How to Upload an Image to Wikipedia

You can upload your images to Wikipedia. You can include other pages or link to a file after the upload. The formats used in Wikipedia for images are JPEG for photographic images, Scalable Vector Graphics format for drawings and line art illustrations, and PNG for non-vector graphic images. You need to open an account first in Wikipedia to upload a file.

Things You'll Need

• Image file
• Computer with Internet access

Instructions

Open an Account in Wikipedia

1. Go to the main page of Wikipedia, listed in Resources below. You can also key in Wikipedia in search engines.

2. Go to the top-right corner of the page. Click on the Create Account link and register by providing your username and a unique password. The account is created immediately, and your username will be displayed on top of the page.

Upload an Image to Wikipedia

1. Go to the main page of Wikipedia, listed in Resource below. Sign in using your username and password.

2. Go back to the main page after sign-in. Click on Upload File in the left-hand column of the main page.

3. Complete the legal disclaimer on the upload page, otherwise the file could be deleted without a warning.

4. Click on Browse to select the source file name from its location. A file selection dialog will pop up, and once the file is selected, click OK. The local file name will be used so create descriptive file names to avoid ambiguity. You can change it using the Destination Filename field, below the Source Filename tab/box. Renaming of a file is not possible once it is uploaded.

5. Complete the description of the file in the Summary field. If you can upload the image under the doctrine of free/fair use, you need to place the words fair use or a more specific fair-use template in the summary.
   Given below is an example of the summary information, which you can use for reference.
   Information/Description = What can you see?
   Source = Self-made or URL
   Date = Date image was taken/drawn
   Author = First name and last name of the author
   Permission = Short quote of the permission of the copyright owner (in case it's long, shorten it with a link to the long version).
   Other versions = Wiki link to other versions if they exist within the Wikimedia Commons (for example, a high-resolution/low-resolution version of the same image file)
   License

6. Include a brief description about the image (who, what, when, why...) and also mention the technical information (format, equipment, software...). This information is helpful to other users.

7. Mention the license under which the image has been uploaded. Use the appropriate image copyright tabs to mention the relevant license details of the image.

8. Click on Upload File to save the summary and upload the file. Preview is not possible. However, once the file is uploaded you can click the Edit button and make changes to the summary and license if needed. If a file already exists with a similar file name, you are given the option to save and overwrite the old file or to go back to the upload form and type in a new name. If you overwrite the old file, it will still remain in the image history.

Tips & Warnings

• The ideal width of an image is 250 pixels. Less than 150 pixels would be too small and unclear. The upper limit for file sizes is about 20 MB.

• There is a four-day waiting period for new users before they can overwrite files.

• Use proper and descriptive names for the images.

• All uploaded files carry the default prefix Image: given by the system, even if they are not images.

• All uploaded files have an image description page.

• The image names are case-specific. If an image is called Picture.jpg, then you will not be able to find it by searching for picture.jpg or Picture.JPG.

• Read the License Selection guidance page for information on successful uploads.

• Use a high-resolution image to upload.

• Renaming a file is not possible once it is uploaded.