In this guide, we’ll explain how to upload, add and manage images in WordPress.
Images can be added to pages, blog posts and other parts of your website using the WordPress Media Library.
To upload an image:
The image will then be stored in your WordPress Media Library.
You can also upload images while editing a page or post.
Alternatively, select Media Library to use an image that has already been uploaded.
The WordPress Media Library stores images and other uploaded files.
Go to:
Media > Library
From here, you can:
When you upload an image, WordPress allows you to add alternative text, often called alt text.
Alternative text describes the purpose or content of an image.
For example:
Red sports car parked outside a hotel
Useful alternative text can improve accessibility and may also help search engines understand the image.
Avoid filling alt text with unnecessary keywords.
If an image is purely decorative, alternative text may not always be required.
You can also add a caption to an image.
A caption is normally displayed underneath the image on your website.
For example:
Our new office opened in September 2026.
Whether captions are displayed and how they look depends on your WordPress theme.
WordPress normally creates several versions of an uploaded image.
Depending on your theme and settings, you may be able to choose sizes such as:
Using an unnecessarily large image can increase page loading time.
Choose a size appropriate for where the image will appear.
Large photographs taken directly from modern phones and cameras can be much bigger than required for a website.
Before uploading, consider reducing the image dimensions.
For example, an image that is 6000 pixels wide may not need to be displayed at that size on a normal web page.
Reducing image dimensions can help:
Common image formats include:
JPEG or JPG
Good for photographs and images containing many colours.
PNG
Useful when transparency is required or for certain graphics.
WebP
A modern image format that can often provide smaller file sizes while maintaining good image quality.
Your theme or optimisation plugin may automatically convert uploaded images into modern formats.
Large image files can significantly slow down a website.
For normal website images, try to keep the file size as small as reasonably possible without noticeably reducing image quality.
Images used as small thumbnails do not need the same dimensions as large banner images.
If you need to change an image on a page:
Depending on your WordPress version and editor, the exact wording may vary.
To delete an image:
Be careful when deleting files from the Media Library.
If an image is being used on a page or post, deleting it can cause the image to disappear from that content.
If WordPress will not upload an image, possible causes include:
Cheap Host has a separate knowledgebase guide explaining how to increase the maximum PHP upload file size.
WordPress normally displays the current maximum upload size on the media upload screen.
If your image exceeds this limit, the following PHP settings may need to be increased:
upload_max_filesize
and:
post_max_size
Before uploading images, it is a good idea to use simple and descriptive file names.
For example:
london-office.jpg
is preferable to:
IMG_839274.JPG
Avoid unusual characters and excessively long file names.
As your website grows, the Media Library can contain hundreds or thousands of files.
Using clear file names and removing genuinely unused images can make your website easier to manage.
However, do not delete an image simply because you cannot immediately see where it is used.
It may still be referenced by a page, post, theme or plugin.
WordPress makes it easy to upload and add images to your website using the Media Library or block editor.
For the best results, use appropriately sized images, add useful alternative text and avoid uploading unnecessarily large files.
If you experience problems uploading or displaying images on your WordPress website, please log in to your Cheap Host account and submit a support ticket for assistance.