Help:Uploading files

To use an image or sound file on a wiki, you should upload the file to the wiki where you want to use it. You must be logged in to do this.

Click "Upload file" in the sidebar of your local wiki. Browse to the desktop or directory where the file is stored on your computer. You may use the same filename as the copy on your computer, or change the "destination filename" to something new -- this is usually a good idea if the filename is vague, cryptic, or very common. In the "summary" box, write a description of the image, who took it, and what license it is available under (GFDL, Public Domain, etc -- see Image Copyright tags for more details).

This information will be placed on the file description page, along with a history of modifications to the image. Automatic image meta data will also appear on this description page. This is automatically extracted from uploaded images.

Uploaded images can be used inline on a page, linked to, included in a gallery, or automatically thumbnailed. See Displaying images for full details.

When a file is uploaded with the same name as an existing one, the old one is replaced.



What file types are allowed on Wikia?
File types that can be uploaded include .png, .gif, .jpg, .jpeg, and .ogg. Some Wikia may be allowed additional file types on request. For example, .wad and .lmp files can be uploaded on the Doom Wiki since these are level and demo recording files for the Doom game engine. For security reasons, many file types may not be uploaded and will not be added to the whitelist. This includes HTML and ZIP files.



How do I copy files from other Wikimedia sites?

 * On a Wikimedia site, click on a picture that you want with the mouse. This will take you to the picture's information page. Below the copy of the picture will be a link with the pictures name.  This link leads to a full-size version of the picture, as the one displayed on the information page is often a reduced size.


 * Right click on this link, and select "Save as..." or "Save image as..." to save the picture to a convenient folder on your computer.


 * Click "upload file" on your wiki and upload as described above. Be sure to copy the source and licensing information from the source page to your summary box, as required by open content licenses.

Sometimes if you are working fast you get an error message saying you don't have access to the server. Wait, try again and it's usually OK. Another tip is to empty the picture folder on your computer after every page or two so you don't get confused with too many files. Once the files have been uploaded there is no need to keep them on your machine unless you want to.



How do I change the site logo?
Administrators can change the logo of a wiki by uploading a new image over Image:Wiki.png (for older skins) and Image:Wiki_wide.png (for the Quartz skin). Similarly, the favicon (the icon next to the URL in the browser's address bar, and used in many toolbars and bookmark/favorite lists) can be changed by uploading a new image to Image:Favicon.ico. It is recommended that administrators protect these files from unauthorized changes.

For more details on designing and uploading logo images, see Improving your Wikia.