Media Cleaner: Delete Unused Images & Clean Your Media Library
by Jordy Meow · Media
Also makes 29 other plugins · 352.1K+ installs across the portfolio →
Find and delete unused images and media files, fix broken entries, with a trash to undo anything. A lighter, faster WordPress! 💕
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
A 90/100
no flags
Active installs
90K+
≈99K estimated
Momentum
+68%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “images” for “duplicate media”. “images” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #17. “duplicate media” sits at #5 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
90 health vs 62 average across 3,279 Media plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.7%
of downloads still active
At least 90K of 5.3M 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 30 releases 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 1 day ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer
4.6★ over 778 reviews, smoothed to 4.57★
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
3 of 3 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.
34
Momentum
Losing ground
-1.0
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
12%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| unused images your tag | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| delete unused images | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| cleaner | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| media cleaner | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| unused | #1 | #1 | up 8 |
| delete media | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| delete unused media | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| clean media library | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| unused media | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| wordpress cleaner | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| site cleaner | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| clean up media | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| media delete | #1 | #1 | up 1 |
| clean media | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| media clean | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| clean your tag | #3 | #3 | down 1 |
| media your tag | #4 | #4 | up 1 |
| media library your tag | #4 | #4 | up 8 |
| media list | #3 | #2 | down 1 |
| media management | #3 | #2 | 0 |
433 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 20 listed. 351 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words).
What to do about it
- Swap “images” for “duplicate media”. “images” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #17. “duplicate media” sits at #5 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
- Slipping on “images”. Down 6 places since 2026-10-04, now #17. Check what shipped around then, and what moved above you.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 215.9K · 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
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
Actively maintainedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
30
releases in the last 12 months
yesterday
latest release · v7.3.5 · 30 Oct 2026
178
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin. 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 “90K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 19 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 90% of the way through.
Install history since 7 May 2021
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Tharusha Kavishan4mo ago
have not installed plugin but i like cover page image
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ pmsocial4mo ago
I had almost 1400 pictures on my online newspaper. The Media Cleaner removed over 500 images that were not in use. Easy to use and a very valuable asset to have on my website.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ joiidigitalservices5mo ago
Media Cleaner has to be my favoute plugin. For years I’ve struggled with trying to optimise our websites without having to take out a loan or undertake a 3 year degree to try and figure out how to do it. This plugin is everything I like in a plugin – it’s easy to use and best all of – its totally free and for that reason alone (I’m sure there are many other reasons) … well deserving of a 5-Star rating. Well done! This topic was modified 1 month ago by joiidigitalservices.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ srilankansam5mo ago
I started using Media Cleaner plugin for wordpress and it had made my work many times easier, so I save a lot of time. Thank you!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ kaiyoma5mo ago
This plugin found all sorts of orphaned image issues that I had no idea about, after I did a large data migration. Really, really useful, and another great job by Jordy.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ tserepka6mo ago
Easy click & go, the thing does work fine.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ gasbas746mo ago
I need to delete over 46,000 images, 80% of our repository?? 🙁 Although I’ve noticed multiple copies of a file that otherwise doesn’t show up in our media library (for obvious reasons, it’s a WordPress thing), I couldn’t believe the number. That said, I made a backup, went ahead with the cleanup, and, guess what, half our website broke down. No choice but to revert to the previous version. For me, the plugin is useless.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ fifthbeam6mo ago
I have a site that was redesigned over a year ago. At the time, we had roughly 2.5GB of files on the server, and we knew a large portion of them were no longer being used after major sections of the site were removed. Media Cleaner removed 1.4GB of dead images, videos, and leftover files from our server. FifthBeam Out of the 10,625 files Media Cleaner identified, only 6 were false positives. Even better, 3 or 4 of those were caused by “.webp” being appended to otherwise correct filenames. That level of accuracy is seriously impressive. If you run a media-heavy WordPress site, unused files add up fast. Media Cleaner saved us a massive amount of time, storage space, and frustration. Highly recommended.
