158

Sometimes I need to upload, embed, or display inline an image in a question or answer. How can I do that?

Return to FAQ index

0

1 Answer 1

123

Note: Some sites require 10 reputation to embed images in posts. On those sites, you can still upload images using the below tool, but you won't be able to embed those images inline; you can only link them. Another user with the required rep can edit image links into embedded images.

As explained when image hosting was introduced:

adding a picture to a question or answer is now as easy as …

  1. Clicking the Insert Image toolbar button toolbar button

  2. Selecting an image from your computer, or the web

  3. Clicking Upload

After that, replace the default "enter image description here" with something meaningful. For the screen readers of visually impaired, for browsers that don't show images, for cases where Imgur is blocked, and for search engine indexes: please enter a good description.

Image of image uploader

Even when pasting a URL from the web, the image will be copied to the Stack Exchange Imgur account, and hence will stay even if the original image link is broken.

If you just want a link to an image:

  1. Use the steps above
  2. Remove the leading exclamation point from the result: [click for my image][5]

If you really want to hardlink images from another source, without copying them to the Stack Exchange Imgur account:

  1. Use the link tool to make a regular link to the image
  2. Prepend the link with an exclamation point: ![Image description][6]

Be aware that the image will disappear if the link gets broken.

Note that the image must come from an HTTPS source in order to show as an embedded image. Images from HTTP sources will show as just a link, to prevent "mixed content" warnings. All images uploaded to the Stack Exchange Imgur account in the manners above are from an HTTPS source and will display properly.

Bear in mind that:

  • To make it easier to find relevant information using search engines, be sure to copy important text into your post too. (Messages from popup dialogs can often simply be copied using Ctrl-C or Command-C.)

  • Whenever possible, use the Stack Exchange provided hosting as described above. This ensures images are never lost. Images on many other free image hosters will expire if not requested every now and then, and the post should be useful for future visitors. Also, this is necessary if your image is from an HTTP source, as such images cannot be embedded for security reasons (see above).

  • Your image/picture can be placed anywhere within your post. The easiest way is to place your cursor where the image should appear, before you click the Picture button.

1

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .