Title: DevDome Media Cleaner – Remove Unused Images, Orphan Images &amp; Duplicates
Author: DevDome
Published: <strong>chulio 26, 2026</strong>
Last modified: agosto 28, 2026

---

Search plugins

![](https://ps.w.org/devdome-safe-media-cleaner/assets/banner-772x250.png?rev=3630471)

![](https://ps.w.org/devdome-safe-media-cleaner/assets/icon-256x256.png?rev=3630513)

# DevDome Media Cleaner – Remove Unused Images, Orphan Images & Duplicates

 By [DevDome](https://profiles.wordpress.org/devdome/)

[Download](https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/devdome-safe-media-cleaner.1.0.8.zip)

 * [Details](https://arg.wordpress.org/plugins/devdome-safe-media-cleaner/#description)
 * [Reviews](https://arg.wordpress.org/plugins/devdome-safe-media-cleaner/#reviews)
 *  [Installation](https://arg.wordpress.org/plugins/devdome-safe-media-cleaner/#installation)
 * [Development](https://arg.wordpress.org/plugins/devdome-safe-media-cleaner/#developers)

 [Support](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/devdome-safe-media-cleaner/)

## Description

#### WordPress Media Cleaner & Image Cleaner

DevDome Safe Media Cleaner is a WordPress media cleaner and image cleaner for finding
and safely removing unused images, orphan files, duplicate images, and missing media
from your Media Library and uploads folder.

Find unused images, review orphan images and files, detect duplicate media, and 
clean your WordPress Media Library without permanently deleting files immediately.

Selected media moves to a protected Recycle Bin first, so you can check your site,
restore cleaned files with one click, and permanently delete them only when you 
are ready.

#### Find & Remove Unused Images

Scan your WordPress Media Library for images that are no longer referenced by your
website.

DevDome Safe Media Cleaner checks common WordPress content and settings before marking
an image as unused, including posts, pages, custom post types, builders, widgets,
menus, featured images, galleries, Gutenberg blocks, CSS backgrounds, responsive
images, and WordPress options.

Use the review screen to inspect unused images before deleting or moving anything.

#### Find Orphan Images & Files

Find orphan files that exist inside your WordPress uploads folder but no longer 
have a matching Media Library record.

Orphan files can accumulate after migrations, deleted plugins, failed uploads, manual
file transfers, or years of website changes.

Review orphan media individually or in bulk and move unwanted files safely to the
Recycle Bin.

#### Find Duplicate Images & Media

Detect exact duplicate files in your WordPress media library.

The media cleaner groups duplicate images and helps you identify which copy to keep
before cleaning the duplicates.

Duplicate files are never deleted automatically.

#### Clean Your WordPress Media Library Safely

Media cleanup should not mean permanently deleting files without a way back.

DevDome Safe Media Cleaner uses several safeguards:

 * **Recycle Bin first:** cleaned files are moved instead of immediately deleted.
 * **Last-second re-check:** every selected file is checked again immediately before
   it moves.
 * **Protected by default:** recent uploads and uncertain files are not automatically
   selected.
 * **Clear review status:** files are marked Safe to remove, Needs manual review,
   or Protected with the reason shown.
 * **ZIP backups:** create, download, upload, and restore media backups before cleanup.

#### How Media Cleanup Works

 1. **Scan:** Scan the WordPress Media Library and uploads folder in resumable background
    batches.
 2. **Review:** Search, filter, sort, and inspect unused images, orphan files, duplicates,
    and missing media.
 3. **Clean:** Move selected media to the protected Recycle Bin.
 4. **Restore or delete:** Restore files with one click or permanently delete them 
    after checking your website.

#### Detailed Image & Media Review

Review scan results in a visual grid or list.

You can:

 * Search by filename
 * Filter by cleanup status
 * Sort by file size, dimensions, or age
 * Select individual files or clean media in bulk
 * View thumbnails, dimensions, file size, upload date, and cleanup reason
 * Export scan results to CSV

Sorting unused images and orphan files by size makes it easy to find the media consuming
the most disk space.

#### Checks Common WordPress Image References

Before identifying media as unused, the scanner checks common WordPress image references
including:

 * Posts and pages
 * Custom post types
 * Revisions
 * Reusable and synced blocks
 * Featured images
 * Galleries
 * Gutenberg blocks
 * `srcset` and responsive images
 * Lazy-loading attributes
 * CSS backgrounds
 * Widgets
 * Navigation menus
 * Site logo and site icon
 * WordPress options

#### Page Builder, WooCommerce & Plugin Support

The scanner also checks data used by popular WordPress tools.

