jQuery Lightbox For Native Galleries
by Automattic · Media
Also makes 78 other plugins · 18.1M+ installs across the portfolio →
Makes the native WordPress galleries use a lightbox script called ColorBox to display the fullsize images.
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 44/100
Stale · Likely abandoned
Active installs
4K+
≈4.7K estimated
Momentum
+27%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “gallery”, “jquery” and “lightbox” 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.
44 health vs 62 average across 3,287 Media plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.8%
of downloads still active
At least 4K of 227.2K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Media plugin keeps 0.8%, across 2,321 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.
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 8+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 3.4.2, well behind 6.8.
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 3260 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 3.4.2; the current branch is 6.8
4.0★ over 10 reviews, smoothed to 4.08★ and held back under 25 reviews
3 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 3260 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| gallery your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| jquery your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| lightbox your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
0 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 3 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “gallery”, “jquery” and “lightbox” 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 · 1,489 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 383 · 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
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
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
No release in a yearHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
0
releases in the last 12 months
16.0y ago
latest release · v3.2.2 · 7 Nov 2010
5
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
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 “4K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 4 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 70% of the way through.
Install history since 6 Jul 2017
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Isaac Newton Ribeiro de Araújo6.0y ago
O jQuery Lightbox For Native Galleries não funciona na versão 5.5.1 do WordPress. Todas as publicações e páginas ficam em branco quando ele é ativado. Curiosamente, o problema não se repete quando outro plugin lightbox é ativado, mas a aparência das galerias de imagens não é boa.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Tom6.4y ago
Great. Works until now with the latest WordPress.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ novice21211.9y ago
Hi ! I don’t understand, two days ago, JQuery works and now, Jquery doesn’t work anymore. Someone know something about one bug ? Thanks
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ sirlero12.4y ago
great and easy plugin thnx!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Brainstorm Force12.9y ago
I see this plugin has discontinued it’s development. Still – I’m not sure why the author has de-registered the core jQuery that WordPress provides? IMO as WP plugin developer myself, one should not de-registered default scripts that WP provides by default as other developers might be relying on them to make their code work.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ lornix13.2y ago
Love it! So simple and clean. A little CSS tweak to match site colors and we’re good to go. Thanks for keeping this available.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Donna McMaster13.5y ago
Sorry that development is being discontinued. I prefer this over the monster that is Jetpack. There is no support for user-friendly customization. So I peg it at 5 stars if you have some programming familiarity; 4 stars if you find editing CSS and jQuery script invocations to be a challenge.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ ginez_1713.8y ago
As far as I can see this plugin works great and the js doesn’t seem to conflict with any other plugin I have installed. Also very quick to load.
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 3.2.2 Update ColorBox to v1.3.14 (see it’s changelog ). Fixes functionality under WordPress 3.1. 3.2.2
- — Version 3.2.1 Update ColorBox to v1.3.8 (see it’s changelog ). 3.2.1
- — Version 3.2.0 Make any link that has the class lightbox into a lightbox. No grouping or anything, at least for now. 3.2.0
- — Version 3.1.4 Don’t change the attachment link inside the admin area. 3.1.4
- — Version 3.1.3 Update ColorBox to v1.3.6 (see it’s changelog ). 3.1.3
- — Version 3.1.2 Remove IE PNG fixes as they require a full URL and it’s not worth the trouble. Works well enough in IE8. Change how groups of images are labeled (use a random number rather than the gallery’s ID so it works with the Twen 3.1.2
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 64 languages, 3 at 90% or more · development strings
Plus 40 more locales with partial translations.
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
3 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 "Makes the native WordPress galleries use a lightbox script called ColorBox to display the fullsize images."
- ! Has a FAQ Only 1 question in the FAQ; 3 or more gives an assistant something to match.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 1 of 1 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("Installation Instructions").
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions Jetpack.
- ! Headings and lists 0 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 552 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 2 of 3 tags appear in the text; "jquery" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-07-16 5K+ → 4K+ down after 286 days in tier
- 2025-10-03 6K+ → 5K+ down after 309 days in tier
- 2024-11-28 7K+ → 6K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2024-11-27 6K+ → 7K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2024-11-26 7K+ → 6K+ down after 241 days in tier
- 2024-03-30 8K+ → 7K+ down after 175 days in tier
- 2023-10-07 9K+ → 8K+ down after 26 days in tier
- 2023-09-11 10K+ → 9K+ down after 1121 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).
-
WP Featherlight Disabled 2K+ installs · 4.1★ · 3 shared tags C - C Cleaner Gallery 2K+ installs · 4.5★ · 3 shared tags D
-
fancyBox 3 for WordPress 1K+ installs · 4.3★ · 3 shared tags D -
Firelight Lightbox 200K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags A -
Responsive Lightbox & Gallery 100K+ installs · 4.9★ · 2 shared tags B - S Simple Lightbox 100K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for jQuery Lightbox For Native Galleries into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/jquery-lightbox-for-native-galleries" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="jQuery Lightbox For Native Galleries — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> jQuery Lightbox For Native Galleries: 4K+ active installs, 4.0★ (10 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/jquery-lightbox-for-native-galleries
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