Alt text looks like a file name

Why it matters

Alt text that is a file name or a camera label ("DSC_0042", "hero-banner-final-v2.png") is read aloud exactly as written and describes nothing to someone who cannot see the image.

Who it affects: Blind and low-vision people using screen readers, people who turn images off to save data, and search engines.

What Lumtera flags

Alt text that looks like a file name — it has an image extension, or matches camera and screenshot naming patterns.

Check ID image-alt-filename — use it to filter the content report or with wp lumtera issues --rule.

How to fix it in WordPress

Replace the alt text with a short description of what the image shows or does, as you would describe it to someone over the phone.

In the block editor, the issue opens the image's alternative text field so you can fix it straight away. The alt text manager can also fix the same image everywhere it is used.

Example

<img src="dsc0042.jpg" alt="DSC_0042.jpg">

<img src="dsc0042.jpg" alt="Volunteers planting trees along the riverbank">

How to check your fix

1. Update the post. The issue disappears from the Accessibility sidebar on the next check, and from the site report on the next scan.
2. Turn on a screen reader (VoiceOver on Mac: Cmd + F5; NVDA on Windows is free) and move through the image. You should hear a description that makes sense in context — or nothing at all for decoration.