Accessing the Media Library
The Media Library is always accessible via the options on the left-hand side of your screen when you’re in the WordPress admin area of your website.
Sometimes you’ll end up accessing the Media Library from within Elementor or in another tab (for example, the Posts tab). When this happens, the view might be slightly different and appear smaller. If you prefer to access it in the full version, you can always have another browser tab open to this area while you make changes to your website.
Folders
By default, the Media Library is usually sorted by Files, Images, and Themes, but sometimes we will have changed this during your site build.
- Files: Storage for items used as content on your site.
- Images: A standard folder to hold images for your site.
- Themes: Your branding, such as your logo, favicon, other icons, or items we use throughout your site.
You are always welcome to add new folders or create subfolders within your folders. The folders themselves aren’t public in any way, and they only serve to keep your Media Library organized.
Once a year, it’s a great idea to go in and delete any items you aren’t using anymore. This keeps your Media Library organized and easy to navigate.
How to add a new item to your Media Library
We discuss the ins and outs of uploading high-quality images in Best Practices for Website Images
Step one
Click Add New at the top of the screen next to Media Library.
Step two
On the Upload New Media screen, you can choose which folder you would like the new media to be stored in. Then you simply drag files from another window or click Select Files to find them.
Step three
Back in the main view of the Media Library, your new files will appear, and you can use them wherever you’d like on your website.
How to use the Media Library to provide direct links
Many people want to be able to share things, such as PDFs, via their website, but they don’t necessarily need those things to live on a page on their website. You can use the Media Library to do this. This offers a way of sharing files that is more branded than using Dropbox or Google Drive.
Step one
Follow the steps outlined above in How to add a new item to your Media Library to upload your PDF, image, or whatever item you want to be able to share.
Step two
Click on the file name in your Media Library to open it. On the right-hand side, you’ll see File URL. Simply click Copy URL to clipboard and then use that URL to allow people to view the file via your website.
Deleting or moving items in your Media Library
Deleting items
If you want to delete something from your Media Library and your website, simply locate the item in your Media Library and hover over the file to make the options appear. Select Delete Permanently.
Moving items
To move an item from one folder to another, hover over the item in your Media Library and a four-directional arrow will appear on the left-hand side. Use this to drag the item to the new folder.
An item can only be in one folder at a time, so keep this in mind when you organize your Media Library.
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