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Media Library Documentation

Menu Location: Settings > Content & Marketing > Media Library

Access Level: Manager and above

Last Updated: 2026-03-01

Overview

The Media Library is your central hub for uploading, organizing, and managing all digital assets used across your website including images, PDFs, documents, and other files. It provides a fast, CDN-powered delivery system for optimal performance and a searchable library for easy asset management.

Primary Functions:

  • Upload images, PDFs, and documents
  • Organize files with folders and tags
  • Search and filter media assets
  • Generate embed codes and URLs
  • Serve files via global CDN for fast delivery
  • Track file usage across website
  • Bulk upload and management operations
  • Optimize images automatically

Page Layout

Header Section

  • Upload Files button: Upload new media
  • Create Folder button: Organize assets
  • Search Bar: Find files by name, tag, or type
  • View Toggle: Grid view (thumbnails) or List view (details)
  • Filter Dropdown: Filter by file type, folder, date, or usage

Media Grid/List

Displays all files with:

  • Thumbnail preview (images) or file type icon
  • File Name (clickable to view details)
  • File Type indicator (JPG, PNG, PDF, etc.)
  • File Size in KB or MB
  • Upload Date timestamp
  • Dimensions (for images)
  • Usage Count - Where file is used
  • Actions - Edit, Copy URL, Download, Delete

File Details Panel

When clicking a file:

  • Large Preview (images/PDFs)
  • File Information (size, dimensions, type, uploaded by)
  • Public URL (click to copy)
  • Embed Code for images
  • Usage Locations list (pages, products, recipes using this file)
  • Edit button (rename, add tags, move folder)
  • Replace button (upload new version)
  • Delete button

Uploading Files

Single File Upload

Steps:

  1. Click "Upload Files" button
  2. Click "Select Files" or drag files into upload area
  3. Select file(s) from your computer
  4. Files upload automatically
  5. Progress bar shows upload status
  6. Uploaded files appear in library

Supported File Types:

  • Images: JPG, JPEG, PNG, GIF, WebP
  • Documents: PDF
  • Other: SVG (for logos/icons)

File Size Limits:

  • Images: 10MB maximum
  • PDFs: 25MB maximum
  • Total library: Depends on your plan

Note: Videos are NOT supported. Use YouTube/Vimeo and embed links instead.

Bulk File Upload

Upload Multiple Files:

  1. Click "Upload Files" button
  2. Drag and drop multiple files at once
  3. OR click "Select Files" and select multiple (Ctrl+Click or Cmd+Click)
  4. All files upload simultaneously
  5. Progress shown for each file

Bulk Upload Tips:

  • Prepare files before uploading (resize, rename, optimize)
  • Upload to specific folder to stay organized
  • Use consistent naming conventions
  • Maximum 50 files per upload batch

Drag and Drop Upload

Quick Upload Method:

  1. Open Media Library page
  2. Drag files from desktop/folder
  3. Drop onto Media Library grid
  4. Files upload immediately
  5. No need to click "Upload Files" button

File Organization

Folders

Create Folder Structure:

  1. Click "Create Folder" button
  2. Enter folder name (e.g., "Recipe Images", "Product Photos", "PDFs")
  3. Optional: Select parent folder (for subfolders)
  4. Save folder

Example Folder Structure:

  • Images
  • Products
  • Recipes
  • Blog & News
  • Homepage
  • Seasonal
  • Documents
  • Product Specs
  • Nutrition Info
  • Certificates
  • Logos & Branding

Moving Files to Folders:

  1. Select file(s) by checking boxes
  2. Click "Move to Folder" button
  3. Choose destination folder
  4. Files move immediately

Moving Files (Drag & Drop):

  1. Switch to Grid View with folders visible
  2. Drag file thumbnail
  3. Drop onto folder
  4. File moves to folder

Tagging Files

Add Tags for Better Organization:

  1. Click file to open details
  2. Click "Add Tags" field
  3. Type tag name (e.g., "summer", "organic", "featured")
  4. Press Enter to add tag
  5. Add multiple tags per file

Tag Best Practices:

  • Use consistent tag naming (lowercase, no spaces)
  • Create tags for: seasons, categories, campaigns, products
  • Tag images when uploading for easier finding later
  • Use tags to group files across folders

Example Tags:

  • seasonal: summer, fall, winter, spring
  • content-type: hero-image, thumbnail, icon, banner
  • product: produce, meats, dairy, pantry
  • campaign: 2026-summer-promo, newsletter-march

Bulk Tagging:

  1. Select multiple files
  2. Click "Add Tags to Selection"
  3. Enter tags
  4. Tags apply to all selected files

Finding Files

Search Function

Search By:

