Autoremove Attachments
by Polygon Themes · Media
Also makes 1 other plugin · 4K+ installs across the portfolio →
Remove child attachments when parent post, page or custom post type is deleted.
Try it live opens a temporary test site in your browser, which can take about 20 seconds to load. Plugins that rely on outside services or a full server may not work completely there.
Health
B 84/100
no flags
Active installs
3K+
≈3.5K estimated
Momentum
+15%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “custom post type”, “media” and “page” for “deleted”, “orphan images” and “parent”. “custom post type” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “deleted” sits at #7 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “media” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “orphan images” sits at #14 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “page” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “parent” sits at #24 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
84 health vs 62 average across 3,279 Media plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →7.5%
of downloads still active
At least 3K of 40.1K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Media plugin keeps 0.8%, across 2,317 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Media plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
This plugin shipped 1 release in the last 12 months, and every existing install that updated counted as another download. wp.org publishes no split between first installs and updates, so we show the raw rate rather than guess at one.
Details
Directory ranking optimization
How it's scored →How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.
Excellent listing optimization
Well tuned across the board
Updated 174 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 6.9.11, the current branch or newer
5.0★ over 15 reviews, smoothed to 4.31★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
1 of 1 support threads resolved in the last 2 months
Search visibility
How it's tracked →Directory searches this plugin turns up in, and which way each one is moving. WordPress.org publishes no history of search positions, so this starts the day we first tracked a keyword and never backfills.
42
Momentum
Mixed: one swing, the rest drifting
+0.1
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
26%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
+0.1
Acceleration
recent half vs earlier
wp.org is where the directory puts the plugin for that search. On merit is where it would sit if results were ranked on rating, support and updates, without the install boost. The last column is how far the wp.org position moved, from our first reading in the last 90 days to the latest.
| Keyword | wp.org | On merit | wp.org move, 90 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| attachments | #3 | #4 | 0 |
| attachment your tag | #6 | #9 | 0 |
| deleted | #7 | #14 | up 2 |
| attachment id | #4 | #6 | 0 |
| orphan images | #14 | #12 | 0 |
| attachment page | #9 | #15 | up 1 |
| parent | #24 | #23 | down 2 |
| custom post type your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| media your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| page your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| post your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
40 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 7 listed. 33 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 4 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Swap “custom post type”, “media” and “page” for “deleted”, “orphan images” and “parent”. “custom post type” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “deleted” sits at #7 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “media” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “orphan images” sits at #14 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “page” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “parent” sits at #24 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 882 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank vs rivals
wp.org popularity rank over time · higher is better · when a rival's line climbs above yours, they've overtaken you
Health trend
Composite health score, snapshotted daily
Update activity
How busy the existing users are, measured as downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites. A spike means a new release everyone's pulling; a long, slow decline means an aging user base that updates less.
Release cadence
Occasionally updatedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
1
releases in the last 12 months
6mo ago
latest release · v1.3.1 · 10 May 2026
2
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 95% run the current release. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.
