whole trick — alignment is what turns wrapping on.
Note: If you want an image and text side by side in fixed columns — rather than text flowing around the image — the Media & Text block gives you that layout with a built-in spot for each.
One thing we’d suggest: check how the wrap looks on a phone. Small screens don’t leave much room beside an image, so WordPress themes usually stack the text below it on mobile — that’s expected behavior, not a bug.
Wrap Text Around Images in the Classic Editor
Still using the Classic Editor? The same idea applies — you’ll add the image, add your text, and then set the alignment. Here are the 3 steps:
- Step 1. Add an image in your page or post
- Step 2. Add your text below the image
- Step 3. Edit the image alignment to wrap the text
Step 1: Add an Image in Your Page or Post
To add an image, go to Pages/Posts » Add New or edit an existing one. Then click the Add Media button.
A popup will open showing your previously uploaded images. You can also drag and drop new photos from your computer.
Select the image you want and click the Insert into Page/Post button. Your photo will be added to the page or post.
Step 2: Add Your Text Below the Image
In the visual editor, add your text directly below the image — this is the text that will wrap around it in the next step.
Step 3: Edit the Image Alignment to Wrap the Text
Now click on the image. The alignment options appear — go ahead and select Align Left (or Align Right, if you’d rather have the image on the other side).
Once you click the alignment option, your text will automatically wrap around the image.
If the wrap looks cramped, the image is probably too wide for your content area — see our guide on fixing the image size in WordPress for how sizing choices affect layout.
FAQs About Wrapping Text Around Images
How do I wrap text around an image in WordPress?
Select the image and set its alignment to left or right. In the block editor, use the Align button in the image toolbar; in the Classic Editor, click the image and choose Align Left or Align Right. The surrounding text wraps automatically.
Why is my text not wrapping around my image?
The image alignment is probably set to none, center, or wide — text only wraps around left- or right-aligned images. If the alignment is correct, the image may be nearly as wide as your content area, leaving no room for text beside it. Try a smaller image size.
How do I put text and an image side by side in WordPress?
Use the Media & Text block in the block editor. It creates a two-column layout with the image on one side and your text on the other, and you can swap the sides with one click. Unlike alignment wrapping, the text stays in its own column.
That’s it! We hope this tutorial helped you learn how to wrap text around images in WordPress. If you’d like to do more with your images, check out these beginner-friendly guides:
- How to Create an Image Slider in WordPress
- How to Create a Text Only Carousel Slider in WordPress
- What Are Unattached Images in WordPress?
- How to Save Images for the Web in Photoshop to Speed Up Your WordPress Slider
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Gregg
Waseem very informative article thanks very much. What about if the image has a caption? If I just leave the caption formatting as it appears it works but it looks rubbish because usually the line-height is too high & the ragged right looks awful in a caption. As soon as I start to change the caption format in the ‘TEXT’ area the caption moves to another part of the page. Is there anyway round this? Thanks
barbicr3ativ-com
Hi Gregg 🙂
Most of what you describe will come from the theme’s style.css file. Every theme should have specific styling in for WordPress captions as this is the best practice. If you are seeing these kinds of issues, I would recommend contacting the theme author for help with any missing CSS to completely style those captions for you.
For example, here’s what Twenty Seventeen styling looks like for right, left and center aligned images with captions:
https://cl.ly/1l1A2M1Y191q
That’s just an example but the theme styling is where I would start!
Ellen
Is it possible to align a Soliloquy image slider to the left?
barbicr3ativ-com
Hi 🙂 Using custom CSS and depending on your settings for the slider, absolutely! If you need any help with that, please feel free to reach out to support! 🙂
Oreoluwa Paul
i cant find the align toolbox/drop menu in my wordpress
RAMANAN VISVANATHAN
the above process is okey only for posts. what about having image and text in one section/column in a page . pl clarify . there is no add media button in a page. when i add an image in any column with a text the elementor automatically places the image in the bottom of the page
i need an image and its text wrapped around it as you do in MS word
Bach
Thank you! Very helpful.
Shim
Thanks for sharing, this was very helpful!
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