  • File name (partial match works)
  • Tags
  • Folder name
  • File type

Search Tips:

  • Use quotes for exact phrase: "summer grilling"
  • Search by file extension: ".pdf" or ".jpg"
  • Combine search with filters for precision

Filtering

Available Filters:

By File Type:

  • All Files
  • Images Only
  • PDFs Only
  • Documents Only

By Folder:

  • All Folders
  • Specific folder only
  • Include subfolders toggle

By Date:

  • Uploaded Today
  • This Week
  • This Month
  • Custom Date Range
  • Older than X days

By Usage:

  • Used in website (linked)
  • Unused files (not linked anywhere)
  • Recently used
  • Never used

By Size:

  • Small (<100KB)
  • Medium (100KB-1MB)
  • Large (1MB-5MB)
  • Very Large (>5MB)

Sorting Options

Sort Files By:

  • Date Uploaded (newest/oldest)
  • File Name (A-Z or Z-A)
  • File Size (largest/smallest)
  • Usage Count (most/least used)
  • Recently Modified

Using Media Files

Getting File URLs

Copy Public URL:

  1. Click file to open details
  2. Find "Public URL" field
  3. Click "Copy URL" button
  4. URL copied to clipboard
  5. Paste into emails, documents, etc.

CDN URLs: All files are served via global CDN (Content Delivery Network):

  • Fast loading worldwide
  • Automatic optimization
  • Secure HTTPS delivery
  • 99.9% uptime

Example URLs:

  • https://cdn.yoursite.com/media/summer-salad.jpg
  • https://cdn.yoursite.com/pdfs/nutrition-guide.pdf

Embed Codes for Images

Get Embed Code:

  1. Click image file
  2. Scroll to "Embed Code" section
  3. Choose embed type:
    • HTML img tag: <img src="..." alt="...">
    • Markdown: ![alt text](url)
    • Direct URL: Just the URL
  4. Click "Copy Code" button

Using Embed Codes:

  • Email templates: Paste HTML code
  • Blog posts: Use in HTML editor
  • External sites: Share direct URL
  • Markdown editors: Use markdown format

Image Dimensions

Responsive Images: System automatically creates multiple sizes:

  • Thumbnail: 150x150px
  • Small: 300x300px
  • Medium: 600x600px
  • Large: 1200x1200px
  • Original: Full resolution

Specify Size in URL: Add size parameter to URL:

  • ?size=thumbnail
  • ?size=small
  • ?size=medium
  • ?size=large

Example: https://cdn.yoursite.com/media/product.jpg?size=small

Editing and Managing Files

Renaming Files

Rename a File:

  1. Click file to open details
  2. Click "Edit" button
  3. Click in file name field
  4. Enter new name
  5. Click "Save"

Renaming Best Practices:

  • Use descriptive names: "organic-tomatoes-product.jpg"
  • No spaces (use hyphens or underscores)
  • Include keywords for SEO
  • Keep names short but meaningful
  • Be consistent with naming conventions

Replacing Files

Upload New Version:

  1. Open file details
  2. Click "Replace File" button
  3. Select new file from computer
  4. New file uploads and replaces old
  5. URL stays the same (no broken links!)

When to Replace:

  • Update product photo
  • Correct information in PDF
  • Improve image quality
  • Update outdated content

Important: Replacing preserves the same URL, so all existing uses of the file automatically show the new version.

Image Optimization

Automatic Optimization:

  • Images compressed automatically on upload
  • WebP format served to compatible browsers
  • Original preserved, optimized versions created
  • Reduces page load times significantly

Manual Optimization Tools:

  1. Click image to open details
  2. Click "Optimize" button
  3. Choose optimization level:
    • Light: Minimal compression, maximum quality
    • Balanced: Good compression, good quality (recommended)
    • Maximum: High compression, acceptable quality
  4. Preview optimized version
  5. Apply optimization

Optimization Benefits:

  • Faster page loading
  • Better mobile experience
  • Improved SEO rankings
  • Reduced bandwidth costs

Editing Image Properties

Available Edits:

  1. Alt Text: Accessibility description
  2. Title: Hover text
  3. Caption: Display caption below image
  4. Credit: Photographer/source attribution

Setting Alt Text:

  1. Open image details
  2. Click in "Alt Text" field
  3. Write descriptive text (what is in image)
  4. Save changes

Alt Text Best Practices:

  • Describe image content clearly
  • Include relevant keywords naturally
  • Keep under 125 characters
  • Don't start with "Image of..." (redundant)
  • Essential for accessibility (screen readers)

Tracking File Usage

Where is This File Used?

