Quick start: your first upload

Start with a Local provider that needs no account: create a configuration, save one image, find its gallery record, and then repeat the same workflow with online storage. If you already have a working destination, skip to Upload an image.

Before you start

• Install and open PicList desktop. No separate Node.js installation is needed.
• Prepare a small PNG or JPG, such as a sample illustration you created.
• Create a practice directory. On Windows, an example is D:\PicList-Practice. On macOS / Linux, use ~/Pictures/PicList-Practice and enter its full absolute path in PicList.

Why start locally?

This exercise teaches the interface and upload workflow without a service account or access keys. The file stays on your computer.

1. Configure a destination

Open the Local provider

1. Click PicBed in the left sidebar to expand the provider list.
2. Choose Local.
3. Click the Add New Configuration card.

PicBed lists upload services. Choose Local for the account-free exercise. View full size ↗

A provider is a service type, such as Local or GitHub. A configuration is one set of settings for that service, such as a practice directory or blog repository. You can save several configurations for the same provider.

Fill in the required fields

Field	Practice value
Config Name	Practice, or another recognizable name
Set Path	The full path to the directory you created
Set Custom URL	Leave empty
Set Web Path	Leave empty

The R: path belongs to the demo. Enter your own directory, then click Confirm at the bottom right. View full size ↗

Click Confirm to return to the configuration list. The path chooses where the file is written; Practice is a label to help you recognize this configuration.

Select it for uploads

1. Click the Practice card so it shows Active.
2. If Local is not the default provider, click Set as Default PicBed at the top right.
3. Return to Upload and check that the top of the workspace shows both Local and Practice.

Active identifies the configuration in use. The top-right button chooses the default provider. View full size ↗

Saving a configuration, selecting a configuration, and choosing the default provider are separate actions. The destination label on the Upload page is the quickest way to check the result.

2. Upload an image

Select URL under Output Format to see the local practice result clearly. When writing with an online destination, choose Markdown instead.

Local / Practice is the destination. Drop a file in the center. Output Format determines what is copied. View full size ↗

Drop your image into the dashed area, or click the area and select it in the file picker. Use one image for your first attempt and wait for progress to finish.

Expected result: a new file appears in your practice directory. With original filenames enabled, it should have the same name as the input. Naming and image-processing settings can change its name, format, or dimensions.

If automatic copying is enabled, the result is copied to the clipboard. Otherwise, copy it from the gallery. Check the saved file either way.

3. Find your result in the gallery

1. Click Gallery on the left.
2. Find your image. When there are many records, enter part of its filename in the search field.
3. Use Open / preview on its card. Use the copy action, or select it and click Copy, to get the link again.

The gallery keeps upload records. Search and filters are at the top; cards provide previews and link actions. View full size ↗

The gallery is this machine's upload history. It does not automatically list every file in a cloud account. Use Cloud storage manager for the remote file list.

4. Check the file and link

The local practice result

With Local and no public domain, the result is a local file path, for example:

D:\PicList-Practice\first-upload.png

This confirms that the file was saved. Another person's computer cannot read your image through that path. The gallery may use a localhost cache for its preview; that address also belongs to your computer.

An online result

After configuring online storage, choose Markdown. The copied text typically has this form:

![first-upload](https://images.example.com/docs/first-upload.png)

This illustrates the output format; example.com is a placeholder. To verify your own link, copy only the HTTPS address inside the parentheses into a browser. A public image should load without signing into the storage account. Then paste the complete Markdown into your article.

Check delivery and access separately

First confirm that the file exists in the destination directory or bucket. Then check that its reader-facing URL opens. The S3 / R2 guide explains how endpoints, buckets, and public domains fit together.

5. Connect online storage

Return to PicBed, create an online configuration, save and select it, and repeat the one-image upload exercise.

What you already have	Follow this guide
Object storage, or plans to use Cloudflare R2	S3, R2, and MinIO
A GitHub account and public repository	GitHub
A WebDAV or SFTP server	File services
S.EE, OSS, COS, Qiniu, or another platform	Other built-in providers
Unsure which destination to choose	Choose a destination

Online storage needs your own account credentials. Selecting a provider alone does not configure it. A configuration name or public image domain does not replace upload credentials.

Other upload methods

Input	Action	Useful for
Local images or files	Drop into the Upload page, or click and select several	Everyday uploads
Clipboard image	Copy the image, then click Clipboard	Screenshots and temporary images
Absolute file path text	Copy the full path, then use clipboard upload	Passing files from another program
Image URLs	URL Upload, with one direct image address per line	Importing images into your destination
A file queue	Task Upload, add files, check the interval, then Start	Controlled batches with individual states

See Upload images and files for detailed instructions, and Upload tasks for batch work.

Mini window upload

Use Mini Window in the main window's title bar, or look for the entry in your system tray menu. Drop files into the small window, or use its context menu for clipboard upload. Configure a working destination first.

Menu bar and tray uploads

The macOS menu bar and Windows tray offer compact upload entry points. Menus vary with the platform and startup mode. Complete and verify your first upload in the main window before relying on a tray workflow.

Main window quick switching

Click the plus next to the current configuration at the top to add it to quick switching. You can favorite up to six configurations. After switching, check the displayed configuration name before the next upload.

If your first upload fails

What you see	First action	Check
Missing configuration or authentication failure	Check required fields in PicBed and click Confirm	Upload shows the intended provider and name
Local write failure	Use an existing, writable absolute directory	Inspect it in your system's file manager
No automatic link copy	Select the gallery record, choose a format, and Copy	Paste into an editor and inspect the text
Upload succeeds but the URL does not open	Check the public domain, object path, and read access	Open the original URL without a storage login
File in an unexpected directory	Check the selected configuration, prefix, and naming rule	Compare the final filename and object path
“The file was uploaded, but saving the result failed”	Use that task's recovery / Retry action	Follow result-saving recovery; avoid dropping the file again

See Troubleshooting for more checks.

Next steps

You should now be able to confirm that the configuration is correct, the destination contains the file, the gallery has a record, and the copied result fits your use case.

• Image processing: quality presets, proportional resizing, and filename rules.
• Gallery and links: search, bulk copying, and URL-change previews.
• Editor integration: connect Typora or VS Code to PicList.