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To add alt text in WordPress, open Media → Library, select the image, enter a description in Alt Text, and save. You can also set or revise it directly in a post or page by selecting the Image block and editing Alternative text. The wording should describe the image’s meaningful content or function in that specific location—not its filename.

Use a useful description for informative and functional images. For a purely decorative image, leave the field empty so WordPress outputs alt="". For a featured image, the right wording depends on whether the image is linked to the post.

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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, when the image fails to load, or when a browsing mode does not display graphics. It also gives the page a meaningful equivalent that can be understood without the visual itself.

WordPress labels the Media Library field Alt Text and identifies it as an accessibility feature. In the block editor, the equivalent control is called Alternative text. Both fields ultimately provide the alt attribute on the image element.

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A reliable test is: if the image were replaced by your text, would the page still communicate the same meaning? If yes, the alternative is doing its job. If the image contributes no information, an empty alternative is more accurate than a description that adds noise.

Decide what the image is doing before writing

The same file may need different alt text in different placements. Classify the image by its role on this page, then write only the information a visitor needs from that role.

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Image purpose What the visitor needs Appropriate alt-text approach Example
Informative The visual content or fact that supports nearby text State the relevant subject, action, result, or relationship concisely Bar chart showing support requests falling from January to March
Functional What happens when the image is activated Describe the destination or action, not merely what the picture looks like Download the 2026 onboarding checklist
Decorative Nothing; the image is visual styling only Leave the field blank so the alternative is empty alt=""

Do not begin every description with “image of” or “picture of.” A screen reader already identifies an image as an image. Include those words only when the fact that it is a photograph, illustration, map, or chart changes the meaning.

Do not copy a filename such as IMG_4821.jpg, a camera-generated title, or a string of keywords. Do not repeat a caption or the sentence immediately beside the image when that text already conveys the same information. Alt text should add the missing visual meaning, not duplicate the page.

Add alt text from the WordPress Media Library

This method edits the attachment record and is useful when you are preparing an image before inserting it or correcting an image that is already uploaded.

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  1. Sign in to the WordPress dashboard.
  2. Open Media → Library.
  3. Select the image. In the attachment details panel, locate Alt Text.
  4. Type a concise description based on the image’s purpose. If it is decorative, leave the field empty.
  5. Save the media record using the save or update control shown in your WordPress version.

Before saving, check the image’s intended placement. A photograph used in an article may need a description of the people or action; the same photograph used as a link may need the link’s destination instead.

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Add or change alt text while editing a post or page

When the image is already in your content, edit the block where readers encounter it. This lets you judge the alternative against the surrounding heading, caption, and paragraph.

  1. Open the post or page in the WordPress editor.
  2. Click the image to select its Image block. If the image is inside a gallery, column, cover, or another layout, select the individual image control when available.
  3. In the block settings, find Alternative text.
  4. Enter the text that preserves the image’s meaning in this exact placement. Use an empty value for a decorative image.
  5. Save a draft or click Update or Publish, depending on the page state.

After updating, reopen the block and verify the field. A caption is not a substitute for alternative text: captions are visible to everyone, while alt text supplies the image’s equivalent when the image itself is unavailable.

Edit an image that was uploaded earlier

You do not need to upload a second copy. Go to Media → Library, select the existing attachment, change Alt Text, and save. If the image appears in an important post or page, also open that content, select its Image block, and check Alternative text in context. This second check catches wording that made sense in the media library but does not fit the sentence, link, or caption where the image is used.

When an image appears more than once with different purposes, review each placement separately. A product photo might be informative in a tutorial, decorative beside a heading, and functional when it is the link to a product detail page.

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Set the right alt text for featured images

A featured image can be displayed in archives, cards, feeds, or the post header. Decide whether it is acting as content or as a control.

Featured image that is not a link

Describe the meaningful subject shown in the image. Mention the person, object, setting, or action that helps a reader understand the post. Keep the wording brief and avoid repeating the post title or an adjacent caption unless those words are necessary to identify what is shown.

Featured image that links to the post

When the image itself is the link, WordPress theme guidance recommends using the post title as the alt text. The important information is the link destination, so a description such as “sunset over a mountain lake” would be less useful than the title of the article the link opens.

Featured image used only as decoration

If another nearby element already names the linked post and the image contributes no additional information, the theme should treat the image as decorative with an empty alternative. Check the rendered link so that the accessible name is supplied by the text link rather than duplicated by the image.

