Change the Default Image Attachment Link

To change the default image attachment link in WordPress, you can use the wp_get_attachment_link filter hook. This allows you to modify the HTML output of the attachment link.

Here’s an example code snippet that changes the default image attachment link to point to the image file itself instead of the attachment page:

function wpsnippets_change_image_attachment_link( $link, $post_id ) {
    $post = get_post( $post_id );
    if ( $post && 'attachment' === $post->post_type ) {
        $link = wp_get_attachment_image_link( $post_id, 'full' );
    }
    return $link;
}
add_filter( 'wp_get_attachment_link', 'wpsnippets_change_image_attachment_link', 10, 2 );

This code snippet defines a custom function wpsnippets_change_image_attachment_link that takes two parameters: $link and $post_id. It checks if the post type is an attachment, and if so, it uses the wp_get_attachment_image_link function to get the direct link to the full-size image. Finally, it returns the modified link.

The add_filter function is used to hook the custom function into the wp_get_attachment_link filter, with a priority of 10 and 2 parameters.

By using this code snippet, the default image attachment link will be changed to point directly to the image file, which can be useful in cases where you want to bypass the attachment page and link directly to the image.

Examples

Example 1: Change the default image attachment link to “None”

This use case demonstrates how to change the default image attachment link to “None” in WordPress. By default, when you click on an image in WordPress, it links to the image file itself. However, you may want to remove this link and make the image non-clickable.

function wpsnippets_change_default_image_link() {
    $link = get_option( 'image_default_link_type' );
    if ( 'file' !== $link ) {
        update_option( 'image_default_link_type', 'none' );
    }
}
add_action( 'admin_init', 'wpsnippets_change_default_image_link' );

The code above uses the get_option() function to retrieve the current default image link type. If the link type is not already set to “none”, it updates the option using the update_option() function to change the default image attachment link to “none”. This code should be added to your theme’s functions.php file or a custom plugin.

Example 2: Change the default image attachment link to “Custom URL”

This use case demonstrates how to change the default image attachment link to a custom URL in WordPress. By default, when you click on an image in WordPress, it links to the image file itself. However, you may want to customize this link and redirect it to a specific URL.

function wpsnippets_change_default_image_link() {
    $link = get_option( 'image_default_link_type' );
    if ( 'file' === $link ) {
        update_option( 'image_default_link_type', 'custom' );
        update_option( 'image_default_link_url', 'https://example.com' );
    }
}
add_action( 'admin_init', 'wpsnippets_change_default_image_link' );

The code above checks if the default image link type is already set to “file”. If it is, it updates the option using the update_option() function to change the default image attachment link to “custom” and sets the custom URL using the image_default_link_url option. Replace 'https://example.com' with your desired custom URL. This code should be added to your theme’s functions.php file or a custom plugin.

Example 3: Change the default image attachment link to “Media File”

This use case demonstrates how to change the default image attachment link to the media file in WordPress. By default, when you click on an image in WordPress, it links to the image file itself. However, you may want to change this link to the media file, which allows users to view the image in a lightbox or download it.

function wpsnippets_change_default_image_link() {
    $link = get_option( 'image_default_link_type' );
    if ( 'file' === $link ) {
        update_option( 'image_default_link_type', 'post' );
    }
}
add_action( 'admin_init', 'wpsnippets_change_default_image_link' );

The code above checks if the default image link type is already set to “file”. If it is, it updates the option using the update_option() function to change the default image attachment link to “post”, which links to the media file. This code should be added to your theme’s functions.php file or a custom plugin.