View Usage Locations:

  1. Click file to open details
  2. Scroll to "Used In" section
  3. See list of pages, products, recipes using this file
  4. Click location to view/edit that page

Usage Information Shows:

  • Page/item name
  • Page type (Product, Recipe, News Article, etc.)
  • Last modified date
  • Link to edit page

Why This Matters:

  • Know impact before deleting file
  • Update all uses when replacing
  • Find orphaned/unused files
  • Audit content using specific assets

Finding Unused Files

Identify Files Not Used Anywhere:

  1. Apply filter: "Unused Files"
  2. Review list of files not linked to any pages
  3. Consider whether to:
    • Delete (if truly unnecessary)
    • Keep (may be used in emails, external sites)
    • Archive (move to "Archive" folder)

Cleanup Strategy:

  • Review unused files quarterly
  • Be cautious deleting (may be used in emails sent)
  • Archive first, delete later if no issues
  • Check with team before bulk deletion

Bulk Operations

Bulk Selection

Select Multiple Files:

  • Click checkboxes: Select specific files
  • Select All: Checkbox in header selects all visible
  • Shift+Click: Select range of files
  • Ctrl+Click (Cmd+Click Mac): Select non-adjacent files

Bulk Actions

Available Bulk Operations:

  1. Move to Folder: Organize files at once
  2. Add Tags: Tag multiple files simultaneously
  3. Delete: Remove multiple files
  4. Download: Download as ZIP file
  5. Change Permissions: Adjust access settings

Bulk Delete:

  1. Select files to delete
  2. Click "Delete Selected" button
  3. Confirm deletion
  4. WARNING: Deleted files cannot be recovered
  5. Files in use show warning before deletion

Bulk Download:

  1. Select files
  2. Click "Download Selected" button
  3. System creates ZIP file
  4. ZIP downloads automatically
  5. Extract files on your computer

Common Use Cases

Use Case 1: Upload Product Photos

Goal: Add high-quality images for new product

Steps:

  1. Prepare product photos (resize to 1200x1200px, optimize)
  2. Name files descriptively: organic-tomatoes-main.jpg, organic-tomatoes-detail.jpg
  3. Open Media Library
  4. Create folder "Products" if doesn't exist
  5. Click "Upload Files"
  6. Select all product photos
  7. After upload, add tags: "products", "produce", "tomatoes"
  8. Add alt text to each image
  9. Copy URLs or use in product page directly
  10. Product images ready to use

Use Case 2: Organize Existing Files

Goal: Clean up disorganized media library

Steps:

  1. Create folder structure:
    • Products
    • Recipes
    • Blog
    • Homepage
    • Seasonal
    • Archive
  2. Sort files by upload date (oldest first)
  3. Review old files:
    • Move to appropriate folders
    • Delete obvious duplicates
    • Archive outdated seasonal content
  4. Add tags to important files for easier finding
  5. Check for unused files
  6. Rename files with unclear names
  7. Result: Organized, searchable library

Use Case 3: Create Seasonal Content Library

Goal: Organize summer campaign assets

Steps:

  1. Create folder "Seasonal/Summer-2026"
  2. Upload all summer campaign images
  3. Tag all files with "summer", "2026", "campaign"
  4. Create sub-folders:
    • Banners
    • Product Photos
    • Recipe Images
    • Social Media Graphics
  5. Use naming convention: summer2026-[description].jpg
  6. After campaign ends, move folder to Archive
  7. Reuse structure next year

Use Case 4: Replace Outdated File

Goal: Update product photo without breaking existing links

Steps:

  1. Take new, improved product photo
  2. Find old photo in Media Library (search by product name)
  3. Click file to open details
  4. Note where file is currently used
  5. Click "Replace File" button
  6. Upload new photo
  7. New photo appears everywhere old photo was used
  8. Same URL maintained (no broken links)
  9. Review pages to confirm new photo displays correctly

Use Case 5: Find and Embed PDF in Newsletter

Goal: Share nutrition guide PDF with customers

Steps:

  1. Open Media Library
  2. Filter by: PDFs only
  3. Search: "nutrition"
  4. Find "nutrition-guide-2026.pdf"
  5. Click file to open details
  6. Click "Copy URL" button
  7. Go to Email Templates
  8. Create newsletter
  9. Add button: "Download Nutrition Guide"
  10. Paste PDF URL as button link
  11. Customers can click to download PDF

Troubleshooting

File Won't Upload

Symptoms: Upload fails or gets stuck

Possible Causes:

  1. File too large (exceeds limit)
  2. Unsupported file type
  3. File name has special characters
  4. Internet connection interrupted
  5. Storage quota exceeded

Solutions:

  1. Check file size (compress if needed)
  2. Verify file type is supported
  3. Rename file (remove spaces, special characters)
  4. Refresh page and try again
  5. Check storage usage in settings
  6. Contact admin if quota needs increase