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When an image is decorative

Decorative images include flourishes, separators, background-like ornaments, and repeated thumbnails that add atmosphere but no information. Leave the WordPress field blank. The resulting markup should contain an empty alternative, alt="", which tells assistive technology to skip the image instead of announcing an irrelevant description.

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Do not write “decorative,” “spacer,” “icon,” or a string of punctuation into the field. Those words force a visitor to encounter information that the visual design did not intend to communicate. If removing the image would not change the page’s message, an empty alternative is usually the appropriate choice.

Review AI-generated suggestions before saving

Some WordPress media editors can offer an AI-generated suggestion. Treat it as a draft, not an accessibility decision. Compare the suggestion with the image and the place where it will appear.

  • Correct names, locations, brands, or other identifying details that the suggestion guessed incorrectly.
  • Check that the objects and actions mentioned are actually visible.
  • Remove visual trivia that does not matter to the page.
  • Change a visual description to an action or destination when the image is a link or button.
  • Shorten the result when it repeats a caption, heading, or nearby sentence.

Save the edited wording only after it passes the replacement test: a visitor receiving the text instead of the image should get the same information.

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How to write concise, useful alternatives

  • Start with the meaningful subject. Name the person, object, scene, chart, or document that matters.
  • Include the action or relationship when it carries the message. “Technician connecting the router to a laptop” is more useful than “technician.”
  • Include visible text only when readers need it. For a screenshot of a settings panel, identify the relevant control and its state rather than transcribing every label.
  • Use context to set the level of detail. A simple profile portrait may need a name; a medical or scientific diagram may need the relationship it illustrates.
  • Keep it focused. Alt text is not a caption, essay, or image-credit line.
  • Preserve the function. For linked images, state the destination or action. For an image that submits a form or opens a document, describe that operation.
  • Write naturally. Avoid keyword lists, filenames, camera metadata, and unexplained abbreviations.

Examples of better wording

Context Weak or missing alternative More useful alternative
Tutorial photo photo.jpg Hands inserting the memory card into the camera slot
Chart in a report chart Line chart showing response time decreasing after the update
Linked article thumbnail person at desk How to back up a Windows laptop
Decorative divider horizontal line Leave the field empty: alt=""
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Common mistakes and how to fix them

The field is missing

Confirm that you selected an image, not the surrounding column, gallery, or paragraph block. In the editor, the control is named Alternative text; in Media → Library, it is named Alt Text. If you are using a custom block or page-builder interface, select its individual image settings and look for the same concept.

The image has a caption but no alt text

Enter an alternative that communicates the visual information the caption does not. If the caption already supplies every meaningful detail and the image adds nothing, an empty alternative may be correct; decide from the image’s role, not from the presence of the caption alone.

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The image is a link and the description sounds visual

Rewrite it as the destination or action. Visitors need to know where activating the image goes, just as they would from a text link.

A decorative image is being announced

Clear the field completely and save. Verify that the rendered element uses an empty alt attribute rather than omitting the attribute or inserting a word such as “decorative.”

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The alt text is too long or repetitive

Remove filenames, camera details, adjectives that do not change the meaning, and information already stated next to the image. Keep the one or two facts that a visitor would lose without the visual.

The wording is correct in the library but wrong on the page

Recheck the image in its actual placement. Context can change whether it is informative, functional, or decorative, and can change which part of the image matters.

Accessibility requirements behind the field

WordPress accessibility-ready guidance requires a non-decorative img element to have an alt attribute containing a useful text alternative, while decorative images should use an empty attribute. WordPress coding standards expect WordPress core and official plugins to conform to WCAG 2.2 Level AA. W3C guidance likewise recommends a short text alternative whenever an img element is used.

These requirements do not prescribe one universal sentence for every file. They require you to convey the image’s purpose in context. A technically present attribute can still fail that test if it contains a filename, a keyword list, or a description that ignores the image’s function.

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A practical pre-publish check

  1. List every meaningful image in the post, page, template, or archive view.
  2. For each one, decide whether it is informative, functional, or decorative.
  3. Open the relevant Image block and review Alternative text, or edit the attachment through Media → Library.
  4. Confirm that informative images communicate their essential subject or action.
  5. Confirm that linked images identify their destination or action; for a linked featured image, use the post title when the theme guidance calls for it.
  6. Leave purely decorative images blank and confirm they produce alt="".
  7. Check the wording against captions, headings, and nearby paragraphs so it is not redundant.
  8. Save or update the content, then inspect each image again if its context changed during layout or publishing.

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