Set Filename as Alt Text for All Images – WordPress Media Library

Alt text is crucial for your images if you want to succeed in Google and other search engines. Therefore, we’ll show you how to quickly set the filename as the alt text for all images in your WP Media Library. That’s not something you can do with WordPress.

If you tried to do it with WordPress, you would have to spend hours and hours editing all your files one by one because the bulk actions are too limited and don’t allow you to do that.

That’s why we’ll do it using the Media Library Spreadsheet plugin. It displays all your files on a spreadsheet where you can easily edit values, and it contains a powerful Bulk Edit tool that allows you to edit thousands of files at once.

Once installed and activated, open the spreadsheet by going to WP Sheet Editor > Edit Media.

Now just follow these simple steps.

1- Open the Bulk Edit tool

Saving time is crucial when we have to edit thousands of files. That’s what the Bulk Edit tool was created for. It allows you to edit thousands of files at once.

Open it with one click on the toolbar.

2- Filter all the images

As the spreadsheet will show you all kinds of files such as videos, images, audios, software, zip files, etc., you will need to filter the images to apply the change to them only. The good news is that you don’t have to spend time doing it.

Just select I want to search the rows to update in the Select the rows that you want to update dropdown to open the search tool.

Now tick the Enable advanced filters checkbox and select these values to find all the images.

• Field key: Format
• Operator: CONTAINS
• Value: image
• Click on Run search.

3- Set the filename as alt text for all your images

You need to select these values to set the filename as alt text for all the images.

• Select the rows that you want to update: I want to search the rows to update
• What field do you want to edit: Alt text
• Select type of edit: Copy from other columns
• Copy from this column: File name
• Click on Execute now.

Avoid 404 errors when you edit your image filenames

Here’s a tutorial that shows you how to easily bulk edit filenames and avoid 404 erros by automatically creating 303 redirects.

Done!

Now you have the opportunity to rank first in Google or other search engines because your images are not missing alt texts anymore.

If you find some images whose alt text is not good, you can go to the Alt Text column and edit it quickly on the spreadsheet.