Manage and Replace Files in the Media Library

Overview

The Media Library is the central hub for all multimedia assets on your website. Whether you uploaded a file while editing a page module, setting your brand logo, writing a blog post, creating a product, or directly in the Media Library, everything is centralized here.

You can perform five core tasks in the Media Library:

• Reuse assets across pages: Select previously uploaded files directly in any image, video, or document field without re-uploading and wasting space.
• Track usage across your site: Click any file to see exactly which page modules, posts, or products it is currently used in, and jump straight there to make changes.
• Upload new versions, update everywhere: When you update your brand logo or a yearly catalog PDF, simply "Upload a new version" for that file, and it will automatically update everywhere it is used on your site.
• Retrieve original files anytime: Download the exact, unencoded original file you uploaded.
• 30-day Trash protection: Deleted files are moved to the Trash for 30 days, during which you can restore them with one click.

Multi-site isolation: The Media Library and storage space are managed independently for each "single website." If you manage multiple sites, each has its own Media Library, and assets are not shared between them.

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Where to open the Media Library and select existing files?

1. Access the Media Library from the dashboard

Go to the Media Library in the "Content" group on the left sidebar (or click "Manage Media" in the storage section under "Site Settings › Usage"). There are three tabs: "All Files", "Trash", and .

2. Use "Select from Media Library" in your workflow

When editing your website, writing a blog post, or setting up a product, you don't need to leave the editor. You can open the Media Library picker directly from the field:

• Single or multi-image fields (module images, brand logos, share images, product display images): Click the "⋯" menu next to the field → select "Select from Media Library". For multi-image fields, you can select multiple images in a row (a sequence number appears in the top right) and add them at once.
• Page "Multimedia Content" module: After adding an item, click "Select from Media Library" below the file upload area. The system will automatically filter for videos, audio, PDFs, and documents previously uploaded to this site.
• Blog post content: When inserting an image, video, audio, or PDF block by typing /, click "Other sources → Select from Media Library" in the panel. When inserting a "File Attachment" block, click "Select from Media Library" next to the upload button.
• Upload directly within the picker: If you don't see the file you need after opening the picker, click "Upload" in the top right corner. The newly uploaded file will appear in the first slot; click it to apply.

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Bulk upload, filter, and search

1. Bulk upload assets to the Media Library

If you have just finished a batch of product photos, a dozen course videos, or multiple event brochures, you can upload them all at once in the Media Library:

1. Click the "Upload" button in the top right corner to select one or more files, or drag files directly from your computer into the Media Library list.
2. The screen will show an upload progress queue (each file displays its status: waiting, uploading, or complete; switching to other Media Library tabs will not interrupt the upload).
3. Uploaded files will appear at the top of the list, marked as "Unused", and can then be selected for use in the website editor or blog.

Upload digital product content in product management: To protect your paid materials, files in "Store › Products › Digital Content Management" are stored in a separate private space. Therefore, they cannot be uploaded from the general Media Library and will not appear in the picker for public pages.

2. Find the files you need quickly

As your site files grow, use the toolbar above the list to narrow down your search:

• Filter by type: Click the capsules to toggle between All, Images, Videos, Audio, PDFs, Documents (Word/Excel/PowerPoint/EPUB/ZIP), or Product Files. The number of files for each type is displayed next to the capsule.
• View unused only: Check this to list only files that are not currently referenced by any page, post, product, or setting. This is the best filter for cleaning up storage space.
• Search filenames and sort: Enter keywords to filter in real-time, and sort by Newest, Oldest, or Largest.
• Visual thumbnail recognition: Beyond images, video grids automatically display captured frames and duration in the bottom right (e.g., 1:35). PDFs show a thumbnail of the first page and page count, MP3s with album art display the cover, and Office/ZIP files display clear extension color labels.

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View file details, usage locations, and download originals

Click any file in the Media Library to expand the File Details Panel on the right (or below on mobile):

1. Preview and "Download Original"

• In-site preview: Click "Zoom" for images to open a lightbox, "Play" for videos and audio to preview, "Open PDF" for full-screen reading, or click to download documents.
• Download original: Click the "Download Original" button to download the exact original file you uploaded to your computer (for differences from the public visitor download version, see ).

2. Track "Usage Locations" across the site

Below the preview in the details panel, you will see a complete list of all "Usage Locations" for this file (including website page modules, page share images, headers/footers, brand logos, Favicons, watermarks, blog posts, post categories/authors, product display images, digital product content, site pop-ups, and newsletters):

• Click to jump to the editor: Every usage location can be clicked (opening the corresponding editor panel, post, or product edit page in a new tab), allowing you to find and modify it immediately.
• Distinguish between draft and published status:
  • Draft only, not yet published: You just added this file in the editor but haven't clicked "Publish"; visitors to your live site cannot see it yet.
  • Removed from draft, will no longer be used after next publish: You have removed this file in the editor, but because the site hasn't been published, it is still visible on the live site; it will be unreferenced once you click "Publish".