Estimated active installs
The public count shows “3K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 18 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 14 Aug 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ MaryMak1.8y ago
Simple, straightforward and does what it claims to do. Really useful and easy as this task should be.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ jemcbade5.1y ago
I have clients that create attachments for a CPT, delete the post but leave the Media in the library. “Why is my site getting so big? The backups are HUGE now!” *facepalm* Thank you for the code for the filter to only effect certain post types so they don’t break the site 😛 Very well thought out use case and code. So far works with WP 5.8.1 and Metabox CPTs.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Weiching5.5y ago
I provide the user front-end to publish articles, and I need to delete them frequently, which saves me a lot of time. Thank you.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ doulou6.6y ago
I wish I’d discovered this plugin a while back! My client has a website with 2 custom post types and constant posts being added and removed. The plugin works perfectly (I was worried about the galleries). Thanks for a great time-saving plugin!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Mohsin Alam6.6y ago
This plugin worked when the image is featured image to the post, but can’t delete which is uploaded in the middle of post.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ wordmax6.9y ago
Had a blog with 3000 posts w/ images that I wanted to delete. I installed and activated this plugin and then used Bulk Delete plugin to delete all 3000 old articles. This plugin did a great job and there were no old images left in the uploads folder. Sooo much faster than doing this manually or using two separate plugins to get rid of posts and then media. It took less than 1 minute to delete 3000 posts and the attached media with the combo Bulk Delete/Autoremove Attachments plugins together. Well done dev!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Kyler Boudreau7.3y ago
NICE. Love it! The fact that it purges images upon deletion rocks the house. Thank you for developing this!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Jellico8.1y ago
At the first look, it seemed dangerous, since some posts could use the same images, and this plugin would remove this. I talked to the creator, about a failsafe system, and within a few hours, the function was added. Now you can set the plug-in to only deleted images from posts that have a specific tag, so now you don’t need to worried about the other images. This is the plug-in that actually should be mandatory, and should be installed with WordPress. I actually can’t understand why WordPress don’t removes images and stuff when you’re deleting a post.. but this plug-in solves everything..
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 1.3.1 Minor improvements to admin notices 1.3.1
- — Version 1.3.0 Minor code refactoring Language files updated 1.3.0
- — Version 1.2.1 Fixed a bug that blocked changes to image sizes under Settings > Media 1.2.1
- — Version 1.2.0 Minor code refactoring Extended support for WooCommerce and Easy Digital Downloads. New safety checks when you empty your trash – We now try to determine if the child attachments marked for removal are used anywhere else 1.2.0
- — Version 1.1.2 New filter added to allow developers define custom rules for controlling when the child attachments should be removed automatically Removed the old ‘autoremove_attachments_post_types’ filter in favor of the new one – ins 1.1.2
- — Version 1.1.1 New filter added to allow developers to change for what post types the child attachments should be removed automatically ( see FAQ for instructions ) Fixed a minor incompatibility with WP-Sweep 1.1.1
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.4.8 · WP 5.9.2
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 6 languages, 5 at 90% or more
AI assistants
How it's measured →Whether ChatGPT and Claude name this plugin when asked the category question, and whether the readme gives them something to quote.
Not measured yet for this plugin’s topics. Its tracked searches are not among the measured topics. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
7 of 8 pass · checked 28 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Remove child attachments when parent post, page or custom post type is deleted."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 4 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 4 of 4 read like questions a user would type.
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions WooCommerce, Easy Digital Downloads.
- ✓ Headings and lists 2 headings and 2 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,818 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text All 5 tags appear in the text.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2025-05-12 4K+ → 3K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2025-05-11 3K+ → 4K+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2025-05-09 4K+ → 3K+ down after 912 days in tier
- 2022-11-09 3K+ → 4K+ up after 504 days in tier
- 2021-06-23 2K+ → 3K+ up after 240 days in tier
- 2020-10-26 1K+ → 2K+ up after 322 days in tier
- 2019-12-09 600+ → 1K+ up after 609 days in tier
- 2018-04-09 200+ → 600+ up after 538 days in tier
Competes with
The plugins that solve the same job, ranked by shared tags then reach, closest match first. The letter on the right is each plugin's health grade (A best, F worst).
-
Reveal IDs 40K+ installs · 4.8★ · 3 shared tags A - A Attachments 8K+ installs · 4.7★ · 3 shared tags B
-
DX Delete Attached Media 3K+ installs · 4.6★ · 3 shared tags A -
LH Add Media From Url 1K+ installs · 4.0★ · 3 shared tags C -
Simple Revision Control 1K+ installs · 3.8★ · 3 shared tags B -
Post Type Switcher 200K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Autoremove Attachments into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/autoremove-attachments" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Autoremove Attachments — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Autoremove Attachments: 3K+ active installs, 5.0★ (15 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/autoremove-attachments
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