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Wikimedia Commons

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A vast volunteer-run library of reusable images, audio, video, and 3D files.

Wikimedia Commons hosts more than 145 million freely reusable media files, including images, videos, sounds, and 3D models. It serves as the shared media library for Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects, while also being open for anyone to browse, reuse, upload, categorize, and improve file metadata.

Why it stands out

  • One of the largest openly reusable media repositories on the web, with over 145 million files.
  • Deeply integrated with Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects, so many files have rich contextual links.
  • Community workflows support not just uploads, but categorization, subject identification, and structured metadata.
  • Covers many media types beyond photographs, including sound recordings, video, diagrams, scans, and 3D models.
  • Strong reuse orientation, with file pages designed to surface licensing and attribution requirements.

Good to know

  • Reuse still requires checking each file’s license and attribution details; not every file has the same terms.
  • Because anyone can contribute, metadata quality, categorization, and descriptions can vary by file.
  • The category system is powerful but can be complex for new users, especially for broad or ambiguous searches.
  • Some files may have unresolved identification, permission, or documentation issues flagged by the community.

Under the radar: For reuse, open the file’s own page rather than downloading from a thumbnail or preview; the file page shows the original resolution plus the specific license and attribution text you need.

Photos

Illustration for Wikimedia Commons