A Smarter Media Library

What it helps you do

Treat each upload as the single source of truth for alt text, credits, and cropping — then find files faster and serve appropriately sized images on every screen.

Where to find it

  • Media → Library — grid or list view for all uploads.
  • Attachment details — alt text, caption, description, Attribution, and focal point (see Image Focal Points).
  • Dirigible → Tools & Maintenance — Missing alt text report, Sync alt tags, Find duplicate media, and related media tools.

How to use it

Alt text at the source

  1. Open an image in the media library.
  2. Fill in Alternative Text with a short, meaningful description (or leave empty only when the image is purely decorative).
  3. Run Sync alt tags under Tools & Maintenance if older pages still show outdated alt in image blocks.

Find files faster

Search the library by title, filename, alt text, caption, or description — not just the file name WordPress shows in the grid.

Credits and attribution

Use the Attribution field on an attachment for photographer or stock source credit (for example, “Photo by Jane Smith on Pexels”). Templates can surface this where your theme displays credits.

Responsive sizes

When inserting images, choose sizes such as Small or Medium Large from the size dropdown. Dirigible registers practical sizes and generates srcset so browsers pick a sharp file without loading the full original everywhere.

What happens automatically

  • Logos and other theme images render with responsive srcset and size hints based on Customizer height and width settings.
  • Byte-identical re-uploads can be blocked so the library does not fill with duplicate copies of the same file (hash indexing runs in the background).
  • Missing registered image sizes can regenerate after theme updates — see Generate missing image sizes in Tools & Maintenance.
  • Video uploads receive an automatic cover image (see Automatic Video Cover Images).

Things to know

  • Alt text on the attachment is canonical — blocks should match it, but the library field is what Sync alt tags pushes into content.
  • Empty alt in the library is not always wrong; decorative images may intentionally use an empty alt. Use Missing alt text report as a review list, not a list of definite errors.
  • Dirigible AI Alt Text (when installed) can draft alt text for attachments; you still approve or edit in the library.
  • Very large originals are kept for download and hero use; pick smaller sizes in blocks when you do not need full resolution.

Related settings and guides