The Media Library is the central store for every image, video, audio file and document on your WordPress site. For most UK business sites it is also the single biggest source of page weight and the most common cause of slow page loads. Handled properly — sensible sizes, WebP format, good alt text, optional folder organisation — the Media Library is invisible infrastructure. Handled badly, it becomes a dumping ground of 5 MB phone photos that drag Core Web Vitals into the red. This guide covers uploading, editing, organising and optimising media, with practical UK-specific notes on storage, GDPR (EXIF data) and accessibility.
What the Media Library is · Accessing the Media Library · Uploading files · Supported file types · Editing images in WordPress · Titles, alt text, captions and descriptions · Organising your media · Optimising images for performance · Storage on smartxhosting.uk plans · Accessibility and the Equality Act 2010 · Frequently asked questions
The Media Library is the page where WordPress keeps every file you have ever uploaded — photos, videos, PDFs, audio clips, SVG icons. Files are stored on the server under wp-content/uploads/YYYY/MM/ (organised by year and month). The database stores metadata for each file: title, alt text, caption, description, URL, dimensions, mime type, attached post.
Every image block, gallery, featured image, and "insert media" action pulls from this library. Keeping it well-organised and optimised pays back every time you publish a page.
Media > Library. Two views:
Toggle via icons in the top-left of the screen. Per-user preference is remembered.
Media > Add New Media File. Drag files from your computer onto the upload area, or click Select Files. Multi-file upload works — pick 20 images, drop them in, all upload in parallel.
While editing a post or page, add an Image, Gallery, Video, Audio or File block. Click Upload, pick a file. It is added to the Media Library and placed in the block in one step.
Drag an image from your desktop straight into the content area of the Block Editor. WordPress creates an Image block and uploads the file automatically.
Default PHP upload limit on smartxhosting.uk is generous (usually 128 MB). If you hit "file exceeds maximum upload size", the fix is to raise upload_max_filesize and post_max_size in PHP settings via Plesk. For very large videos, consider YouTube or Vimeo embed instead — faster playback and no storage pressure.
WordPress blocks SVG uploads by default because SVGs can contain embedded JavaScript (XSS risk). If you need SVGs — logos, icons, vector illustrations — install Safe SVG which sanitises the files on upload. Do not use untrusted SVG-enabling plugins without sanitisation.
WebP typically offers 25–35% smaller file sizes than JPEG at the same visual quality; AVIF goes further (50% smaller). Both are supported by every modern browser. For UK sites targeting mainstream audiences (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge) WebP is the sensible default for new image uploads. Plugins like LiteSpeed Cache or Converter for Media convert existing JPEGs to WebP automatically.
The Media Library includes a built-in image editor for basic adjustments.
Click an image in the library, click Edit Image. Available actions:
When you upload an image, WordPress generates multiple resized versions:
WordPress automatically serves the most appropriately-sized version depending on where the image appears, which helps page speed. Adjust defaults in Settings > Media.
Each size occupies disk space. A 5 MB JPEG uploaded fresh creates 5 cached versions totalling 6–8 MB. Plugins like Regenerate Thumbnails can remove old sizes when theme dimensions change.
Every media item has metadata fields. For images, filling these in is essential for SEO and accessibility.
Defaults to the file name. Change to something descriptive ("Front of our London office" instead of "IMG_2045.jpg"). Title displays in the Media Library and in some gallery layouts.
The most important field. Screen readers read this to visually impaired visitors; Google Image Search uses it to understand what the image shows. A concise description of the image content, with a relevant keyword where it fits naturally. Decorative images (spacers, borders) can use empty alt text — tells screen readers to skip them.
Examples:
Visible text below the image on the front end. Useful for photo credits, explanatory notes, or adding context that does not belong in the main body.
Longer text on the image's own attachment page. Rarely used unless you are running a photography portfolio where each image has its own detail page.
Direct link to the file. Useful for linking to the file from other pages, PDFs, or external communications.
WordPress's default Media Library is flat — no folders. Files are stored in date-based directories on disk but all appear together in one list in the admin.
Before uploading, rename files descriptively: team-leeds-office-2026.jpg rather than IMG_7384.jpg. Searchable later and occasionally helpful for SEO (Google reads file names).
Images are typically 60–80% of a webpage's total weight. Optimising them is the single biggest win for Core Web Vitals and page speed.
