The WordPress Media Library

The Media Library is the central repository for all files uploaded to your WordPress site.

Accessing the Media Library

Go to Media → Library in the WordPress admin.

Views

• Grid view — thumbnails of all files (default)
• List view — sortable table with more details

Switch between them with the icons in the top-left.

Uploading Files

Click Add New to upload files by dragging them onto the page or clicking to browse. Supported types include:

• Images: JPG, PNG, GIF, WebP, SVG (with a plugin)
• Documents: PDF, Word, Excel
• Audio: MP3, WAV
• Video: MP4, MOV (though hosting video on YouTube/Vimeo is preferred)

Editing Image Details

Click any image to open the Attachment Details panel:

• Title — internal name
• Caption — text displayed below the image
• Alt Text — accessibility and SEO description
• Description — longer optional description

Editing Images

Click Edit Image to crop, rotate, scale, or flip the image from within WordPress.

Finding Where an Image Is Used

The attachment page shows "Uploaded to" — the post or page it's attached to.

Deleting Files

Click an image → Delete Permanently. Note: this removes the file from the server — any posts using it will show a broken image.

Tips

• Organize uploads by turning on the year/month folder structure (Settings → Media)
• Run a media cleanup plugin periodically to remove unused uploads
• Regenerate thumbnails with the "Regenerate Thumbnails" plugin if you change your theme