If you’ve been running your WordPress website for a while, then chances are your media library has become a digital storage room filled with images you no longer use.

Just like that closet full of clothes you haven’t worn in years, these unused images take up valuable storage space and clutter your library.

Now, removing each image individually is a time-consuming process. If you’re someone like me, then you probably opened the media library, saw hundreds or thousands of files, and quickly closed the tab. But there is a simple way of finding which files are no longer in use, so you can safely remove them.

In this article, I’ll show you how to delete unused images from WordPress media library.

Why Remove Unused Images in WordPress?

Think of your WordPress media library as your website’s photo album. Over time, it collects not just the images you’re currently using but also old blog post images, multiple versions of the same picture, and even those temporary uploads you meant to delete months ago.

The issue is that every image you upload to WordPress takes up space on your hosting server. Most hosting plans come with limited storage, and unused images unnecessarily eat into this allocation. When you reach your storage limit, you might face additional charges.

Besides that, a cluttered media library makes it harder to find the images you actually need. The more items you have to sort through, the longer it takes to find what you’re looking for. This inefficiency can slow down your content creation process and make site maintenance more frustrating.

Another issue unused media files can cause is increase the size of your backups. Regular backups are essential for any WordPress site, but having numerous unused images makes this process more time-consuming and resource-intensive. Plus, larger backups take longer to complete, require more storage space, and can be more challenging to restore when required.

That said, let’s look at a simple way of cleaning your WordPress media library and removing files that are no longer needed.

Delete Unused Images from WordPress Media Library

The easiest way to find and delete unused media files is by using the Search & Replace Everything plugin.

It is a powerful WordPress plugin by WPCode that helps ensure data consistency by finding and replacing content on your website. It comes with a Remove Unused Media feature that scans your website and highlights images that are no longer in use.

The best part about using Search & Replace Everything is that it goes beyond just scanning posts and pages. The plugin analyzes your site’s entire database thoroughly to ensure no file are missed and helps prevent accidental deletion.

First, you’ll need to install and activate the Search & Replace Everything plugin on your site. If you need help, then please see this guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Note: You’ll need the Search & Replace Everything Pro version because it includes the Remove Unused Media feature. However, there is also a Search & Replace Everything Lite version that you can use for free.

Upon activation, you’ll need to go to Tools » WP Search & Replace page from the WordPress dashboard. From here, simply heat to the ‘Settings’ tab and enter your license key. You can find the key in your Search & Replace Everything account area.

After entering the license key, simply click the ‘Verify Key’ button.

Next, you can go to the ‘Remove Unused Media’ tab and click the ‘Begin Scan’ button.

The plugin will now start the scanning process and looks for unused media files across the entire database.

It can take a few minutes for the scan to complete, and you can view the process through the status bar.

Once the scan is done, you’ll see a list of files that are not being used on your website.

You’ll also see the title, path, and size of each file. With this information, you can clearly find out if the image or media file is in use or not, preventing any accidental deletion.

Note: While the Unused Media scanner does its best to check your whole database for image references, some images may still be use in templates or on other sites. We strongly recommend having a backup of your site before permanently deleting images. For instance, you can use Duplicator to create WordPress backup without editing code.

Next, you can select which images to remove and clean up the media library by clicking the ‘Delete Selected’ button.

The best part is that Search & Replace Everything also lets you bulk delete images. So if you want to remove all the unused media files, then go ahead and click the ‘Delete All’ button.

That’s it, you’ve now successfully cleaned your WordPress media library by removing unused images and other files.

Bonus: Tips for Keeping Your Media Library Clean

If you want to ensure that your library is clutter-free and clean, then here are some helpful tips:

• Delete images right after you stop using them in your content
• Use a consistent naming convention for uploads
• Optimize your images before uploading them to WordPress (smaller images are better)
• Organize your media library with folders if possible
• Regularly schedule media library maintenance by scanning for unused files
• Break up scanning into smaller batches and schedule during off-peak hours
• Keep WordPress backups before major cleanup operations

I hope this article helped you learn how to delete unused images from WordPress media library. You may also want to see our guide on how to allow SVG file upload in WordPress and how to add floating social media icons in WordPress.

If you need help, then feel free to leave a comment below. And don’t forget to follow us on X (formerly known as Twitter) and subscribe to our newsletter for all the latest updates.