**Page builders**

Elementor, Divi, Beaver Builder, WPBakery, Bricks, Oxygen, Kadence, GenerateBlocks,
Spectra, SeedProd, and Thrive.

**WooCommerce**

Product images, product galleries, variations, and category images.

**Custom fields and SEO plugins**

ACF, Meta Box, Yoast SEO, Rank Math, and AIOSEO.

**Generated WordPress images**

Thumbnail sizes, scaled images, and edited copies are matched to their original 
Media Library attachment.

#### Built for Large Media Libraries

Large WordPress media libraries can contain thousands of images.

Scans run in small, resumable background batches to reduce memory usage and timeout
risk.

You can pause and resume a scan without starting over.

#### Free Media Cleaner Features

The following features are free and unlimited:

 * Unused image scanning
 * Orphan file detection
 * Duplicate image detection
 * Missing media detection
 * Media review and reports
 * Recycle Bin
 * One-click restore
 * ZIP media backups
 * Scheduled scans
 * CSV export
 * WP-CLI commands

No DevDome account is required to scan, review, remove, restore, or delete unused
media.

#### Optional DevDome Monitoring

You can optionally connect a free DevDome account and enable Monitoring.

After each scan, aggregate media statistics can be sent to DevDome so you can track
media-library growth across connected WordPress sites and receive alerts when unused
media exceeds a threshold you choose.

No media files, filenames, image URLs, or visitor data are sent.

### External services

**Plugin catalog (`devdome.com`).** The DevDome Dashboard inside wp-admin fetches
the list of DevDome plugins (names, descriptions, logos, links, WordPress.org slugs)
from `https://devdome.com/wp-plugins/catalog.json` at most once every 12 hours, 
so the list stays current. Only the bundled core version is sent in the request;
no site or visitor data. Service provider: DevDome. Terms: https://devdome.com/terms-
of-service Privacy policy: https://devdome.com/privacy-policy

All scanning, classification, Recycle Bin, backup, and restore features run on your
own server. The plugin connects to DevDome only after explicit opt-in.

 1. **DevDome account connection (`devdome.com` and `api.devdome.com`) – optional.**

Connecting an account is required only for optional DevDome Monitoring. When you
start the connection, `devdome.com` opens in your browser. After approval, the plugin
stores your public DevDome Account ID and a site token, then sends the site token
to `api.devdome.com` to verify the connection. The service returns the account email
displayed in the plugin settings.

The Account ID, site domain, and site token are transmitted. If you disconnect, 
the site domain and site token are sent once to unlink the site.

No media files, filenames, private image URLs, or visitor data are sent.

Service provider: DevDome
 Terms: https://devdome.com/terms-of-service Privacy policy:
https://devdome.com/privacy-policy

 1. **DevDome Monitoring (`api.devdome.com`) – optional and opt-in.**

When Monitoring is enabled, the plugin sends aggregate scan statistics after each
scan: site domain, site token, total media count and size, unused media count and
size, orphaned file count, alert threshold, and selected email frequency.

DevDome stores this history, displays it in the media-health dashboard, tracks changes
across scans and connected sites, and sends alert emails when the chosen threshold
is exceeded.

No media files, filenames, image URLs, or visitor data are sent.

Service provider: DevDome
 Terms: https://devdome.com/terms-of-service Privacy policy:
https://devdome.com/privacy-policy

**Dormant endpoints in the bundled DevDome core**

The bundled shared library references these endpoints, but they are disabled and
are not contacted by the WordPress.org build:

 * `https://api.devdome.com/plugin-updates/` – used by the self-hosted DevDome suite
   installer. Updates and installs for this build come only from WordPress.org.
 * `https://api.devdome.com/media-cleaner/metrics` – used by the DevDome-distributed
   build for aggregate product metrics. It does not run in the WordPress.org build.

No outbound request is made unless you explicitly connect a DevDome account. Monitoring
statistics are sent only after you also enable DevDome Monitoring.

### Privacy

 * **Media files stay local.** Scanning, classification, cleanup, backup, and restore
   run on your server.
 * **Recycle Bin files stay local.** They are stored in `/wp-content/uploads/devdome-
   safe-trash/`, which is protected against public access during the review period.
 * **No cookies** are set by the plugin.
 * **No product metrics** are sent by the WordPress.org build.
 * **Optional Monitoring** sends only the aggregate statistics listed in the External
   services section after explicit opt-in.

