Media library views

10. Media Library Views

When to Use

You need to customize the Media Library browser: filters, sort order, fields displayed.

Decision

Customization	Approach
Filter by media type	Add exposed filter on bundle field
Search by filename	Add exposed filter on name field with contains operator
Sort by upload date	Add sort on created field, descending
Show additional metadata	Add fields to display (author, file size, dimensions)
Change items per page	Modify pager settings
Custom thumbnail display	Override thumbnail field display with custom formatter

Pattern

Media Library view configuration (simplified excerpt):

# config/sync/views.view.media_library.yml
langcode: en
status: true
dependencies:
  config:
    - core.entity_view_mode.media.media_library
    - image.style.media_library
  module:
    - image
    - media
    - media_library
    - user
id: media_library
label: 'Media library'
module: views
description: 'Find and manage media.'
base_table: media_field_data
base_field: mid
display:
  default:
    display_options:
      title: Media
      fields:
        media_bulk_form:
          id: media_bulk_form
          table: media
          field: media_bulk_form
          plugin_id: bulk_form
        rendered_entity:
          id: rendered_entity
          table: media
          field: rendered_entity
          plugin_id: rendered_entity
          view_mode: media_library
      pager:
        type: mini
        options:
          items_per_page: 24
      filters:
        status:
          id: status
          table: media_field_data
          field: status
          value: '1'
          plugin_id: boolean
        bundle:
          id: bundle
          table: media_field_data
          field: bundle
          exposed: true
          plugin_id: bundle
      sorts:
        created:
          id: created
          table: media_field_data
          field: created
          order: DESC
          plugin_id: date

Customizing for image dimensions display: Add to views.view.media_library.yml:

fields:
  field_media_image__width:
    id: field_media_image__width
    table: media__field_media_image
    field: field_media_image__width
    label: Width
    plugin_id: field
  field_media_image__height:
    id: field_media_image__height
    table: media__field_media_image
    field: field_media_image__height
    label: Height
    plugin_id: field

Common Mistakes

• Modifying core view in place → lost on updates; export to config/sync or create view override
• Removing bulk operations field → breaks bulk actions; keep media_bulk_form field
• Changing view mode from media_library → breaks Media Library styling; use custom CSS overrides instead
• Not exposing bundle filter → users see all media types mixed; expose bundle filter for clarity
• Using full entity display → slow rendering; use media_library view mode for optimized thumbnails

See Also

• Media Library Widget
• Reference: /core/modules/media_library/config/install/views.view.media_library.yml