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KB User's Guide - Documents Tab - Adding Images and Other Files to Your Documents

This document describes the various ways that you can add images and other supplemental files to your KB documents.

Overview

In the KB, we refer to the files you add to your document as "attachments". All KB documents can have an associated attachment folder that is used to store these files. This is most commonly used for images (e.g. .jpg, .png, .gif, .webp, etc.) that you display in your document, but it can also be used to store other files (e.g. .pdf, .ppt, .doc, etc.) that you may want to link for users to download. However, you may also want to consider using other means of making those types of downloadable files available, such as Box.

There are multiple ways that you can add files to your KB document attachment folder. Please note that regardless of the method used, the following upper limits are always true:

  • An individual image/attachment must be smaller than 125MB.
  • For larger files, we recommend using a file storage service such as Box. Please see the UW-Madison Box KB site for more information.
  • The following characters are not allowed in file names and will be automatically removed upon upload: % ' + \\ / # .. ! & ,
  • Files with the following extensions cannot be uploaded: .php, .pl, .py, .cgi, .php3, .php4, .jsp, .shtml, .sh

A couple of other notes:

  • Embedding large numbers of PDFs can effect the load time of your documents.
  • Please keep in mind that files like PDFs, Word documents, and PowerPoint presentations need to meet campus accessibility standards to ensure that they can be accessed by all of your users. Please see the guide to making accessible documents and the document accessibility toolkit for resources on ensuring your attachments are accessible prior to uploading them to the KB.

Recommended method for adding images

The easiest way to add images to your document is to drag or copy the image from a location on your computer (like your desktop, another folder, or in the contentof a file like a Word document) right into the document body.

This will both place the image into the document, as well as automatically create your document's attachments folder. You may also use this method to add multiple images at once.

Demonstration of a cupcake image being dragged into the document edit window

Upon dropping or pasting the image, you will be prompted to provide an alternative text description of the image.

The first time you manually save or submit the document, your image will be saved to the document attachment folder with its original file name. This method works for the following image types:

  • .jpg or .jpeg
  • .png
  • .gif (non-animated)
  • .webp (non-animated)

For all other file types, please use the directions below.

Exceptions

  • This method has a lower individual file size limit of 6MB. For larger files, please upload your image directly to the attachment folder.
  • Firefox only supports copy/paste for one image at a time. Multiple images can still be added in Firefox via drag-and-drop.

Working directly with the document attachment folder

  1. To create your attachment folder, you must click the Save Draft button in the upper right. Once this is done, your attachment folder will be generated for the document.

    The Save Draft button located in the upper right of the screen

  2. You are now ready to upload images and other attachments into your KB document. You an access your document's attachment folder by clicking on the paperclip icon titled "Attachments folder" in the editor's icon bar.

    The document editor's icon bar, with the mouse hovering over the Attachments folder option

Uploading files into your attachment folder

  1. Open the document you wish to upload attachments to, find the Attachments folder icon on the editor's icon bar, and click it.

  2. You have two options to add items to your attachments folder.
    • You can drag and drop files into the uploader area, and they will automatically be added to your document attachment folder.
    • Click the Browse link to do a traditional upload process of clicking on a file and uploading it to the attachment folder.

      The uploader area for the attachments folder

  3. Uploaded files will appear in the attachments table.

Inserting files from your attachment folder

For images:

  1. Place your cursor where you would like the image or file link to appear, click the Attachments folder icon

  2. Find the image you want to add and click on it in the attachments table. The item will be selected, and information will be displayed regarding the image to the right.

    • When placing an image this way, be sure to add appropriate alternative text to it

  3. Once you are ready, click the Place image button.

    The attachment options area 

  4. Your image will appear in its original size where your cursor was placed. Clicking it in the body editor will reveal resize handles. You can access further editing controls by right-clicking the image and selecting the Insert/edit image icon on the editor's icon bar.

    The insert/edit image button is displayed

For documents:

  1. Place your cursor where you would like the image or file link to appear, then click the Attachments folder icon.

  2. Select the file that you want to place a link from the attachments table, and the options for that item will appear on the right.

  3. You can add the linked text that you want for this file. If you don't add the text, the file's full filename will be used as the linked text.

  4. Click the Place link button to create the link to the document.

    The attachment options for placing a file link are displayed

    Shared attachments

    Your KB site may have resources such as images, banners and logos stored in a shared attachments folder. Unlike a document-specific attachment folder, the shared attachment folder is easily accessible to all documents. The shared attachment folder functions just like a document attachment folder.

    The contents of your shared attachments folder can be accessed without authentication. The folder path for this folder will look something like /images/group###/shared/, where "group###" corresponds to your KB group space ID number, e.g. /images/group123/shared/.

    

    Opening the shared attachment folder
    

    You can access the Shared attachments folder from your normal Attachments folder section, clicking on the Shared folder link from that window.
    

    The attachments folder is visible with a red arrow pointing at the Shared folder link
    

    For more information on managing the contents of your shared attachments folder, please see KB User's Guide - Documents Tab - Managing Attachments.
    

    You can add images or file links from the shared attachment folder the same ways as described above.
    

    

    See Also
     


    Keywords:
    drafts tab draft document field adding images attachments pdf "document attachment folder" new doc KB screen pictures files create editor multi select multi-select feature quick adv plain place file link new win newwin place file link placefilelink place filelink subfolder sub-folder sub folder upload zip zipped add photos insert embed insert image place add remove in into KB doc rotated image upside down wrong way flipped over shared, image, file, drag, drop, drag and drop, drag drop, drag & drop  
    Doc ID:
    5722
    Owned by:
    Leah S. in KB User's Guide
    Created:
    2007-04-10
    Updated:
    2025-09-25
    Sites:
    KB Demo, KB Demo - Child Demo KB, KB User's Guide