Title: Image Searching Last modified: March 25, 2022 --- # Image Searching * [andyward75](https://wordpress.org/support/users/andyward75/) * (@andyward75) * [4 years, 1 month ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/image-searching/) * Hi, I wondered if I could just ask for anyone’s experience with image searches. I’m fairly new to WordPress but with some experience. * What I want to do is to upload a large number of images (eventually – start off smaller) and the categorise them by Year, Decade, Location, Event, People (all individuals in the image). * Then I want to be able to search for images by all those things (or a subset or none to see all). So, perhaps all images that contain person “A” in 1990s in UK. Please assume that I have added categories for all those things and that it should produce a result. * I was thinking that maybe I could use standard WordPress taxonomies – such as category, tag etc. and then set up search boxes for each of the above to be used or not and then when they hit go, then all images that satisfy the search are shown as though they were a gallery (when in fact they aren’t). * Maybe I should just load the images and use google to search? * Does anyone have any experience of this type of site? * Many Thanks - This topic was modified 4 years, 1 month ago by [Jan Dembowski](https://wordpress.org/support/users/jdembowski/). Reason: Moved to Fixing WordPress, this is not an Everything else WordPress topic Viewing 4 replies - 1 through 4 (of 4 total) * Moderator [bcworkz](https://wordpress.org/support/users/bcworkz/) * (@bcworkz) * [4 years, 1 month ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/image-searching/#post-15498309) * Images in the WP media library all have an associated “attachment” post type. While not available by default, an attachment can be associated with a taxonomy via plugin. You can also save attachment attributes as meta data. I believe there are plugins that enable this. If not, it can certainly be custom coded. * The default WP search does not search attachments, but there are advanced search plugins that let you extend what the default search will do. Such a search will not find images themselves, instead it’ll find the associated attachment post. While you may not be able to find a single plugin to do it all, you can piece together functionality from a few more specific plugins. * Thread Starter [andyward75](https://wordpress.org/support/users/andyward75/) * (@andyward75) * [4 years, 1 month ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/image-searching/#post-15499267) * Thanks for your reply. Most helpful. When you say “save attachment attributes as meta data” – could you be more specific as I’m a little confused there. Save the data as meta data for what? * Do you have any suggestions of plugins that do some of what you suggest. * Regards * Moderator [bcworkz](https://wordpress.org/support/users/bcworkz/) * (@bcworkz) * [4 years, 1 month ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/image-searching/#post-15499909) * Meta data would be like the existing title and caption fields, i.e. data relating directly to the attachment itself. Data unique to the image, as opposed to categories and tags that classify. For example, you might want to add specific image EXIF data as meta data for faster searching. (Searching for EXIF within the files is extremely slow). * You may not wish to add any meta data at all. I mentioned it as another possible way to search for images. A [custom fields plugin](https://wordpress.org/plugins/search/custom+fields/) could let you add more meta data to images. * [This plugin](https://wordpress.org/plugins/categories-images/) specifically adds categories to image attachments. I found it via search, I don’t know any more about it than what its description says. * There are a number of advanced search plugins you can try. I don’t have any experience with them, so cannot make a more specific recommendation. [https://wordpress.org/plugins/search/advanced+search/](https://wordpress.org/plugins/search/advanced+search/) * Thread Starter [andyward75](https://wordpress.org/support/users/andyward75/) * (@andyward75) * [4 years, 1 month ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/image-searching/#post-15505204) * OM, many thanks for that. I think that I will start loading a small set of images and trial several plugins out. * Many thanks for your help – much appreciated. Viewing 4 replies - 1 through 4 (of 4 total) The topic ‘Image Searching’ is closed to new replies. ## Tags * [image](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/image/) * In: [Fixing WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/how-to-and-troubleshooting/) * 4 replies * 2 participants * Last reply from: [andyward75](https://wordpress.org/support/users/andyward75/) * Last activity: [4 years, 1 month ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/image-searching/#post-15505204) * Status: not resolved ## Topics ### Topics with no replies ### Non-support topics ### Resolved topics ### Unresolved topics ### All topics