Media Hygiene: Remove or Delete Unused Images and More!

How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.

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.

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.

162 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 20 listed. 127 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 1 of its tags isn't in the top 24 for their own search.

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

How often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.

Share 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.

Crossed into this band 15 days ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just under 5K.

1. ★★★★★ drtedifies

   4mo ago

   The plugin was perfect for a non-tech savvy user like myself. You scan, it shows you used media from unused media and the amount of disc space you’re using for each. Next, you choose whether to allow/save or trash the unused. I always double checked media before permanently deleting from the trash and it worked seamlessly each time. Can’t figure out the low reviews.

   Read on wp.org ↗
2. ★★★★★ Amfreak

   4mo ago

   I have a review site that I have been doing for 20 years and I figured it was time to get rid of stuff older than 10 years. This meant 1000’s of images of the originals, the ones that that the theme and WordPress create plus the .webp versions would no longer be needed. After trying many, many plugins that just did not work or lacking, this one was recommended by Copilot- FTW! It’s fast and found over 11,000 images (this was after I manually removed images from folders I had created for phpNUKE) not being used, which was about 5-6 GB of space. I have FTP access to my sites so I tested what it did. I selected a few post, noted what images were used and which ones were created as extras sizes and not being used for the posts. This plugin found the extras ones and skipped over the in use images. When I tagged items for trash, the images where still their folders, but when I said to delete the test files it did remove ONLY the file(s) I had tagged as trash. This was all done with the free version! Thank you!

   Read on wp.org ↗
3. ★★★★★ artiofi

   5mo ago

   This plugin did exactly the job what was needed. We were publishing a new site to our customer and Media had huge amount of duplicate files, over 10 Gb. We were able to clean the the mess with this plugin. Thank You!

   Read on wp.org ↗
4. ★★★★★ hiteshgoti

   5mo ago

   Media Hygiene is one of the most useful WordPress maintenance plugins I have used. It helped me quickly identify and remove millions of unused images from my media library, reducing storage usage and making media management much easier. The scanning process is straightforward, the interface is user-friendly, and the plugin provides confidence before deleting files. What impressed me most is how much time it saves compared to manually checking media attachments. The support team is also responsive and helpful whenever questions arise. If you manage WordPress websites and want to keep your media library clean and organized, this plugin is definitely worth installing. Highly recommended for website owners, developers, and agencies looking to optimize their WordPress media library.

   Read on wp.org ↗
5. ★★★★★ ellizclothing

   5mo ago

   I installed this plugin to delete images that I’m not using from products listings that I removed, but it would pretend that all my images were in use, when I know that’s a lie. Then it would act as malware, not letting me remove itthe plugin. If you Install this useless plugin there will be no way to remove it. You will have to restore your site to an old version. This people really fooled me.

   Read on wp.org ↗
6. ★★★★★ mikoba

   8mo ago

   If you use the same images for several post and/or pages this plugin will still say they’re unused simply because they’re not specifically attached to one specific post/page.If you have a lot of pictures and don’t know by heart where exactly you used them, this plugin is not of any use.

   Read on wp.org ↗
7. ★★★★★ patashnik

   8mo ago

   Reviews here seem a unfair. The plugin did an excellent job after I did a scan, set the page to display 250 entries, and pressed the red button to delete all listed/unused attachments. I tested my website thoroughly and required images are all present.

   Read on wp.org ↗
8. ★★★★★ Labrid KY

   10mo ago

   This is a great plugin, and the support is also great and quick to respond.I was having an issue where images uploaded to the gallery field in ACF Pro would disappear, but this has now been resolved.

   Read on wp.org ↗

Recent releases and news for this plugin

1. — Version 6.1.0 This release is mostly about trust: files that were being listed as unused when they were still on your site, and warnings that were telling you the wrong thing. Files that were in use, but listed as unused: Fixed: your 6.1.0
2. — Version 6.0.0 Released 25 May 2026 Rewritten scan engine: it reads your page content directly instead of making an HTTP request for every URL. Scanning is significantly faster on large media libraries, with up to 30 times fewer databa 6.0.0
3. — Version 5.0.0 Released 25 April 2026 Hardened every database query against SQL injection. Fixed a cross site scripting issue in the copy media URL action. Server errors are no longer shown in the browser. Anonymous usage data is now o 5.0.0
4. — Version 4.0.2 Released 28 March 2026 Fixed missing permission checks on background requests, which now refuse unauthorised calls. Fixed SQL injection risks in the whitelist, bulk action, scan, Elementor and download handlers. Fixed un 4.0.2
5. — Version 4.0.1 Released 1 May 2025 Security release. 4.0.1
6. — Version 4.0.0 Released 26 November 2024 Rebuilt how Elementor content is scanned. Added Trash, so files can be removed and restored rather than deleted outright. The position of Media Hygiene in the WordPress menu can now be changed. 4.0.0

All 3 disclosed vulnerabilities are patched in the current version (6.1.1). Sites still on an older version should update.

1. Patched Medium · 4.3 Media Hygiene <= 4.0.2 - Missing Authorization ↗
   2025-06-19 CVE-2025-49979 Missing Authorization Affects <= 4.0.2 Patched in 4.0.3
2. Patched Medium · 5.4 Media Hygiene <= 4.0.0 - Missing Authorization ↗
   2025-05-07 CVE-2025-47469 Missing Authorization Affects <= 4.0.0 Patched in 4.0.1
3. Patched Medium · 4.3 Media Hygiene <= 3.0.1 - Missing Authorization to Authenticated (Subscriber+) Arbitrary Attachment Deletion ↗
   2024-07-08 CVE-2024-5855 Missing Authorization Affects <= 3.0.1 Patched in 3.0.2

Automated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 7.0.1

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.

Growth timeline

Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow

1. 2026-10-16 5K+ → 4K+ down after 7 days in tier
2. 2026-10-09 4K+ → 5K+ up after 1 days in tier
3. 2026-10-08 5K+ → 4K+ down after 8 days in tier
4. 2026-09-30 4K+ → 5K+ up after 12 days in tier
5. 2026-09-18 5K+ → 4K+ down after 194 days in tier
6. 2026-03-08 4K+ → 5K+ up after 283 days in tier
7. 2025-05-29 3K+ → 4K+ up after 134 days in tier
8. 2025-01-15 2K+ → 3K+ up after 201 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).

Embed this report card

Drop a live Pulse card for Media Hygiene: Remove or Delete Unused Images and More! into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.

Media Hygiene: Remove or Delete Unused Images and More!: 4K+ active installs, 4.2★ (41 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/media-hygiene