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In WordPress’s Block Editor, place your cursor where the picture should appear, add an Image block, then upload a file, choose one from the Media Library, or insert an image URL. Before publishing, write alt text that matches the image’s purpose, check its size and alignment, and set a featured image separately if your post needs one.
Add an image in the Block Editor
- Open the post. In your WordPress dashboard, create or edit a post and place the cursor at the position where the image belongs.
- Insert an Image block. Select the plus button, search for Image, and choose the Image block. You can also type
/imageon a new line. - Choose the source. Use Upload for a file on your device, Media Library for an image already stored on the site, or Insert from URL for a file hosted elsewhere. Dragging an image into the editor is another supported method.
- Check the block settings. Add alt text, a caption when useful, alignment, dimensions, and a suitable image resolution. The available controls can vary with the active theme and WordPress configuration.
- Save and preview. Preview the post on the screen sizes your audience uses, then publish or update it.
Images inserted while you compose a post are managed through the Media Library. WordPress documents the Image block and its controls at WordPress.org’s Image block guide.
Upload a copy or use an external image URL?
An image inserted by URL remains dependent on the other website. If that host moves, deletes, or stops sharing the file, the image can disappear from your post. WordPress offers an option to upload an externally referenced image to your Media Library when the editor provides it. Use only images you have permission to publish; moving a file to your site does not transfer copyright or a license.
| Method | What is stored on your site | Best use | Main consideration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upload from your device | A copy is added to the Media Library | Images you own or are licensed to host | Confirm the file is an appropriate size and format before uploading |
| Select from Media Library | The existing library file is reused | Previously uploaded images | Review its current alt text and caption for this post’s context |
| Insert from URL | No local copy unless you upload one | A permitted image that must remain hosted elsewhere | Display depends on the external host continuing to serve and share the file |
Images copied from another document may also give you an Upload to Media Library choice. Use it when you want a durable local copy rather than a continuing dependency on the original document or host.
#1 Best Overall
Write alt text that serves the image’s role
Informative images
Describe the meaningful content or function, not every visible detail. For a screenshot that demonstrates a setting, identify the setting and the important result. For a chart, summarize the takeaway that a reader needs; do not merely write “chart.” Keep the wording specific to the surrounding post so it does not duplicate information unnecessarily.
Decorative images
If an image adds no information or functionality—for example, a purely ornamental divider—mark it as decorative in the Image block’s alternative-text controls. This lets assistive technologies ignore it instead of announcing an unhelpful description.
Post-specific versus library alt text
Alt text entered on the image block applies to that image in the current post or page. Alt text saved with the Media Library item supplies the default when the same file is inserted elsewhere. Recheck the wording whenever the image’s role or surrounding content changes.
Adjust the image without damaging its purpose
Caption and alignment
Add a caption when readers need a credit, source, explanation, or identification. Align or widen the image only when the layout remains readable on smaller screens. A caption is separate from alt text: it is visible to everyone, while alt text provides an equivalent for people who cannot see the image.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsResolution and dimensions
Choose an image resolution supported by your theme and appropriate to the displayed size. Avoid enlarging a small original until it looks blurry, and avoid sending a needlessly large file for a small position. Use the block’s width, height, and alignment controls to fit the design, then inspect the front-end preview.
Edits and crops
WordPress’s image-editing tools can create a resized, cropped, or rotated version. The edited version is saved as a new image file, while the original remains in the Media Library, so you can return to the source later.
Rank #4
Set a featured image separately
A picture inside the post content is not automatically the post’s featured image. Open the post settings sidebar, find Featured image, and upload or select an image there. The active theme decides where that image appears; many themes use it on the home page, blog index, archives, or social previews, but its placement and cropping are not identical across themes. If the same visual appears in the body and as the featured image, check the theme preview to avoid an awkward duplicate.
The post-settings workflow is documented in WordPress’s Page/Post Settings sidebar guide.
Best Value
If you use the Classic Editor
The Classic Editor uses a different insertion dialog. Place the cursor in the post, select Add Media, choose an item from the Media Library or upload a file, then set alternative text, caption, alignment, link behavior, and image size in the attachment details before inserting it. Do not assume labels or control locations from the Block Editor apply to this interface. See the separate Classic Editor image instructions.
Quick checks before publishing
- The image appears in the intended position in both editor and front-end preview.
- Alt text explains an informative image’s purpose, or the image is explicitly marked decorative when it conveys nothing meaningful.
- A caption and credit are present when readers need them.
- The file is hosted locally when relying on an external URL would create an avoidable failure point.
- The selected dimensions and resolution remain sharp without making the page unnecessarily heavy.
- The featured image is set in post settings if the theme or publishing workflow requires one.
- You have permission to use and publish the image.
For background on how WordPress stores and manages uploaded media, see Use Images.
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