Media Categories

Organize your media library with custom categories like “Product Photos,” “Blog Graphics,” or “Team Headshots.” Create subcategories for even more organization. Stop scrolling through thousands of images — find what you need instantly.

Use Cases

  • Create categories like “Product Photos,” “Blog Graphics,” “Team Headshots” to organize large media libraries
  • Use subcategories to organize further (e.g., “Product Photos → Electronics → Phones”)
  • Separate client assets on agency multisite networks
  • Sort seasonal content (holiday graphics, summer promotions) for easy reuse

How It Works

  1. Create categories (and optional subcategories) in the module settings
  2. Go to Media Library in List View
  3. Use the sidebar to filter by category
  4. Drag and drop images to assign categories, or use bulk actions

Settings

This module has a category management interface rather than settings. Access it via Switchboard → Media → Media Categories.

Managing Categories

ActionHow to Do It
Add categoryType name and click “Add Category”
Add subcategorySelect a parent category, then add
Edit categoryHover over category, click “Edit”
Delete categoryHover over category, click “Delete”

Deleting a category doesn’t delete the images — they just become uncategorized.

Subcategories (Hierarchical Categories)

Media Categories supports a full hierarchical structure, allowing you to create parent categories with child subcategories.

Creating Subcategories

  1. Go to the module settings
  2. In the “Add New Category” form, select a Parent Category from the dropdown
  3. Enter the subcategory name
  4. Click “Add Category”

The subcategory will appear indented under its parent in both the settings list and the media library sidebar.

Example Hierarchy

Product Photos
├── Electronics
│   ├── Phones
│   └── Laptops
├── Clothing
└── Accessories

Blog Graphics
├── Featured Images
├── Social Media
└── Infographics

Subcategories in the Sidebar

In the Media Library sidebar, subcategories appear indented under their parents for easy visual hierarchy. Click any category or subcategory to filter the library.

Where to Find It

After enabling, go to Media → Library and switch to List View (icon in the top left). You’ll see:

  • Categories sidebar on the left for filtering and drag-drop
  • Category column showing each item’s category
  • Category filter dropdown in the toolbar
  • Bulk actions to assign categories to multiple items

The categories sidebar only appears in List View, not Grid View. A notice will remind you to switch views.

Using the Categories Sidebar

The sidebar shows all your categories with item counts:

  • All Media — Show everything
  • Uncategorized — Items without any category
  • Your Categories — Custom categories with counts (subcategories indented)

Filtering by Category

Click any category in the sidebar to filter the library to show only those items.

Assigning Categories

Method 1: Drag and Drop

  1. In List View, drag any media row
  2. Drop it onto a category in the sidebar
  3. The page refreshes to show updated counts

Method 2: Bulk Actions

  1. Select multiple items using checkboxes
  2. Choose “Assign to: [Category]” from the bulk actions dropdown
  3. Click Apply

Method 3: Remove from Category

  1. Select items
  2. Choose “Remove from Category” in bulk actions
  3. Items become uncategorized

Category Column in List View

A “Category” column shows each item’s current category. Uncategorized items display in gray text.

Tips for Organizing

By Content Type with Subcategories:

  • Product Photos
    • Electronics
    • Clothing
    • Accessories
  • Blog Featured Images
    • Tutorials
    • News
  • Team Headshots
    • Leadership
    • Staff

By Project:

  • Client: Acme Corp
    • Website Redesign
    • Marketing Campaign
  • Client: Widget Co
  • Internal Marketing

By Status:

  • Ready to Use
  • Needs Editing
  • Archive

FAQ

Do categories affect my site’s front end?No. Categories are purely for backend organization. They don’t create URLs, affect SEO, or display to visitors.
Can images be in multiple categories?Currently, each image can only be in one category at a time. Assigning a new category replaces the previous one.
Why don’t I see the sidebar?The categories sidebar only shows in List View. Click the list icon (horizontal lines) in the top-left of the Media Library to switch from Grid View.
What happens if I delete a category?Images in that category become uncategorized. The images themselves are not deleted — only the category assignment is removed. If you delete a parent category, subcategories become top-level categories.
Does this work with the Grid View?Grid View shows a reminder to switch to List View for full category management. The filter dropdown works in both views, but drag-drop and the sidebar require List View.
Are categories included in exports?Yes. Categories are stored as a WordPress taxonomy, so they’re included in standard WordPress exports and can transfer between sites. The parent-child relationships are preserved.
How deep can subcategories go?You can create multiple levels of subcategories. However, for practical usability, we recommend keeping it to 2-3 levels deep (e.g., Category → Subcategory → Sub-subcategory).
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