Uploading Images, Videos, and MP3 to Wikipedia

Do you want to upload images, videos, and MP3 to Wikipedia but have no idea how? Don't worry, this article will teach you how to upload files to Wikipedia.

First things first

Before you can upload files, you are required to open a Wikipedia account. Simply go to Wikipedia's main page, and once you're there, go to the page's top-right corner and click on the "Create Account" link. Provide a username and a unique password to register. You don't have to wait long as the account is created instantly. You'll see your username displayed on top of the page. Now you're ready to upload images, videos, and MP3.

Image file

You need to determine first whether your image file is public domain or merits the fair use criteria. If the file is public domain, then upload it to Wikimedia Commons, a shared repository for images. If the image is not under a free license, you can upload it straight into English Wikipedia. Remember, you're not permitted to upload fair use images into Wikimedia Commons.

You need to login before you can upload images. Also, your account should be at least four days old (auto confirmed account). You can use the "Upload File" link found in the toolbox at the left side of the main page to upload an image Selecting a file will fill the file name into the text field found beside the button. Click the "Upload" button to complete the upload. Finishing the upload may take a while if your Internet connection is slow...

Video file

Uploading video files requires some technical preparation. First, you have to use Ogg Theora format to upload your .mpg, .mpeg, .mov, .avi files. Download a free Ogg Theora converter, which you can find in the Internet. After converting the file into the Ogg Theora format, click on the "Upload File" link. You need to complete the legal disclaimer if you don't want your file being deleted without any warning.

Next, click on the "Browse" button to choose the source file name from its location. Select the file in a file selection dialog that pops up. When you're done selecting the file to be uploaded, press OK. You then need to describe the file name (use descriptive file names in order to avoid ambiguity) in the Summary field. You have to use the suitable image copyright tabs to underline the image's relevant license details. Click the "Upload File" button. You can't see a preview at this stage. But once the video is uploaded, you can change the summary and license, if necessary, by clicking the "Edit" button.

MP3 file

An MP3 file must be converted to Ogg Vorbis format (the only format accepted by Wikipedia), an open-source free audio project. Download a free Ogg Theora converter, which you can find in the Internet. And then convert the file into OggVorbis format before uploading. The instructions for uploading are the same as uploading images and videos in Wikipedia. You can upload MP3 files not bigger than 20 MB in the Ogg Vorbis format.