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Upload new version: Update once, update everywhere

When the same file is used in multiple places (e.g., a logo shared in headers, footers, and brand settings, or a price list PDF or intro video used in multiple posts), you do not need to find and re-upload it page by page. Simply use "Upload a new version":

Steps

1. You can initiate a version update in three places:
   • Click "⋯ → Upload a new version" in the image field of the website editor.
   • Click the "Upload a new version" icon on the right side of the file row in the "Multimedia Content" module.
   • Open the file details in the "Media Library" and click "Upload a new version".
2. Select the new file from your computer. The confirmation window will show a side-by-side preview of the "Current version" and "New version" (including dimensions or duration) and clearly list how many places on the site will be updated.
3. Click "Replace with new version" to complete (videos and large files will show an upload progress bar).

Version update rules and timing (Important)

• Only replace with the same file type: Images for images, videos for videos, etc. (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, EPUB, and ZIP are interchangeable). After replacement, video duration, PDF page count, file size, and auto-covers will update automatically. If you previously manually changed a custom cover or download filename, the system will retain your custom settings.
• No need to save the form again: Because you are replacing the underlying file itself, the update is complete the moment you click "Replace with new version".
• What updates immediately vs. what waits for "Publish"?
  • Website editor previews, brand logos, page share images, products, and blog posts: These update immediately.
  • Public website page modules and headers/footers: To allow you to check the new layout in the editor first (especially if the new image aspect ratio differs from the old one, the confirmation window will remind you that each location will re-apply focus based on the layout), the public site will officially update only after you click "Publish". Before publishing, visitors still see the stable old version, and the top bar of the dashboard will light up with "Unpublished updates" to remind you.
• Where did the old version go?
  • Once the public site is published and the old version is no longer needed, the old file is automatically moved to the "Trash" and labeled as "Version 1", "Version 2", etc. It is permanently deleted after 30 days (it still counts toward storage during this period). If you change your mind, you can restore it from the Trash, and it will become an independent new file in the Media Library.

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Removing a file from the site does not delete it

When editing your site daily, remember this important protection mechanism: "Remove from content ≠ Delete from Media Library".

• When you click "Remove image" in a page module, blog post, or product display, or replace it with another photo, or even delete an entire module or post, the original file is not deleted. It remains in the Media Library marked as "Unused".
• This design exists because many assets are shared across the site, or you might want to put an old photo back during a redesign later.
• "Unused" files in the Media Library still occupy storage space. When you are certain a file will never be used again, move it to the Trash and delete it permanently.
• The only exception: Digital product content files in the store belong only to that product. They are deleted when removed and saved in . Visitor attachments in online forms are deleted when the form response is deleted.

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Move to Trash, restore within 30 days, and permanent deletion

1. Move to Trash

1. Open the file you want to clean up in the Media Library and click "Move to Trash" on the right side of the file action bar.
2. Safety check: If the file is still being used on any page or post, the confirmation window will list all usage locations and warn you that those locations will temporarily show a blank placeholder after moving to the Trash.
3. After confirming, a prompt will appear at the bottom of the screen; click "Undo" to cancel immediately.

2. Restore from Trash within 30 days

1. Switch to the "Trash" tab at the top of the Media Library (each file shows how many days are left before automatic deletion; if the file was referenced on the site, it will be marked "Still in use on site").
2. Open the file details and click "Restore" at the bottom.
3. The file will immediately return to the "All Files" list, and pages on the site that used it will automatically resume display without needing to republish the site.

3. Permanent deletion and emptying the Trash (Free up space immediately)

Files in the Trash still count toward your storage space during the 30-day retention period (the storage progress bar will show "X MB in Trash").

If you want to free up storage space immediately:

• Click "Delete permanently" for a single file in the Trash, or click "Empty Trash" in the top right corner (the button has a 3-second countdown to prevent accidental clicks; you can clean up to 200 files at once).
• Once permanently deleted, files are destroyed and cannot be recovered by any means, and storage space will be released immediately.

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Team roles, permissions, and AI assistant operations

• Team roles and permissions: Owners, Admins, and Members can upload, replace, delete files, and modify protection settings (only Owners and Admins can purchase additional storage). Viewers can only browse and download original files. Store clerks cannot access the Media Library. See for the full role table.
• AI assistant and API operations: You can also organize the Media Library, upload, and replace images via the AI assistant or API (images uploaded via AI or API are kept in the Media Library and marked as "Unused" until added to a page or post; they will not be automatically recycled by the system after 24 hours). See and for details.

Tips

• At the end of every month or after a major event, go to the Media Library, check "View unused only", and sort by "Largest". You can identify space-consuming, unused old videos or large files in 30 seconds.
• Before deleting a file, take a look at the "Usage Locations" in the details. If it's still hanging on a page, jump to that location to replace it with a new image first, then come back to delete the old one for a smoother site experience.
• When collaborating, you can copy the browser URL when opening file details (format: /media?asset=file_id) and send it to colleagues; they will see the same file details when they open it.

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