Confluence Images and Attachments

Words explain ideas, and visuals prove them. Confluence lets you place screenshots, diagrams, PDFs, spreadsheets, and other files directly on a page. Good media handling turns a plain document into a clear, useful reference.

Adding Images to a Page

Drag and Drop

Drag an image from your computer and drop it onto the editor. The picture uploads and appears at the cursor position.

Paste from the Clipboard

Copy a screenshot and press Ctrl + V or Cmd + V inside the editor. Confluence saves the image to the page automatically.

The Insert Menu

Type a slash, choose the files and images option, and browse for the file. This route works well when the file sits in a deep folder.

Formatting an Image

Click an image to reveal its toolbar. Several controls shape how the picture looks and behaves.

• Resize the image by dragging a corner handle.
• Align the image left, centre, or right.
• Wrap text around the image for a magazine-style layout.
• Add a caption so readers know what they are viewing.
• Write alt text, a short description that screen readers announce to visually impaired readers.

Working with Attachments

An attachment is any file stored on a page. Upload a contract, a slide deck, or a data sheet, and readers download it from the page. Confluence keeps every attachment tied to the page that owns it.

Preview Without Downloading

Confluence previews many common file types, including PDFs, images, and Office documents. Readers click the file name and view it in an overlay.

Embedding a File

The view file macro displays a document inside the page body. A team policy PDF can sit in the middle of an explanation so readers never leave the page.

Listing All Files

The attachments macro prints a table of every file on the page. Readers see names, sizes, and upload dates at a glance.

Where Files Live

PAGE: Project Launch Plan
  |
  +-- Body text
  |     +-- Image: roadmap.png        (shown inside the text)
  |     +-- View File: budget.pdf     (embedded preview)
  |
  +-- Attachments (stored with the page)
        +-- roadmap.png
        +-- budget.pdf
        +-- contacts.xlsx

Every file shown in the body also appears in the attachment list. Deleting the attachment removes the file from the page body as well.

Managing Attachment Versions

Upload a file with the same name as an existing attachment and Confluence stores it as a new version. Older versions stay available for review. Readers always download the latest copy first, which prevents confusion about which file is current.

Good Habits

• Compress large screenshots before you upload them.
• Name files clearly, such as q3-budget-summary.pdf rather than final2.pdf.
• Avoid uploading sensitive files to pages that many people can view.
• Remove outdated attachments during regular page reviews.
• Respect copyright and upload only files you have the right to share.

Limits to Remember

Administrators set a maximum upload size for the site. A very large video or design file may fail to upload. Share such files through a storage service and link to them from the page.

Accessibility Matters

Many readers use screen readers, slow connections, or small phone screens. Alt text gives screen reader users the meaning of a picture. Short captions help everyone. Avoid screenshots that contain long paragraphs of text, since nobody can search or copy that text. Type the words on the page and use the image as support.

Key Takeaways

• Drag, paste, or use the slash menu to add images.
• Alt text and captions make images accessible and clear.
• Attachments belong to a page and keep their own version history.
• The view file and attachments macros display files inside the page.