BuddyX
Get BuddyX Pro

Avatar Styles

Free & Pro

BuddyX Pro adds one simple control that changes the shape of every member and group avatar across your community. You choose between round (circular) avatars and square avatars, and the theme applies your choice everywhere BuddyPress shows a profile photo - directories, profile headers, group headers, and the activity stream. This page explains the control, its options and default, and exactly where the change appears.

What the Avatar Style Control Does

BuddyX Pro ships a single Avatar Style switch. When it is set to Yes, the theme adds a round-avatars class to the page and renders member and group avatars as perfect circles. When it is set to No, avatars keep BuddyPress's default square (lightly rounded) shape.

There is one control for the whole site. You do not set member avatars and group avatars separately - both follow the same choice, so your community stays visually consistent.

The Options

Option Value What Members See
Yes Round Circular avatars (border-radius: 50%) - the modern social-network look
No Square Square avatars with the theme's standard corner radius

Default: Yes (round avatars). A fresh BuddyX Pro install shows circular avatars out of the box.

Where to Find the Setting

  1. Go to Appearance > Customize
  2. Open the Community Settings panel
  3. Click General Setting
  4. Find the Avatar Style control near the top
  5. Choose Yes for round avatars or No for square avatars
  6. Click Publish

Note: The Community Settings panel and its Avatar Style control only appear when BuddyPress (or bbPress) is active. If you do not see it, activate BuddyPress first.

Youzify note: The entire Community Settings panel - including Avatar Style - is removed when the Youzify plugin is active, because Youzify manages its own avatar and profile styling. Deactivate Youzify to reach this control.

Where the Style Applies

Your choice is global. Once published, the avatar shape updates on every BuddyPress surface, including:

  • Member directory - avatars in all three directory layouts (list and card styles)
  • Group directory - group avatars in the groups listing
  • Single member profiles - the large avatar in the profile header, over the cover image
  • Single group pages - the group avatar in the group header
  • Activity stream - the author avatar next to each post and comment
  • Member and group lists - anywhere BuddyPress lists people or groups

If you run BuddyBoss Platform alongside the theme, the same round style also applies to platform card avatars, so the look stays consistent across both.

Choosing Round vs Square

Choose round (Yes) when:

  • You want the familiar, friendly social-network feel
  • Your community is casual, social, or creative
  • You want avatars to sit cleanly over cover images in the card directory layouts

Choose square (No) when:

  • You prefer a more formal, structured, directory-style look
  • Your brand or design system uses square imagery
  • You are matching an existing visual identity that avoids circles

There is no functional difference - this is purely a presentation choice, so pick whichever matches your community's personality.

Common Questions

Q: Can I use round avatars for members but square for groups? A: No. The Avatar Style switch is a single site-wide setting that applies to both member and group avatars. Custom CSS is required if you want different shapes per component.

Q: Do I need to refresh to see the change? A: The Customizer preview reflects the shape when you publish. Publish, then visit your members or groups directory to confirm the look on the live site.

Q: Does this change the avatars members upload? A: No. The original uploaded image is untouched. The theme only changes how the avatar is displayed (masked to a circle or shown square), so you can switch back and forth at any time with no loss.

Q: Where is this setting - I only see "Community Settings", not "BuddyPress"? A: In BuddyX Pro the BuddyPress options live under the Community Settings panel. The Avatar Style control is the first item inside General Setting.

Related Settings

Got a question? We're a friendly team - happy to help.