About this plugin
Media Purge is a free WordPress media cleaner that finds unused images and other media files, shows you exactly where every file is used, and lets you clean up your media library safely through a recoverable trash.
Over time every WordPress site collects images nobody uses anymore: old product photos, replaced banners, test uploads, files left behind by deleted posts. They take up disk space and make your backups larger, and they make the media library harder to manage. Deleting them by hand is risky, because a file can look unused in the Media Library while it still appears in a page builder layout, a widget or a product gallery.
Media Purge solves that in four steps:
- Scan – it checks post content, post meta, widgets, theme customizer settings, WooCommerce product galleries and page builder data (Elementor, Divi, WPBakery, Beaver Builder).
- Review – every file shows its size and a Used In list with links, so you can check a file before you remove it.
- Trash – unused files move to the plugin’s own internal trash, not a permanent delete.
- Restore – trashed files stay recoverable for 30 days by default (adjustable), with one-click restore from the Recovery tab.
Free to use. All core cleanup features are free: scan, review, trash, restore and CSV export. There are no scan limits and no file caps.
A paid tier with advanced automation is planned; those features are marked “Coming Soon” inside the plugin. Core cleanup (scan → review → trash → restore) will always be free.
What Media Purge does
Find unused images and media
Detects media files with no reference across post content, post meta (featured images, WooCommerce product galleries), widget areas, theme customizer options and supported page builders. Results show the file size, so you can see how much storage you can reclaim.
“Used In” display
Each media item shows where it is used, with the post title, post type and context (for example, Featured Image in “About Us” or an Elementor widget in “Home”) and a direct link to edit that post.
Safe trash and recovery
Files go to an internal trash first. They remain recoverable for 30 days by default, and you can change the retention period in Settings. The Recovery tab lets you restore single files or bulk-restore, and you permanently delete only when you are ready (or when the retention period ends).
Duplicate image finder (view)
Groups files that are byte-for-byte identical using MD5 hashing, regardless of filename, and shows the storage each duplicate group wastes. One-click duplicate merge is planned for a future release.
Page builder support, free
Scans Elementor JSON data, Divi module meta, WPBakery shortcodes and Beaver Builder layouts in the free version, so builder images show up as in use.
WooCommerce support
Product featured images and product gallery images are recognised as in use.
Whitelist
Mark any file as “Keep” so the scanner never flags it again. Use it for files loaded by a theme or plugin the scanner does not read.
Storage analytics
See your media storage broken down by type (images, videos, audio, documents, other), with total media count, unused count, total size and potential savings.
Filters, bulk actions and CSV export
Filter unused media by file type, bulk trash or bulk whitelist many files at once, and export the unused list to CSV for review or client reporting. Large libraries load 30 items per page with load-more pagination.
Built for live sites
The scanner is read-only: it never moves, modifies or deletes anything while scanning. Scans run in the background in small batches to keep server load low. Nothing changes until you choose to trash a file.
A first-run setup wizard lets you set recent-upload protection, trash retention and WooCommerce scanning.
Coming in a future release (paid tier)
These features are in development and are labelled “Coming Soon” inside the plugin:
- One-click duplicate merge – keep one copy, update references, remove the rest.
- Scheduled auto-cleanup – trash unused media older than N days on a schedule, with an optional email summary.
- Advanced storage analytics – storage trend history and a hosting cost estimator.
- Virtual folder organizer – organise attachments into virtual folders without touching the server directory structure.
Who is it for?
- Site owners who want to clean up the WordPress media library without FTP or code.
- Bloggers and content sites with years of uploads.
- WooCommerce stores that have replaced product images many times.
- Agencies that manage many client sites and need a safe, auditable cleanup.
- Developers who want to check media usage before removing files.
Compatibility
Plugin / theme
What is scanned
Elementor
Image widgets, background images and gallery elements in Elementor JSON data
Divi Builder (plugin or theme)
Images in Divi module meta and layout data
WPBakery Page Builder
Images referenced in [vc_*] shortcode attributes
Beaver Builder
Images stored in Beaver Builder layout posts
WooCommerce
Product featured image and all product gallery images
Gutenberg / Block Editor
Image, gallery, cover, media-text and core blocks that store attachment IDs
Classic Editor
<img> tags and [gallery] shortcodes in post content
Widgets & Theme Customizer
Upload URLs stored in widget options or theme mod values
4 or higher. Single-site installs only; multisite support is planned.
Learn more
- Website and guides
- How to find unused images in WordPress
- How to find and remove duplicate images in WordPress