Title: media_upload_tabs
Published: April 25, 2014
Last modified: May 20, 2026

---

# media_upload_tabs(): string[]

## In this article

 * [Return](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/media_upload_tabs/?output_format=md#return)
 * [Source](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/media_upload_tabs/?output_format=md#source)
 * [Hooks](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/media_upload_tabs/?output_format=md#hooks)
 * [Related](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/media_upload_tabs/?output_format=md#related)
 * [Changelog](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/media_upload_tabs/?output_format=md#changelog)
 * [User Contributed Notes](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/media_upload_tabs/?output_format=md#user-contributed-notes)

[ Back to top](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/media_upload_tabs/?output_format=md#wp--skip-link--target)

Defines the default media upload tabs.

## 󠀁[Return](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/media_upload_tabs/?output_format=md#return)󠁿

 string[] Default tabs.

## 󠀁[Source](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/media_upload_tabs/?output_format=md#source)󠁿

    ```php
    function media_upload_tabs() {
    	$_default_tabs = array(
    		'type'     => __( 'From Computer' ), // Handler action suffix => tab text.
    		'type_url' => __( 'From URL' ),
    		'gallery'  => __( 'Gallery' ),
    		'library'  => __( 'Media Library' ),
    	);

    	/**
    	 * Filters the available tabs in the legacy (pre-3.5.0) media popup.
    	 *
    	 * @since 2.5.0
    	 *
    	 * @param string[] $_default_tabs An array of media tabs.
    	 */
    	return apply_filters( 'media_upload_tabs', $_default_tabs );
    }
    ```

[View all references](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/files/wp-admin/includes/media.php/)
[View on Trac](https://core.trac.wordpress.org/browser/tags/7.0/src/wp-admin/includes/media.php#L16)
[View on GitHub](https://github.com/WordPress/wordpress-develop/blob/7.0/src/wp-admin/includes/media.php#L16-L32)

## 󠀁[Hooks](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/media_upload_tabs/?output_format=md#hooks)󠁿

 [apply_filters( ‘media_upload_tabs’, string[] $_default_tabs )](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/hooks/media_upload_tabs/)

Filters the available tabs in the legacy (pre-3.5.0) media popup.

## 󠀁[Related](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/media_upload_tabs/?output_format=md#related)󠁿

| Uses | Description | 
| [__()](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/__/)`wp-includes/l10n.php` |

Retrieves the translation of $text.

  | 
| [apply_filters()](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/apply_filters/)`wp-includes/plugin.php` |

Calls the callback functions that have been added to a filter hook.

  |

| Used by | Description | 
| [the_media_upload_tabs()](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/the_media_upload_tabs/)`wp-admin/includes/media.php` |

Outputs the legacy media upload tabs UI.

  |

## 󠀁[Changelog](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/media_upload_tabs/?output_format=md#changelog)󠁿

| Version | Description | 
| [2.5.0](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/since/2.5.0/) | Introduced. |

## 󠀁[User Contributed Notes](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/media_upload_tabs/?output_format=md#user-contributed-notes)󠁿

 1.  [Skip to note 2 content](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/media_upload_tabs/?output_format=md#comment-content-1905)
 2.   [publicJorn](https://profiles.wordpress.org/publicjorn/)  [  10 years ago  ](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/media_upload_tabs/#comment-1905)
 3. [You must log in to vote on the helpfulness of this note](https://login.wordpress.org?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fdeveloper.wordpress.org%2Freference%2Ffunctions%2Fmedia_upload_tabs%2F%23comment-1905)
    Vote results for this note: 0[You must log in to vote on the helpfulness of this note](https://login.wordpress.org?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fdeveloper.wordpress.org%2Freference%2Ffunctions%2Fmedia_upload_tabs%2F%23comment-1905)
 4. This is a 2.5.0 filter. You can also use a newer filter (3.5.0) to achieve the 
    same:
     [https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/hooks/media_view_settings/](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/hooks/media_view_settings/)
 5. So for example use:
 6.     ```php
        add_filter('media_view_settings', 'addTab');
    
        function addTab($settings) {
          $settings['tabs'] = array('photogrid' => 'Photogrid');
          return $settings;
        }
        ```
    
 7.  [Log in to add feedback](https://login.wordpress.org/?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fdeveloper.wordpress.org%2Freference%2Ffunctions%2Fmedia_upload_tabs%2F%3Freplytocom%3D1905%23feedback-editor-1905)

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