Mental imagery
The experience of perceiving something — a picture, a sound, a smell — without the thing being physically present.
Imagery can be voluntary (conjured at will) or involuntary (arising unbidden, for example on falling asleep). Aphantasia is usually defined by the absence of voluntary imagery; some people with aphantasia still report occasional involuntary imagery.
Imagery is not a single capability. It can appear in any sense — visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory — and a person may have imagery in some senses but not others.