DX Remove Unused Custom Fields
by Mario Peshev · Uncategorized
Also makes 17 other plugins · 3.9K+ installs across the portfolio →
Delete the Custom Fields from your postmeta table where assigned posts no longer exist.
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
D 41/100
Stale · Likely abandoned
Active installs
10+
≈18 estimated
Momentum
-33%
low volume, under 1,000 downloads a month
Biggest opportunity: “clean”, “database” and “delete” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.2%
of downloads still active
At least 10 of 5.1K lifetime downloads are still running, below its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,781 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Uncategorized plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
High removal-risk signals
63/100Maintenance and integrity signals that tend to precede a WordPress.org removal. Not an official status, a heads-up to act.
- Long abandoned. No update in 12+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 4.0.38, well behind 7.1.
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.
Under-optimized
Most to gain: Update recency
Updated 4439 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.0.38; the current branch is 7.1
3.2★ over 12 reviews, weighted for review count to 3.9★ and held back under 25 reviews
4 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 4439 days ago — ship an update; wp.org decays a listing's search weight after ~180 days.
Get the full rank-higher report →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.
Not enough tracked days yet to call a direction. Momentum needs at least three keywords measured a week or more apart.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| clean your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| database your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| delete your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| post types your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
0 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 4 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “clean”, “database” and “delete” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,491 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 144 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #30,400 to #44,800, alongside the other plugins at 10+ installs. Plugins with the same install count swap places between wp.org requests, so this is where most of them sit. Checked monthly, last on 1 Nov 2026.
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
Update activity
Downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites.
Not enough installs to measure. This needs at least 100 active sites; below that, a handful of downloads reads as tens of thousands.
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 100% 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 “10+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 6 months ago and the previous band took 2 years to cross, so the real count is still just under 20.
Install history since 8 Oct 2017
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Mio Creativ8.7y ago
Works for me…
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ lupyo10.7y ago
Doesn’t work …
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ VannDigital10.7y ago
This plugin started off as a good idea. But without a delete button, I’ll never know what it can do…
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Eyal Fitoussi11.0y ago
Does exactly what it says. Installed, navigate to the settings page, click “Delete” and Done! Cannot be easier than that. Thank you!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Clifford Paulick11.4y ago
I guess I thought this plugin would delete all usused custom fields, as in blanks. But its setting page says: Delete all custom fields from non-existing posts Warning: clicking “Delete” would remove all post meta for the post IDs below permanently from the database! Post IDs found in the table without corresponding posts in wp_posts: 70000005,70000006,70000007,70000008,70017022,70266669,70283180,70293952,70503318,70676166,70999712 Press the “Delete” button if you want to remove all postmeta for these post IDs. So I guess that’s a good cleanup task to do too. Thanks for the free plugin!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Carrie Dils11.5y ago
Installed, found the Delete button under Settings > Remove Unused CF. Push delete. Did the trick. Thanks! Now if only I could remove duplicate CF entries that have come with importing XML files…
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ StoyPenny11.7y ago
It says that it will let you delete all your unused custom fields and that all you have to do is click the button, there is no button to click though! Anyway, there is no customization or choosing individual fields, so this plugin is pretty useless on all fronts.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Razib Ahsan11.9y ago
“clicking “Delete” would remove all post meta…” But there’s nothing to click !?
Read on wp.org ↗
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.
This plugin’s searches fall outside the topics measured so far. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
0 of 8 pass · checked 1 Nov 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ! Says what it does Short description names no action; say what the plugin does for the site.
- ! Has a FAQ Only 1 question in the FAQ; 3 or more gives an assistant something to match.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 0 of 1 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("undefined").
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ! Names what it works with Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ! Headings and lists 0 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 177 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ! Tags match the text Only 1 of 4 tags appear in the text ("clean", "database", "post types" missing).
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-05-19 20+ → 10+ down after 746 days in tier
- 2024-05-03 30+ → 20+ down after 266 days in tier
- 2023-08-11 40+ → 30+ down after 194 days in tier
- 2023-01-29 50+ → 40+ down after 362 days in tier
- 2022-02-01 60+ → 50+ down after 1285 days in tier
- 2018-07-27 70+ → 60+ down
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).
-
Advanced Database Cleaner – Optimize & Clean Database to Speed Up Site Performance 100K+ installs · 4.9★ · 2 shared tags A -
Advanced WordPress Reset – Debug, Recover & Reset WP 10K+ installs · 4.9★ · 2 shared tags A - E Easy WP Cleaner 2K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags B
-
Transient Cleaner 1K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags A - A Auto Prune Posts 1K+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags B
- M Mass Delete Unused Tags 700+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags C
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for DX Remove Unused Custom Fields into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/dx-remove-unused-custom-fields" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="DX Remove Unused Custom Fields — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> DX Remove Unused Custom Fields: 10+ active installs, 3.2★ (12 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-03. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/dx-remove-unused-custom-fields
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