A content area 800 px wide does not need a 5000 px photo. Resize before uploading. Most phone cameras produce 4000–6000 px images; downsize to 1600–2000 px before uploading.
Free tools: TinyPNG, Squoosh, ShortPixel, Imagify. Aim for JPEG/WebP quality 80–85%, which is visually lossless for most content. A 5 MB phone photo compresses to 200–500 KB with no visible loss.
25–50% smaller than JPEG. All modern browsers support both. LiteSpeed Cache on smartxhosting.uk auto-converts existing JPEGs to WebP and serves WebP to capable browsers, falling back to JPEG for older clients.
WordPress 5.5+ includes native lazy loading (loading="lazy" attribute). Images below the fold load only when scrolled into view. No action needed; it is on by default.
WordPress automatically outputs srcset attributes so browsers pick the most appropriate image size for the viewport. Mobile devices get the 300 px version; desktops get the 1024 px version. Automatic, no configuration needed.
smartxhosting.uk plans include a free CDN. Static assets (including images) are served from edge nodes close to the visitor. A UK visitor hitting a CDN-cached image gets it in 30–50 ms rather than 200+ ms from the origin.
Each plan includes NVMe SSD storage:
2 GB handles a small brochure site with a few hundred uploaded images. 5 GB is enough for a WooCommerce shop with a moderate product catalogue and product photos. 10 GB accommodates agency-style sites with years of case studies and portfolio media.
If you approach the limit, either optimise existing images (converting old JPEGs to WebP can reclaim 30%+ space) or upgrade. Upgrades are pro-rated and zero-downtime.
Photos taken on smartphones embed EXIF metadata — date, camera model, and sometimes GPS coordinates. Uploading photos with GPS data to a public site inadvertently shares the physical location where the photo was taken. For a team photo in the office that is harmless; for a photo of your home office, less so.
WordPress 6.3+ strips EXIF from uploads by default. If you are on an older version, plugins like Image Metadata Cruncher strip EXIF selectively.
Accessibility is not optional for UK public-sector sites (required under the Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations 2018) and is a general duty for commercial sites under the Equality Act 2010. Media handling has three main accessibility points:
Accessibility also improves SEO — Google treats accessible sites more favourably, and alt text is a ranking signal for Image Search.
What is the maximum file size I can upload?
On smartxhosting.uk, typically 128 MB by default. Configurable via Plesk PHP settings if you need larger uploads. For video files over 50 MB, consider using YouTube/Vimeo embed instead.
Can I upload SVG files?
Not by default, because SVGs can contain executable JavaScript. Install the Safe SVG plugin, which sanitises SVGs on upload. Do not enable SVG uploads without sanitisation.
Why does one image appear multiple times in my uploads folder?
WordPress generates several resized versions (thumbnail, medium, large, full) of every image. The uploads folder lists all these sizes. Deleting the original via the Media Library removes all associated sizes.
How do I change the default image sizes?
Settings > Media — update Thumbnail, Medium and Large max dimensions. Then run Regenerate Thumbnails to rebuild existing images to the new sizes.
Can I move files into folders?
Not with core WordPress. Install FileBird or HappyFiles for a folder interface. Under the hood, the files stay in their date-based directories on disk.
How do I delete unused media?
Plugin like Media Cleaner finds images not referenced in any post, page or custom field, and safely deletes them. Run carefully with a backup first.
Should I upload in JPEG, PNG or WebP?
Photos: JPEG or WebP. Screenshots, graphics with text: PNG or WebP. Transparency needed: PNG or WebP. WebP covers all three cases and is usually smaller — default to WebP unless you have a reason not to.
Does WordPress strip EXIF data from uploads?
WordPress 6.3+ strips GPS coordinates by default; other EXIF fields (camera model, date) remain. For full stripping, use a plugin or process images with an EXIF stripper before uploading.
Why is my Media Library slow to load?
Usually because it has thousands of files. List view is slower than Grid view on large libraries. Use search and filters rather than browsing. Consider archiving old media to cold storage if it is no longer referenced.
Can I use external image hosting (Cloudinary, Imgix) with WordPress?
Yes. Plugins connect WordPress to external image services that handle storage, resizing and CDN delivery in one. Adds complexity and cost; worth it for sites with enormous image libraries or specialised requirements.
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