WP Sanitize File Name Plus
by Yslo · Admin & Utilities
Also makes 5 other plugins · 2.9K+ installs across the portfolio →
Sanitize file names and enhance security.
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 48/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
1K+
≈1.5K estimated
Momentum
+66%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “admin”, “core” and “image” 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.
48 health vs 56 average across 5,897 Admin & Utilities plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.9%
of downloads still active
At least 1K of 51.3K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Admin & Utilities plugin keeps 0.6%, across 4,189 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Admin & Utilities 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 4.9.35, 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 3238 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.9.35; the current branch is 6.8
5.0★ over 8 reviews, smoothed to 4.22★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 3238 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| admin your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| core your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| image your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| images your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| uploads your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
0 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 5 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “admin”, “core” and “image” 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 3.1K · 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
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
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
8.9y ago
latest release · v1.0.3 · 20 Dec 2017
4
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 “1K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 2.3 years ago; the previous band took 4.6 years to cross, which places it about 51% of the way through.
Install history since 23 Apr 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ dzso8.3y ago
Should be a part of WordPress. Brilliant work, thanks so much! <3
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ joseyaz9.5y ago
THANKS for the great work you have done
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ vgz10.1y ago
I tested some other file name sanitize plugins, but this is the only one which I had absolutely no issues with. File names get sanitized in a way I expect it (like “ä” gets “ae” and not “-” like other plugins handle it). Also, WordPress features like suffixing of file names if a file name is duplicate still works. It’s just a great little plugin, thanks for sharing it with us.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ jimmy_r10.5y ago
No more pesky nginx / git deploy explosions with this plugin! So much win.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Bjarne Oldrup10.6y ago
WP Sanitize File Name Plus might not have many installs, but that does not change, that its one of the most useful small plugins I install every time I create a new site, to ensure sane and friendly filenames on uploaded media, be it images or pdf files. Highly recommended. Hoping for af WP 4.5 verification and update any time soon! 😀
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ chgsantos11.0y ago
After testing multiple plugins, this is the best!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ netbjarne11.1y ago
My end-users attach documents and pictures with horrendous names (I live in Denmark), and while it should be ok for a file to be named “Opskrift på æblegrød.pdf” it results in horrible URLs when space and non-latin characters are encoded. WP Sanitize File Name Plus FIXES that for me, both when uploading files manually, and when imported by Postie (mailing posts to site). I’m very satisfied. Would be great if plugin would be officially verified to be compatible with the current WordPress version, alas it seems to be working fine.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Marlimant12.1y ago
Works great in WordPress 4.0. Correct file names at upload in the fly. Very light code. Thank you!
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.2.16 · WP 5.3
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
0 of 8 pass · checked 30 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 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 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 192 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ! Tags match the text Only 0 of 5 tags appear in the text ("admin", "core", "image", "images", "uploads" missing).
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2024-07-25 2K+ → 1K+ down after 1684 days in tier
- 2019-12-15 400+ → 2K+ up after 1562 days in tier
- 2015-09-05 200+ → 400+ 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).
-
Responsive Lightbox & Gallery 100K+ installs · 4.9★ · 2 shared tags B -
All In One Favicon 60K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags C -
Simple Image Sizes 60K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags A - A Add From Server 60K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags C
-
Image Watermark 40K+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags A -
Auto Upload Images 20K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for WP Sanitize File Name Plus into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/wp-sanitize-file-name-plus" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="WP Sanitize File Name Plus — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> WP Sanitize File Name Plus: 1K+ active installs, 5.0★ (8 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/wp-sanitize-file-name-plus
Spotted a number that looks wrong? Report a data issue and we'll check it against the source.