Media Library

Every image, video, audio file and PDF you upload to WordPress ends up in one place, the Media Library. It is the built-in storage room of your website.

Whether you add an image inside a post or upload it directly, the library keeps track of it, so you can reuse any file without uploading it twice.

Where are media files stored?

You can open the library from Media → Library in your dashboard. On the server, the actual files live in the wp-content/uploads folder. By default, WordPress sorts them into year and month folders, like uploads/2025/06.

When you upload an image, WordPress also creates a few resized copies, such as thumbnail, medium and large, for different parts of your site.

How to use the WordPress Media Library

1. First, go to Media → Add New Media File and drag your files into the upload area, or click Select Files.
2. Now, switch between grid view and list view using the icons at the top.
3. Next, filter files by type or date, or use the search box to find one.
4. Here, click any file to open Attachment details, where you can add alt text, a title, a caption and a description.
5. Finally, use Edit Image to crop, rotate or scale an image without any extra tool.

Think of the Media Library as a photo album for your site. Everything sits in one place, labeled and ready to use.

Tips to keep your Media Library tidy

• Compress images before uploading to keep your site fast.
• Give files clear names, like blue-running-shoes.jpg, instead of IMG_1234.jpg.
• Always fill in alt text for better accessibility and image SEO.

Your hosting server decides the maximum upload size. If you hit that limit, read our guide on how to increase the maximum file upload size. For a full tour of every screen, see our lesson on the WordPress Media Library.

The Media Library keeps all your files organized in one handy place. That's all for now. If you get stuck anywhere, tell us in the comment section below.