Image Not Displaying

Symptoms: Image shows broken or doesn't load

Check:

  1. Verify file uploaded successfully
  2. Copy URL and open in new browser tab
  3. Check if file was deleted
  4. Clear browser cache
  5. Verify CDN is working (admin check)
  6. Check file permissions

Can't Find File

Symptoms: Uploaded file doesn't appear in library

Troubleshooting:

  1. Check active folder (might be filtered)
  2. Clear search box
  3. Remove all filters
  4. Sort by "Recently Uploaded"
  5. Check if file upload actually completed
  6. Try uploading again

Duplicate Files Appearing

Explanation: Uploading same file multiple times creates duplicates

Solutions:

  1. Search before uploading (check if file exists)
  2. Use Replace function instead of re-uploading
  3. Delete duplicates (keep best version)
  4. Implement naming convention to prevent duplicates
  5. Use tags to mark "approved" version
  • Recipes - Use media library images in recipes
  • News Items - Add images to blog posts
  • Products - Product photography management
  • Email Templates - Embed images in emails
  • Front Page - Homepage hero images and banners

Permissions & Access

Required Access Level: Manager or higher

Access Levels:

  • Manager: Upload, organize, use files; cannot delete others' uploads
  • Administrator: All Manager + delete any file, bulk operations
  • Kiva Admin: All features + storage management, CDN settings

Restricted Features:

  • Delete Files: Manager can delete own uploads; Admin can delete any
  • Storage Settings: Kiva Admin only
  • CDN Configuration: Kiva Admin only

Best Practices

File Organization

  1. Create folder structure before bulk uploads
  2. Use consistent naming conventions
  3. Tag files at upload time
  4. Archive old seasonal content (don't delete)
  5. Review and clean up quarterly

File Naming

  1. Use descriptive names with keywords
  2. Use hyphens or underscores (no spaces)
  3. Include product/category name
  4. Add version if applicable (v2, 2026, etc.)
  5. Lowercase for consistency

Image Optimization

  1. Resize before uploading (1200px max for most uses)
  2. Compress images before upload (use tools like TinyPNG)
  3. Use JPG for photos, PNG for logos/graphics
  4. Always add alt text for SEO and accessibility
  5. WebP format used automatically for modern browsers

File Management

  1. Check if file exists before uploading
  2. Use Replace instead of re-uploading
  3. Delete unused files to save storage
  4. Keep original high-res versions backed up externally
  5. Document usage before deleting files

Security

  1. Don't upload sensitive customer data
  2. Don't upload files with private information
  3. PDFs are publicly accessible via URL
  4. Use appropriate file permissions
  5. Regularly audit file access

Things to Avoid

  • ❌ Uploading huge uncompressed images
  • ❌ Using spaces or special characters in file names
  • ❌ Uploading videos (use YouTube/Vimeo instead)
  • ❌ Deleting files still in use
  • ❌ Uploading without organizing (creates clutter)
  • ❌ Forgetting alt text (hurts SEO and accessibility)

Quick Reference Card

Task Action
Upload file "Upload Files" button OR drag & drop
Create folder "Create Folder" button
Find file Search bar OR apply filters
Copy file URL Click file > "Copy URL" button
Rename file Click file > Edit > Change name
Replace file Click file > "Replace File" button
Move to folder Select files > "Move to Folder"
Add tags Click file > "Add Tags" field
Delete file Select file > Delete button
Bulk select Check boxes OR "Select All"
View usage Click file > "Used In" section

FAQs

What file types can I upload?

Images (JPG, PNG, GIF, WebP, SVG) and PDFs. Videos are not supported - use YouTube/Vimeo and embed.

Is there a storage limit?

Yes, varies by plan. Check Settings > Storage to see current usage and limits.

Can customers access files directly?

Files have public URLs, so yes if they have the link. Don't upload private/sensitive information.

What happens to pages using a deleted file?

They show broken image icon. Check "Used In" before deleting.

How do I create image variations (thumbnails)?

Automatic. System creates multiple sizes. Access via URL parameters (?size=small).

Can I edit images in the media library?

Basic editing only (crop, rotate, optimize). For advanced editing, use photo software before uploading.

How do I share a file with someone?

Copy the Public URL and send via email. They can view/download without logging in.

Can I password-protect files?

No, all media library files are publicly accessible. For private files, consider alternative solutions.

No! Replacing maintains the same URL, so all existing uses automatically show the new file.

How do I find orphaned/unused files?

Apply filter "Unused Files" to see files not linked to any pages.

End of Documentation

For additional help, contact your system administrator or Kiva Logic support.