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 7.2.4 Fix: Stopped a single oversized media reference from aborting the whole scan. Update: Moved the unsupported plugins warning into the free version box as a compact note next to the Pro button. 7.2.4
- — Version 7.2.3 Fix: Trash recovery no longer requires a scan — recovered files are always available regardless of scan state. Add: Dashboard now shows a cleanup status message explaining when a fresh scan is needed. Update: Trash butto 7.2.3
- — Version 7.2.2 Add: MCP tools so an AI assistant can scan, review and clean up through AI Engine Add: Parser for background images stored in core block attributes Update: Reworked the references view into four meaningful columns with m 7.2.2
- — Version 7.2.1 Fix: Hotfix — Restored shortcode analysis and lenient upload URL matching to fix false positives introduced in 7.2.0. 🎵 Discuss with others about Media Cleaner on the Discord . 🌴 Keep us motivated with a little review 7.2.1
- — Version 7.2.0 Add: Resumable, checkpointed scan runs with staged results that publish only after complete analysis. Add: Private quarantine storage, file identity validation, and idempotent cleanup operations. Fix: Graceful handling o 7.2.0
- — Version 7.1.1 Update: Full Cornerstone Parser coverage with URL references and improved data parsing. Update: Refactored URL detection to work with relative URLs. Add: Confirmation prompt before deleting the Cleaner database. Fix: Spe 7.1.1
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceAll 2 disclosed vulnerabilities are patched in the current version (7.3.5). Sites still on an older version should update.
- Patched Medium · 5.3 Media Cleaner: Clean your WordPress! <= 6.7.2 - Unauthenticated Information Exposure ↗2024-04-29 CVE-2024-33922 Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File Affects <= 6.7.2 Patched in 6.7.3
Vulnerability records provided by Wordfence Intelligence. Copyright 2012-2026 Defiant Inc. License and terms.
CVE records: Copyright 1999-2026 The MITRE Corporation. CVE terms of use.
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 7.0.1
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 28 languages, 6 at 90% or more
Plus 4 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.
Share of voice
How often each assistant names Media Cleaner: Delete Unused Images & Clean Your M when asked about this topic, where it comes in the answer, and how that compares with its wp.org search position. Latest run 25 Oct 2026.
- Assistants
- ChatGPT, Claude
- Topics tracked
- Image optimization
Readme readiness
4 of 8 pass · checked 26 Oct 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 No FAQ section.
- ! FAQ asks real questions No FAQ to judge.
- ! Names who it is for One audience phrase ("use it"); say who the plugin is for and what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions WooCommerce, Elementor, Gutenberg, Divi and 6 more.
- ✓ Headings and lists 3 headings and 1 list.
- ✓ Enough to quote 2,665 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
- 2025-04-17 80K+ → 90K+ up after 310 days in tier
- 2024-06-11 70K+ → 80K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2024-06-10 80K+ → 70K+ down after 4 days in tier
- 2024-06-06 70K+ → 80K+ up after 449 days in tier
- 2023-03-15 60K+ → 70K+ up after 148 days in tier
- 2022-10-18 50K+ → 60K+ up after 267 days in tier
- 2022-01-24 40K+ → 50K+ up after 319 days in tier
- 2021-03-11 30K+ → 40K+ up after 164 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).
-
Media Library Assistant 70K+ installs · 4.8★ · 3 shared tags A - C Cache Images 1K+ installs · 3.9★ · 3 shared tags D
-
Crop-Thumbnails 40K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags B -
Clean Image Filenames 30K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags B -
Disable Media Sizes 10K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags A -
Replace Image 8K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags C
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Media Cleaner: Delete Unused Images & Clean Your Media Library into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/media-cleaner" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Media Cleaner: Delete Unused Images & Clean Your Media Library — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Media Cleaner: Delete Unused Images & Clean Your Media Library: 90K+ active installs, 4.6★ (778 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/media-cleaner
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