support

Gravatar FAQs

A list of the most frequently asked questions (FAQ) for Gravatar.

How do I change my Gravatar rating?

You can change the rating associated with your Gravatar image by following these steps:

  1. Login to your account at Gravatar.com.
  2. Go to the avatar section of the profile editor
  3. Select the email address associated with the image you’d like to update.
  4. Scroll down to the image you’d like to use and click the ellipsis button, then ‘change rating’
  5. Select the appropriate rating for your image.
  6. Save your changes.

Please note, changes may take up to 24 hours to go into effect.

I can’t upload an image.

Sometimes ad-blockers can interfere with Gravatar’s image cropper. If you have an ad-blocker enabled, try temporarily deactivating it. Then try to upload your image once again.

If you don’t have an ad-blocker enabled and you’re using Firefox, you may need to temporarily disable a security feature called “Content Blocking”, which may be blocking the cropper. You can disable it by following the instructions in Firefox’s documentation.

My Gravatar image isn’t showing!

If your Gravatar image is not appearing or is appearing incorrectly, please note:

  • The email address you are using for your Gravatar must be the same as the email address you are using in your profile or when making comments on an external site.
  • If you have your Gravatar set to a rating higher than G, many sites will not show it, as the default when setting up Gravatars is to only show G-rated avatars (You can follow the steps here to change your rating.).
  • Recent changes to your Gravatar will take on average up to 24 hours to update on all sites that use the Gravatar system.

If you are expecting your avatar to show when you send an email, please check Email Avatars Are Not Showing.

Why isn’t my Gravatar image appearing on ChatGPT?

ChatGPT is one of many services that uses Gravatar to display user profile pictures. If you have correctly set up your Gravatar but it is not appearing on your ChatGPT account, the issue is typically a temporary glitch or caching delay on ChatGPT’s side.

Before troubleshooting, please first ensure the following are correct:

  • The email address you are using for your ChatGPT account is the exact same email address that you have registered and confirmed on your Gravatar profile.
  • Your selected Gravatar image has a “G” rating, as many services will only display G-rated images by default.

If you have confirmed both of the above, here are some common troubleshooting steps that have worked for other users experiencing this issue with ChatGPT:

  • Log Out and Back In: The most common solution is to completely log out of your ChatGPT account and then log back in. This often forces ChatGPT’s system to refresh your profile data and pull in the new Gravatar image.
  • Restart Your Device: If you are using one of the ChatGPT mobile apps, sometimes a simple restart of your phone or tablet can resolve display issues.
  • Reinstall the App: If the solutions above do not work, something else you might try is deleting and reinstalling the app. This can often resolve more stubborn caching or data issues within the ChatGPT app itself.

Because Gravatar’s role is to provide the image when a service requests it, delays or glitches in how that image is displayed on a third-party site like ChatGPT are often outside of our direct control and are typically resolved by the steps above. There are discussions in public forums, like Reddit, that indicate this is a known issue that can occur from time to time within the ChatGPT platform.

I’m seeing the error “We’re sorry, you can’t create a new account at this time. Please try a different email address or disable any VPN before trying again.”

This error can occur if our automated spam protection filters flag the signup request. This sometimes happens if the signup originates from a Wi-Fi network, datacenter, or ISP that has previously been flagged for suspicious activity, even if you are not using a VPN. It can also occur if your email provider has been associated with spam or bot traffic in the past.

Here are a few things you can try:

  • Switch to another Wi-Fi network or internet connection (like a mobile data network).
  • If possible, try signing up using a different email address from a different provider.

How can I add a secondary email address to Gravatar?

To add an additional email address to your Gravatar account, first, log into Gravatar and go to the avatar section of the profile editor. Then click ‘add email’. From there, enter the address you’d like to add to your account. Submit the form and check your email inbox to confirm.

Once you’ve confirmed using the link in the confirmation message you received, you’ll be taken back to the list of emails associated with your account. From there, you can click on the new address just added and select an image.

For more details check the dedicated support page: Adding a secondary email.

I’m seeing the error “Unable to add that email address – is it a valid address?”

This error often occurs when the email address you’re trying to add as a secondary email is already associated with an existing Gravatar account. We don’t allow using emails from existing accounts as secondary emails.

To use this email address on your intended Gravatar account, you first need to free it up from the other account it’s currently linked to. Here’s how:

Option 1: Free up the email address immediately (Recommended to avoid waiting)

This method allows you to use the email address on your Gravatar account right away, without a 30-day delay. If you choose this option, do not close the other account before successfully changing its email address.

  1. Access the other account: Log in to the WordPress.com account that is currently using the email address you want to free up.
    • If you cannot access this account (e.g., you’ve forgotten the password or no longer have access to its recovery methods), you’ll need to try recovering it first. Please see our account recovery guide: https://wordpress.com/support/account-recovery/
  2. Change its email address: Once logged in, change the email address of this other account to a different email address. This could be another email you own, or if you plan to discard this account entirely later, you could use a temporary/disposable email for this step.
  3. Add to your Gravatar account: Once the email change on the other account is confirmed (you’ll typically receive a confirmation email at the new address you set for that account), the original email address you wanted is immediately freed up. You can now add it as a secondary email to your desired Gravatar account.
  4. (Optional) Close the other account: If you no longer need the other account (which now has a different email address associated with it), you can then proceed to close it if you wish. Instructions for closing an account can be found here: https://wordpress.com/support/close-account/

Option 2: Close the other account directly and wait 30 days

This option involves a mandatory waiting period before the email address becomes available.

  1. Close the other account: Log in to the WordPress.com account that is currently using the email address you want to free up, and proceed to close it.
  2. Wait 30 days: After you initiate the account closure, there is a 30-day period before the account and its associated email address are permanently purged from our systems. This waiting period cannot be expedited.
  3. Add to your Gravatar account: After the 30-day waiting period has passed, the email address will be available for you to add as a secondary email to your main Gravatar account.

How do I change my email address?

If you want to change the primary email on your Gravatar account, you’ll need to first add the new email to your Gravatar profile.

You can do this from the avatar section of the profile editor by clicking the ‘add email’ button.

Once you have added and verified your new email address you added, then click “Set primary” as shown in the image below. If you wish, you can also delete the old email address you just replaced.

Is Gravatar free?

Yes, Gravatar is free to use. There is no paid version and no usage limits.

Why am I not receiving Gravatar’s emails?

First of all check your spam/junk folder. If you can’t find them there check the detailed guide on email issues.

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