List unused or duplicate images

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  bdobsoncdn · Member · Mar 28, 2026 at 7:24 pm

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  This is just a feature request unless I’ve missed it. I think it would be great for media management if there was a one click one to see any image that’s a duplicate or not used in any page. Would help me clean things up a lot.

  The blog I need help with is: (visible only to logged in users)

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  staff-sheva · Staff · Mar 29, 2026 at 9:09 pm

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  Hi there! While WordPress doesn’t have a built-in tool for this yet, the good news is that all paid WordPress.com plans now support plugin installation, so you can add this functionality today. Here are a few well-regarded free options:

  • Media Cleaner — scans your site to find unused media files and duplicates, with a safe trash-based workflow so you can review before permanently deleting. It supports most page builders and popular plugins. https://wordpress.org/plugins/media-cleaner/
  • Media Deduper — specifically focused on finding duplicate files using hash comparison, with a “Smart Delete” feature that prevents accidentally breaking your site. https://wordpress.org/plugins/media-deduper/
  • Media Tracker — shows you exactly where each image is used, plus lists unused and duplicate media. https://wordpress.org/plugins/media-tracker/

  As a quick manual option: go to Media > Library, switch to list view, and look at the “Uploaded to” column; anything showing “(Unattached)” likely isn’t used in any post or page.

  On the core WordPress side, media library improvements are part of the Gutenberg Phase 3 roadmap, and the scope does include making it easier to identify unused media. WordPress 7.1 (expected August 2026) is anticipated to bring further media workflow improvements, so this may eventually come to core.

  Media Library

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  bdobsoncdn · Member · Mar 29, 2026 at 9:58 pm

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  Thanks! I have used Media Cleaner, I had 200+ unused images in there for various reasons, I’m sure that they are now cleaned up. It works well and is easy to use.

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  staff-sheva · Staff · Mar 29, 2026 at 10:07 pm

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  That’s great to hear, and glad I could help!

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  richspop · Member · Mar 31, 2026 at 11:36 am

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  I’m confused! One of the responses above says, and I quote”

  “…. anything showing “(Unattached)” likely isn’t used in any post or page.”

  However, a third of my media files are unattached – which can’t be right. I googled the issue and found a web site (webtrainingwheels dot com) which said the following:

  “However, if you upload images directly to the media library then insert it into a post, or if you add an image in any way that is not connected to a post, those images are considered “unattached”. So unattached does not mean unused.

  I got close to deleting unattached images – I’m glad I didn’t!

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  justjennifer · Member · Mar 31, 2026 at 12:14 pm

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  So unattached does not mean unused.

  @richspop And well done, that’s absolutely correct.

  This is especially true for older sites (10+ years) as image handling, not to mention various software hiccups, has changed over the years, particularly with regard to backgrounds, headers, and gallery images.

  If anyone is thinking of cleaning up their Media Library, I strongly recommend downloading your images first through Tools>Export Media Library. Once an image is deleted, it’s permanently gone.

  The only way I know to perhaps figure out what image is truly unattached is by searching for each image file name, ie myimagefile.jpg, in the search box on each of the pages and posts dashboards. A major headache.