Editing Help:Files (section)

{{Short description|Media transcluded onto a page}}
{{pp-semi|small=yes}}
{{Information page|WP:FILE|WP:NS6}}
{{Nutshell|To use an image or other media file on Wikipedia, you need to upload it, and then edit a Wikipedia page to use the file.}}
{{Namespaces}}

{{further|Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Images}}
The '''File namespace''' is a [[WP:Namespace|namespace]] consisting of  [[Wikipedia:Administration|administration pages]] in which all of Wikipedia's media content resides. On Wikipedia, all media filenames begin with the prefix <code>File:</code>, including data files for  [[WP:Images|images]],  video clips, or  audio clips, including document length clips; or MIDI files (a small file of computer music instructions). 

[[Help:Searching|Search]] for files, or upload your own file. (See ''[[#Uploading files|Uploading files]]'' below.) A search lists every file page containing all the search terms found on the file page.  From the search box, enter <kbd>File:''descriptive terms''</kbd>.{{space}} For example, include the terms ''image'', ''video'', or ''midi'' in the query. Then, discovering the [[Help:page name|page name]], you can [[help:edit|edit]] the [[Help:wikitext|wikitext]] of any page and insert that media. This is an easy way to significantly improve articles.  (See ''[[#Using files|Using files]]'' below.) For example, the page title "File:CI 2011 swim 04 jeh.theora.ogv" will appear in the search results for {{nowrap|{{search link|File: swim video}}}}.

There are three semantic differences from the normal [[wp:wikilink|wikilink]] syntax when working with a ''[[help:file page|file page]]'':
{{Anchor|File link}}
* [<nowiki/>['''File:'''''pagename'']] will [[wp:transclude|transclude]] the file, inserting the image, video, audio, or MIDI file into the rendered page in a '''''[[Wikipedia:Extended image syntax|file link]]'''''. A ''file link'' is a transclusion from the '''File''' namespace, complete with transclusion parameters.
* [<nowiki/>[''':File:'''''pagename'']], with the initial colon, will link the image, video, or audio ''file page'';
* <nowiki>[[</nowiki>'''Media:'''''pagename'']] will render a link which can activate the image or audio or video of a ''data file'' directly, on its own page (separate from the rendered page or the ''file page'').
For backward compatibility with older pages the [[WP:namespace#Aliases|alias]] '''Image:''' (now deprecated) is still available instead of '''File:''' in wikilinks or in the search box, but "image" will now refer to more types of data files than just images.