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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11To add image alt text in WordPress, open Media → Library, select the image, enter a concise description in the Alt Text field and save the media record. You can also set or revise it while editing an Image block through its Alternative text control.
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The right wording depends on what the image does on that page. Describe informative images, describe the purpose of linked images, and leave purely decorative images blank so WordPress outputs an empty alt="" attribute. The sections below show exactly where to edit the field and how to decide what to write.
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What image alt text does in WordPress
Alt text is the short text alternative associated with an image. Assistive technology can present it when a visitor cannot see the image, and it preserves the image’s contribution when the image itself is unavailable. WordPress describes the Media Library field as an accessibility feature.
Write alt text for the image’s meaning in its placement, not merely for its appearance. The practical test used in WordPress documentation is this: if every image were replaced by the text in its alt attribute, the page should keep the same meaning. A useful alternative is therefore more than a filename, a list of colors, or a generic phrase such as “image.”
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Alt text is not a caption, a title, or a place to repeat surrounding copy. A caption is visible to everyone and can provide context or attribution; alt text is the compact alternative needed when the image cannot be perceived. If the caption or nearby sentence already communicates the same information, avoid duplicating it word for word.
Choose the correct treatment before editing
| Image purpose | What to enter | Typical result |
|---|---|---|
| Informative | State the meaningful subject or information shown, in the context of the page. | A concise text alternative that conveys the image’s contribution. |
| Functional or linked | Describe the destination or action the image represents, rather than listing visual details. | A visitor can understand what activating the image will do. |
| Decorative | Leave the field empty. | WordPress outputs alt="", allowing assistive technology to skip the image. |
Ask two questions before typing: “Why is this image here?” and “What would a visitor lose if it disappeared?” If the answer is a fact, describe that fact. If the answer is a link or control, describe the action. If the image adds no information or function, use an empty alternative.
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Method 1: Add or change alt text in Media → Library
This method edits the attachment record and is useful for an image that is already uploaded or that may be reused.
- Sign in to the WordPress dashboard.
- Open Media → Library.
- Select the image whose alternative you want to add or revise. WordPress opens the attachment details panel.
- Find the Alt Text field.
- Type a concise alternative that matches the image’s purpose in the page where it appears. Do not paste the filename unless the filename itself is meaningful to visitors.
- Save the media record using the save or update control shown in the attachment panel.
After saving, open the post or page that uses the image and check the wording in context. The same file can serve different purposes in different locations. For example, a chart used to explain a trend needs a description of the trend, while the same chart used only as a visual divider may be decorative. If one attachment is reused in conflicting roles, review each placement rather than assuming one sentence is suitable everywhere.
Editing an image that is already uploaded
You do not need to upload the file again. Select it in the Media Library, replace the text in Alt Text, and save the attachment record. Then verify the posts or pages that use it. The attachment’s saved text is the starting point for those uses, but the image’s purpose in a particular placement remains the deciding factor.
Method 2: Add or revise alt text while editing an Image block
When you are already working on a post or page, edit the image where it appears:
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- Select the image so the Image block is active.
- Locate the block’s Alternative text control.
- Enter wording that explains the image’s purpose in that specific placement.
- Save the post or page, then preview or view the published page to confirm that the change is present.
Use this control when context changes the appropriate wording. A screenshot illustrating a setup step should identify the screen or action that matters to that step. A product or character image used as a link should tell the visitor what the link does. An ornamental background or spacer should remain empty rather than receiving a decorative description.
Review the text after moving the image, changing its link, adding a caption, or rewriting nearby copy. Alt text is contextual: an accurate sentence in one location can become redundant or misleading after an edit.
How to write concise, useful alt text
Describe meaning, not every visible detail
Include the subject, action, or result that a sighted visitor needs from the image. Omit details that do not affect the page’s message. A photograph used to identify a game character might need the character’s name and the relevant action; it usually does not need a complete inventory of clothing, lighting, or background objects.
Match the surrounding content
Read the heading, paragraph, caption, and link label around the image before writing. Alt text should fill an information gap, not repeat the sentence immediately before it. If the text around an image already names the subject, the alternative may need only the additional detail shown visually.
Use natural language
Write a short phrase or sentence that a person could understand when read aloud. Avoid filename-like strings, camera or file metadata, keyword lists, and unexplained abbreviations. Do not begin every alternative with “Image of” or “Picture of” when the context already makes that obvious; use the available words for the information that matters.
Include words visible inside the image when they matter
If an image contains a sign, interface label, score, or other text that the page relies on, include that meaningful text in the alternative. Do not transcribe incidental text that has no bearing on the page’s purpose.
Be specific about actions
For a screenshot, explain the control or step the reader is meant to understand. For an icon or image that is a link, describe the destination or action. “Open the controller settings” communicates a function more effectively than “blue gear icon.”
Keep one alternative focused
Alt text is not a place for a long essay. If an image contains complex information that cannot be conveyed briefly, provide the essential point in the alternative and place the complete explanation in the surrounding page text. This keeps the alternative usable while preserving the full information for everyone.
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When decorative images should have empty alt text
Leave the field blank when the image adds no information and performs no function. WordPress’s theme guidance specifies an empty alt attribute, written as alt="", for decorative images included with img elements.
Examples include a purely ornamental flourish beside a heading, a spacer graphic, or a background-like visual that does not change the meaning of the page. Do not write “decorative image,” “divider,” or a description of the colors in the field; those words create unnecessary output for someone using a screen reader.
Do not classify an image as decorative merely because it looks simple. An arrow that activates a link, an icon that identifies a control, or a thumbnail that leads to another page has a function and needs an alternative describing that function. Likewise, a small illustration can be informative if the surrounding text depends on it.
Featured images: linked versus unlinked
Featured images require a link-state check. If the featured image is displayed without linking to the post, describe what the image shows when that description helps visitors understand the page.
When the featured image itself links to the post, WordPress theme guidance recommends using the post title as its alt text. The title tells a visitor using the alternative what activating the linked image leads to. Follow the exact title used for that post rather than adding visual details that do not describe the link’s destination.
| Featured-image state | Recommended focus |
|---|---|
| Unlinked | Describe the meaningful subject shown, if the image contributes information. |
| Linked to the post | Use the post title as the alternative, following the theme guidance. |
| Purely ornamental and not informative | Leave the alternative empty. |
Check the actual presentation rather than assuming every featured image behaves the same way. Themes and templates can place the same attachment in different link states.
Using an AI-generated suggestion safely
Some WordPress media editors can offer an AI-generated suggestion. Treat it as a draft, not as an accessibility decision. Before saving, check:
- Names: are people, characters, products, locations, or game titles identified correctly?
- Objects and actions: does the sentence mention the item or action that matters to the page?
- Relevance: does it describe why the image is used here rather than merely listing visible objects?
- Accuracy: has the suggestion invented details, misread text, or confused similar objects?
- Conciseness: can a visitor understand the essential point without a long visual inventory?
Rewrite the suggestion when it is generic, inaccurate, repetitive, or unrelated to the image’s role. If the image is decorative, discard the suggestion and leave the field blank.
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Leaving meaningful images without an alternative
A non-decorative image needs an alt attribute. Return to the Media Library or the Image block and add the information a visitor would otherwise miss.
Writing the filename
Names such as IMG_4821.jpg do not communicate the image’s meaning. Replace them with natural wording tied to the page’s purpose.
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Repeating a caption or nearby sentence
Read the surrounding content aloud. Remove duplicated phrases and keep only the visual information that is not already available in text.
Describing decoration
Delete text such as “ornamental border” or “decorative controller.” An empty alternative is the correct result when the visual contributes nothing.
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If the image is a link or control, explain its destination or action. A visual description such as “red arrow” does not tell a visitor what will happen after activation.
Assuming one saved description fits every use
Recheck reused images when their placement, link, caption, or surrounding explanation changes. Context determines whether the same file is informative, functional, or decorative.
Accessibility requirements behind the field
WordPress accessibility-ready guidance requires a non-decorative img element to have an alt attribute and requires an empty attribute for decorative images. WordPress coding standards state that WordPress core and official plugins are expected to conform to WCAG 2.2 Level AA. W3C technique guidance likewise recommends specifying a short text alternative when using an img element.
These requirements do not turn alt text into a keyword field or guarantee that a page is accessible by themselves. They establish the basic text alternative; the quality still depends on whether the wording preserves the image’s meaning and function. Check the rendered page after saving, especially when a theme or block pattern controls how an image is linked.
Quick Recap
A repeatable publishing checklist
- Identify the image’s purpose on this page: informative, functional, or decorative.
- Open Media → Library for an attachment-wide edit, or select the Image block for a placement-specific edit.
- Write the shortest natural wording that preserves the missing meaning or action.
- Leave the field empty for decoration so the output is
alt="". - For a linked featured image, use the post title; for an unlinked one, describe the meaningful subject.
- Challenge any AI suggestion for incorrect names, objects, actions, text, or context before saving.
- Save, then inspect the image in its published context for link state, captions, and nearby repetition.
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