Media Library Categories
by jeffrey-wp · Media
Adds the ability to use categories in the media library.
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 87/100
no flags
Active installs
20K+
≈25K estimated
Momentum
-7%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “category” for “media management”. “category” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “media management” sits at #15 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
87 health vs 62 average across 3,287 Media plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →3.4%
of downloads still active
At least 20K of 580.3K 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.
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.
Well optimized
Most to gain: Support resolution
Updated 71 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer
4.2★ over 52 reviews, smoothed to 4.15★
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
0 of 1 support threads resolved in the last 2 months
To rank higher: Mark more forum threads resolved — the resolved ratio feeds the ranking.
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.
41
Momentum
Losing ground
-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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| medialibrary your tag | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| media library categories | #2 | #3 | down 1 |
| categories your tag | #3 | #4 | 0 |
| media library category | #2 | #3 | up 1 |
| media categories | #4 | #4 | down 1 |
| media library | #8 | #10 | down 2 |
| library your tag | #9 | #10 | down 3 |
| category library | #4 | #7 | 0 |
| media category | #5 | #7 | 0 |
| media library shortcode | #6 | #7 | up 1 |
| media your tag | #22 | #20 | down 5 |
| media management | #15 | #15 | down 1 |
| page categories | #9 | #13 | up 2 |
| the library | #10 | #11 | — |
| wordpress media library | #11 | #13 | down 1 |
| categories in page | #12 | #14 | up 2 |
| media list | #23 | #18 | down 3 |
| post categories | #14 | #17 | up 1 |
| add media | #17 | #19 | up 1 |
| wp category | #18 | #20 | up 2 |
| category your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
66 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 20 listed. 46 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 1 of its tags isn't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Swap “category” for “media management”. “category” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “media management” sits at #15 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
- Slipping on “media”. Down 5 places since 2026-09-18, now #22. Check what shipped around then, and what moved above you.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,489 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 16.1K · 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
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
7mo ago
latest release · v2.0.2 · 18 Apr 2026
10
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 86% 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 “20K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 3.6 years 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 25 Jan 2021
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ annzo2.7y ago
Actually a helpful plugin. But has not been working with WPBakery Page Builder for some time now. Among other things, it blocks adding new images to a gallery. This topic was modified 2 years, 5 months ago by annzo.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ strarsis3.3y ago
Simple and great plugin for adding category taxonomy to WordPress media.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ jeffkaiser3.4y ago
This plugin is great, super helpful. I have been using it to create categories for media items that I then use with Loopers in Theme.co’s Pro theme with Grids and Sliders. Saved me tons of work.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Marko65485.2y ago
Thank you, a great plug-in. With almost 14,000 photos and after I lost all my categories with Enhanced Media Library plugin which I used for 6 years, this plugin (Media Library Categories) gave me a chance to make new categories again. Hope there will be a choice to remove the appearance of number of photos in each category. Cheers This topic was modified 4 years, 11 months ago by Marko6548.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ todindiana5.9y ago
After using the free version for an evening, I popped for the pro version. I found this to be a terrific addition to my media library toolkit as it provides good options for categorizing images. This is helpful when I’ve uploaded dozens of images and categorized them, and I’m ready to create topic-based sliders or galleries. I can now easily select a category, then choose images within that category without scrolling through 100’s of unrelated images. The developer is responsive and helful to questions.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ kylomylo6.5y ago
So the plugin imports all categories from posts to media categories. So that isn’t right. Why is that? Then if you delete a category from media then automatically delete the category from posts. So all is a mess. Disappointed.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ brookerrj6.6y ago
This was exactly what I was looking for, it installed without any issues and so far appears to be working just fine. A small improvement would be the ability to filter the media list to see only images that have not been categorized at all. Or, at least allow the the media list to be sorted by using the ‘Categories’ label at the top of the categories column in the list. Many thanks.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Jeffrey S. Whitmore7.0y ago
I had to do the functions.php fix in the FAQ, and also had to make it “media_categories” and not “categories_media”. I don’t know if that was just me, but if anyone runs into problems try that, also make sure you don’t have extra quotes or anything copy straight from the code box. After buying Premium, i could transition from Enhanced Media Library to this one. I have over 20,000 images and was not looking forward to reorganizing them. The only things missing in this plugin are grid editing, and bulk delete/assign from grid. Grid is just so much easier when dealing with lots of files. If that capability is added all will be gold. That nag aside, I’m using this now and look forward to more improvements.
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 2.0.2 Update Select2 dependency 2.0.2
- — Version 2.0.1 Fix XXS vulnerability 2.0.1
- — Version 2.0.0 Add escape function for input field custom taxonomy slug 2.0.0
- — Version 1.9.9 Fix ‘jQuery.fn.load() is deprecated’ warning 1.9.9
- — Version 1.9.8 Remember selected category in dropdown when filtered 1.9.8
- — Version 1.9.7 Add autocomplete search to the category dropdown in Media Library list view (which can be turned on under Settings → Media) Add usability fix to highlight media library settings section when directly linked 1.9.7
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceAll 2 disclosed vulnerabilities are patched in the current version (2.0.2). Sites still on an older version should update.
- Patched Medium · 4.4 Media Library Categories <= 2.0.0 - Authenticated (Administrator+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗2023-07-20 CVE-2023-36382 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 2.0.0 Patched in 2.0.1
- Patched Medium · 5.5 Media Library Categories <= 1.9.9 - Authenticated (Admin+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗2023-01-20 CVE-2022-47596 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 1.9.9 Patched in 2.0.0
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.
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 11 languages, 8 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
4 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 "Adds the ability to use categories in the media library."
- ✓ 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 Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ! Headings and lists 1 heading and 1 list; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 875 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "medialibrary" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2023-03-29 30K+ → 20K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2023-03-28 20K+ → 30K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2023-03-27 30K+ → 20K+ down after 1637 days in tier
- 2018-10-02 20K+ → 30K+ up after 653 days in tier
- 2016-12-18 10K+ → 20K+ up
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 Media Categories 800+ installs · 4.1★ · 3 shared tags A -
Media Library Assistant 70K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags A -
PublishPress Taxonomies – Tag, Category, and Taxonomy Manager – Autotagger Automatically Add Terms 40K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags A - M Media Library Enable Infinite Scrolling 7K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags B
-
Media Library Downloader 5K+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags A - R Recent Posts by Category Widget 4K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Media Library Categories into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/wp-media-library-categories" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Media Library Categories — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Media Library Categories: 20K+ active installs, 4.2★ (52 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/wp-media-library-categories
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