An audit tool says some images have no alt attribute. Here is how to get the full list, then fix it.
To find images missing alt text in WordPress, do not scroll the media library: it shows no alt status and has no filter. Paste a page URL into a free online checker to list what that page misses, or install a plugin that scans the whole library and flags every alt that is missing, empty, generic or duplicated.
WordPress stores the alt text of each image in a single field, and shows it only when you open that image. There is no column, no filter, no count. On a 500-image library, finding the empty ones by hand means 500 clicks, which is why the job never gets done.
The warning usually comes from outside: a Lighthouse report, an SEO checker, an accessibility scan. It tells you the page has a problem, and rarely which image.
Five tools, five wordings, one cause. Here is what each one means and what fixes it.
| The message (and who says it) | What it means | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| « Image elements do not have [alt] attributes » Lighthouse, PageSpeed Insights | At least one <img> on the page has no alt attribute at all. | Add an alt in the media library. Use an empty alt only on purely decorative images. |
| « The images on this page are missing alt attributes » SEO checkers: SEOptimer, Sitechecker, Semrush Site Audit | Same failure, counted per page. | List the page’s images with the free checker, then fix the ones flagged as missing. |
| « This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is… » WordPress editor | The image was inserted with an empty Alternative text field. | Fill in the field in the block settings or the media library, then update the post. |
| « Missing alternative text » WAVE | An informative image carries no text alternative. | Describe what the image shows in the context of the page. |
| « Images must have alternate text » axe, Accessibility Insights | WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1 fails on this image. | Same fix, then re-run the scan to confirm the page passes. |
From a single page to the whole library. Two of them are free and take under a minute.
Paste the URL into the free checker: every image on the page is listed with its status, missing ones first. The fastest way to answer a Lighthouse warning on one page.
Free and exact for developers: select the attachments with no _wp_attachment_image_alt meta. It only sees the library value, and it will not tell you which posts use the image.
Screaming Frog, Moz or Ahrefs list images missing alt across the crawled pages. Paid tools, and they miss every image that no published page shows.
Scans the entire media library from the WordPress admin, counts the missing, empty, generic and duplicated alts and lets you fix them from one list. Free, rated 5/5.
images with no alt text in our 2,449-image benchmark
of all audited images
of audited pages had at least one image missing alt text
The whole workflow runs in your WordPress admin. Nothing to export, nothing to upload.
Filikod is free on WordPress.org, with no credits and no account. Activate it and open the dashboard.
The dashboard shows how many images are missing an alt, and how many are generic, too short or duplicated. That number is your backlog.
One click lists every image without alt text, with the post or page that uses it, so you describe the image in its context.
Each alt is edited inline. No page reload, no attachment screen. Keep our alt text examples open if you hesitate on a phrasing.
Lighthouse, WAVE or the checker should now pass the page. The ALT Quality Score tells you how far the rest of the library is from clean.
The Missing filter shows each image next to the post that uses it. You write the alt, you save, the counter drops. Empty alts are listed too, so you decide which images are decorative and which ones need a description.
Want the number before installing anything? Run the free checker on your busiest page.
Paste a page URL into the free alt text checker to list what that page is missing, or install the free Filikod plugin to scan the whole media library and filter on missing alts. The media library itself has no filter for it.
For accessibility, alt="" is the correct value on a purely decorative image: screen readers skip it. On an informative image it is a failure. Filikod lists empty alts so you can decide image by image.
Yes: select the attachments that have no _wp_attachment_image_alt row in wp_postmeta. It works, but it only reflects the media library, will not show which posts use each image, and cannot catch generic or duplicated alts.
Find the images concerned with the checker, then fill in the Alternative text field of each one in the media library and update the page. With more than a few dozen images, the free Filikod plugin lets you fix them from a single list.
It removes a recurring audit failure and gives Google Images a description to index. It is not a ranking switch for the page itself, but it is the cheapest accessibility and image SEO fix on most sites.
The full FAQ covers the checker, the score, the plugin and how your data is handled.
Install Filikod, filter on missing alt text and fix the list from a single screen. The plugin is free and bulk editing is included.
