--- title: "How do I use the Acquia DAM module?" date: "2025-04-04T16:46:18+00:00" summary: "Learn how to sync and manage Acquia DAM assets in Drupal's Media Library. Learn to add, update, and track assets across your site." image: type: "page" url: "/acquia-dam/how-do-i-use-acquia-dam-module" id: "ef9bfac9-ae5f-448d-8f8e-43849f3594eb" --- Table of contents will be added The Acquia DAM module synchronizes Acquia DAM with Drupal’s Media Library. This integration enables Drupal site creators to search, browse, and select assets stored in Acquia DAM without leaving the Drupal site builder interface.  The module supports two delivery methods: * ****Embed codes****: These serve assets through a CDN. * ****Download and sync****: This method downloads assets to the Drupal local file system and serves them from there. ### Before you begin Ensure that the Acquia DAM module is in place and your Drupal site and users are authenticated. Verify the following: * The Acquia DAM module is installed and enabled on your Drupal site. * Your Drupal site is authenticated with your Acquia DAM account. * Your Drupal user account is authenticated with Acquia DAM. If a user is not authenticated, they may not see any DAM assets in the Media Library or may receive permission errors. For details, refer to [Authenticate a Drupal user with Acquia DAM](https://docs.acquia.com/node/96611##section-authenticate-a-drupal-user-with-acquia-dam). Note This integration uses version 3 (v3) embed links. If you currently use version 2 (v2) embeds, be aware of this difference before you proceed. Using Acquia DAM assets in Drupal content ----------------------------------------- When you create content in Drupal, explore assets in Acquia DAM and add them to your pages through the Media Library. 1. In the content edit page, select **Insert Media** where you can select the media files or upload a new file.  ![Web interface for creating an article, featuring title and body fields, formatting options, and a revision log message section.](https://acquia.widen.net/content/89373ad1-20eb-48b8-a9fb-0bf2eaa4f9e8/web/ka0Pb000000CZwT00N6g00000WDN1a0EM6g000005LvhQ.png) 2. In the Media Library, select **DAM** as the media source.  ![Dropdown menu for selecting media source, with "DAM" option checked, under "Add or select media" header.](https://acquia.widen.net/content/a15e28f3-28f5-4bd1-8bb7-c08d101a8bb5/web/ka0Pb000000CZwT00N6g00000WDN1a0EM6g000005LvhK.png) 3. Select one of the media types, as per your requirement. * Refine your results by using search or category filters as configured in your DAM. * Select one or multiple assets to embed in the page, then select **Next: Select Format.** ![Media selection interface showing options for documents, images, PDFs, spreadsheets, and videos. Thumbnails of various images, including bicycles, are displayed.](https://acquia.widen.net/content/5fbc4bf0-52fd-4987-a079-7802b1ce83c7/web/ka0Pb000000CZwT00N6g00000WDN1a0EM6g000005LvhV.png) 4. Choose a format for your media. The selected asset is added to the Drupal page as an embed code so that it remains synchronized with Acquia DAM. For images, the maximum width and height is 2,048 x 2,048 px. 5. Under Version, choose one of these options: * **Automatically update**: Update automatically when assets are updated in Acquia DAM. * **Manu****ally update**: Require a manual update when a new version becomes available. 6. Select **Insert selected** to add the asset to your content. ![Media selection interface showing options to choose image size and update settings for a webpage.](https://acquia.widen.net/content/3500e221-da41-4d4f-9d27-e2d5d45abb7e/web/ka0Pb000000CZwT00N6g00000WDN1a0EM6g000005LvhR.png) Note All media types have these version options except spinsets. How version updates work ------------------------ The Acquia DAM module checks for new asset versions approximately every hour. If you selected **Manually update**, Drupal displays an alert on the content edit page when a new version of that asset exists in Acquia DAM. 1. On the edit page, select **Update media** to review. ![Screenshot of a Drupal content management page with a security update warning and an image of a cat in the editor.](https://acquia.widen.net/content/5ebb263e-21ed-4117-ab9b-4e36812d4a18/web/ka0Pb000000CZwT00N6g00000WDN1a0EM6g000005LvhT.png) 2. Review the current media and the new version side by side. 3. Select **Cancel** to keep the existing media or **Update** to change the media to the new version. ![Popup showing a media update in Drupal, comparing two cat images. The updated image has "Demo" in red text.](https://acquia.widen.net/content/38eac20e-83ff-4c72-85e8-a80947c26984/web/ka0Pb000000CZwT00N6g00000WDN1a0EM6g000005LvhM.png) Note Drupal only detects a new version when it is uploaded to Acquia DAM. If you switch to a previous version in Acquia DAM, the asset in Drupal does not update and no alert appears. To force Drupal to detect a switch to a previous version: 1. In Acquia DAM, access the ****Asset details**** page. 2. Select **Switch Version**, and then select a previous version of the asset. 3. Edit at least one metadata field. 4. Select **Set Version as Finalized**. Drupal detects the metadata change as an update. After the next sync cycle of up to one hour, you should see the previous version of the asset reflected on the Drupal page if you chose automatic updates or as an available update if you choose manual updates. DAM media report and manual sync in Drupal ------------------------------------------ The DAM media report in Drupal provides an overview of Acquia DAM assets that are in use on your site and their status. To view the report: 1. In Drupal, go to **Content > Media > Media library**. 2. Click on the **DAM media**. ![Admin dashboard displaying a list of media assets, including images and documents, with options for operations like "Delete" and "Sync metadata."](https://acquia.widen.net/content/d67f5a23-4ff4-42f2-af6f-75b3ea0eb926/web/ka0Pb000000CZwT00N6g00000WDN1a0EM6g000005LvhN.png) From this report, you can: * Manually synchronize asset information with Acquia DAM for specific assets or the entire list. * Identify which assets are in use across pages, articles, and other content types. * Identify expired or deleted assets. Note After a sync, it is not possible to revert the updated dates. Work with deletions, expirations, and broken embeds --------------------------------------------------- Asset deletions behave differently between systems: * If a user deletes an asset in Drupal, it is not deleted in Acquia DAM. * If an asset that is embedded on a Drupal page is deleted or expired in Acquia DAM: * A gray placeholder box replaces the asset on the Drupal page. * The module checks for deletions and expirations of assets approximately every hour. You can check for expired or missing assets: * Across all Drupal pages with the DAM media report * While you work on the Drupal edit page: * Within the WYSIWYG editor * Within media fields or the Media Library Track asset usage across systems -------------------------------- To identify where an asset is used across Drupal and other integrated applications: 1. In Acquia DAM, open the _Asset Digest_ page. 2. Go to the _Asset associations_ section. 3. Select **Integration links**. Links appear in the list when the asset is inserted into Drupal content through: * The WYSIWYG editor * Media Library fields * Other media-enabled components ![Table showing asset associations with columns: Date updated, App name, URL, and Description under the "Integration links" tab.](https://acquia.widen.net/content/01f9793d-bf99-42c6-a9bb-ab3a68ce52a2/web/ka0Pb000000CZwT00N6g00000WDN1a0EM6g000005LvhW.png) For more information about how assets are rendered and delivered in Drupal, including Embed (CDN delivery) and Download and sync (local file system) behavior, refer to [How do I configure asset rendering in Acquia DAM?](https://docs.acquia.com/acquia-dam/how-do-i-configure-asset-rendering-acquia-dam)