About this plugin
Features
- Folder Organization: Create, edit, and delete media folders/categories
- AJAX Filtering: Filters media items using AJAX
- Bulk Operations: Assign multiple media items to folders using WordPress bulk selection (Grid + List view)
- Hierarchical Structure: Support for nested folders (parent/child relationships)
- Lightweight: Plugin was developed with performance in mind
- Non-intrusive UI: Clean and simple user interface and controls that are mobile-friendly
- 100% free: This plugin is free to use, no paywalls or annoying notices
Creating Folders
- Go to Media > Library in your WordPress admin
- Click the “Add Folder” button in the left sidebar
- Enter a folder name and optional description
- Optionally select a parent folder for hierarchical organization
- Click “Save” to create the folder
Organizing Media
Individual Assignment:
- Click on any media item to edit it
- Select a folder from the “Folder” dropdown
- Save the changes
Bulk Assignment (Works in both List and Grid views):
List View:
- Select multiple media items using checkboxes
- Choose a folder from the dropdown in the sidebar’s “Bulk Actions” section
- Click “Assign Selected” to move all selected items to the chosen folder
Grid View:
- Click on media items to select them (they’ll show a blue border when selected)
- Choose a folder from the dropdown in the sidebar’s “Bulk Actions” section
- Click “Assign Selected” to move all selected items to the chosen folder
Managing Folders
- Edit: Click the pencil icon (✏️) next to any folder name
- Delete: Click the trash icon (🗑️) next to any folder name
- Smart Filter: Click on any folder name to filter the media library by that folder
- All Files: Click on “All Files” to show all media regardless of folder assignment
AI Agents & REST API
Scripts and AI agents (for example through an MCP connector) can organize folders without the Media Library screen. Users authenticate with application passwords and only get the access they already have: the upload_files capability, and editing rights on each attachment they file.
9 and newer, these Abilities are registered in the “Media Folders” category: list-folders, list-media, get-media-folders, ensure-folders, update-folder, delete-folder, assign-media, remove-media and set-media-folders (each prefixed jt-media-folders/ ).
REST routes under /wp-json/jt-media-folders/v1:
- GET /folders, POST /folders, POST /folders/ensure
- GET, PATCH, DELETE /folders/{id}
- GET /media (filter by folder ID, unassigned or all, plus search, mime_type, page, per_page )
- GET /media/folders?ids=1,2,3
- POST /media/assign, POST /media/remove, POST /media/set
Bulk calls accept up to 500 items. To turn this off, go to Media > Folder Settings > AI & API Access, or use the jt_media_folders_enable_api filter.
Requirements
- WordPress 5.0 or higher
- PHP 7.4 or higher
- MySQL 5.6 or higher
Security
The plugin follows WordPress security best practices:
- Nonce verification for all AJAX requests
- Data sanitization and validation
- Capability checks for user permissions
- SQL injection prevention using $wpdb->prepare()