How do I add alt text to an image?

You will have an image that describes itself when it cannot be seen.

Before you start

You need permission to edit media. Alt text cannot be set at upload; add it afterwards.

Steps

1. Open Media Library and click the image.
2. In the details panel fill Alt text (up to 500 characters) with a short description of what the image shows.
3. Optionally add a Title (up to 200) and a Caption (up to 1000).
4. Press Save.

What you will see

"Details saved". Pages that use the image pick up the alt text when they render, for images that have no alt of their own.

If something goes wrong

• If Require alt text is on in Settings, saving without it is refused ("Alt text is required for this library."). It does not block uploads.
• The field shows for every file type, but only images use it meaningfully.
• Search finds files by title, caption and alt text as well as file name.
• A trashed file's details are read-only until you restore it.