If an author’s avatar changes after you disable Gravatar, that is expected behavior.
Disabling Gravatar removes it from Molongui Authorship’s avatar resolution process, so the plugin automatically uses the next available avatar source.
What changes when Gravatar is disabled?
With Gravatar enabled, the standard avatar priority may look like this:
Local Avatar → Gravatar → Custom Default Avatar
After disabling Gravatar, the priority becomes:
Local Avatar → Custom Default Avatar
If no Local Avatar is available, the Custom Default Avatar can be displayed instead.
Why did my Gravatar disappear?
When Use Gravatar for author avatars is disabled, Molongui Authorship stops using Gravatar for author avatars.
This applies to both WordPress Users and Guest Authors.
The Gravatar itself is not deleted. Molongui Authorship simply stops requesting and displaying it.
Why am I seeing my Custom Default Avatar instead?
If Use a custom default avatar is enabled, Molongui Authorship uses that image when no higher-priority avatar is available.
For an author without a Local Avatar, the result is:
Custom Default Avatar
Why is no avatar displayed?
If the author has no Local Avatar and the Custom Default Avatar is also disabled, there may be no remaining avatar source.
For example:
- Local Avatar: Disabled or unavailable
- Gravatar: Disabled
- Custom Default Avatar: Disabled
In that situation, no avatar is displayed.
What happens to the WordPress Default Avatar?
The WordPress Default Avatar is part of the normal WordPress/Gravatar avatar flow.
When Gravatar is disabled in Molongui Authorship, Molongui author avatars do not use the WordPress Default Avatar through that flow.
If you want a fallback image without using Gravatar, configure a Custom Default Avatar instead.
How to change the fallback after disabling Gravatar
If you want authors without a Local Avatar to display a consistent fallback image:
- Go to Authors > Settings.
- Open the General tab.
- Make sure Use a custom default avatar is enabled.
- Select the image you want to use.
- Save the settings.
Your avatar flow will then be:
Local Avatar → Custom Default Avatar
Can I restore the previous Gravatar?
Yes.
Go to Authors > Settings > General, enable Use Gravatar for author avatars, and save the settings.
If the author’s email address is associated with a Gravatar and no higher-priority Local Avatar is being used, the Gravatar can be displayed again.