## Screenshots

[⌊Dashboard: view Media Library and Disk Storage cleanup opportunities, storage 
totals, and scan actions.⌉⌊Dashboard: view Media Library and Disk Storage cleanup
opportunities, storage totals, and scan actions.⌉[

Dashboard: view Media Library and Disk Storage cleanup opportunities, storage totals,
and scan actions.

[⌊Media Library review: inspect unused images with status labels, reasons, filters,
and bulk selection.⌉⌊Media Library review: inspect unused images with status labels,
reasons, filters, and bulk selection.⌉[

Media Library review: inspect unused images with status labels, reasons, filters,
and bulk selection.

[⌊Disk Storage review: find orphaned files in the uploads folder that have no Media
Library record.⌉⌊Disk Storage review: find orphaned files in the uploads folder 
that have no Media Library record.⌉[

Disk Storage review: find orphaned files in the uploads folder that have no Media
Library record.

[⌊Recycle Bin: review cleanup batches and restore cleaned files with one click.⌉⌊
Recycle Bin: review cleanup batches and restore cleaned files with one click.⌉[

Recycle Bin: review cleanup batches and restore cleaned files with one click.

[⌊Backup and Restore: create, upload, download, and restore ZIP media backups.⌉⌊
Backup and Restore: create, upload, download, and restore ZIP media backups.⌉[

Backup and Restore: create, upload, download, and restore ZIP media backups.

[⌊Settings: configure scheduled scans, retention, protection rules, and optional
DevDome Monitoring.⌉⌊Settings: configure scheduled scans, retention, protection 
rules, and optional DevDome Monitoring.⌉[

Settings: configure scheduled scans, retention, protection rules, and optional DevDome
Monitoring.

## Installation

 1. Install and activate the plugin from the WordPress Plugins screen.
 2. Open **DevDome > Safe Media Cleaner** and select **Scan Media Library**.
 3. Review the results and move selected files to the **Recycle Bin**.
 4. Check your site, then restore anything you need or confirm permanent deletion.

## FAQ

### Can a media cleaner identify every image reference?

No scanner can guarantee detection of every custom or hard-coded reference. DevDome
Safe Media Cleaner checks many common WordPress locations, page builders, WooCommerce
data, custom fields, SEO settings, CSS, and responsive image references. It also
re-checks each selected file immediately before moving it.

Uncertain files are marked Needs manual review and are not selected automatically.
Selected files move to the Recycle Bin first so they can be restored.

### Can I undo a cleanup?

Yes. The first cleanup action moves selected files to the Recycle Bin instead of
permanently deleting them. Cleaned files can be restored to their original locations
with one click.

### What is the difference between unused images and orphaned files?

Unused images have a Media Library record but no detected reference on the site.
Orphaned files exist in the uploads folder without a matching Media Library record.

### Does it find duplicate images?

Yes. The plugin detects exact duplicate files and suggests a copy to keep. Duplicates
are never deleted automatically.

### How can I free up disk space?

Run a scan, open Review, and sort by file size. Review the largest unused images
and orphaned files first. The dashboard shows the amount of storage represented 
by the flagged files.

### Does it support page builders and WooCommerce?

Yes. It checks data used by Elementor, Divi, Beaver Builder, WPBakery, Bricks, Oxygen,
Kadence, GenerateBlocks, Spectra, SeedProd, Thrive, WooCommerce, ACF, Meta Box, 
Yoast SEO, Rank Math, and AIOSEO.

### Will scanning slow down my site?

Scanning runs in small background batches to reduce memory use and timeout risk.
Large scans can be paused and resumed.

### Do I need a DevDome account?

No. Scanning, review, reports, backups, cleanup, the Recycle Bin, and restore work
without an account. A free DevDome account is required only for optional DevDome
Monitoring.

### Does it support WordPress multisite?

Yes. Each site keeps its own scans, Recycle Bin, backups, and settings.

### What is the Recycle Bin?

It is a protected local folder used to hold cleaned files before permanent deletion.
Each cleanup batch includes a manifest and checksums so files can be restored to
their original locations.

### Does it delete unused images automatically?

No. Nothing is removed until you review the results and choose what to clean. The
first step is always the Recycle Bin, so every cleanup can be undone.

### Does it clean up the uploads folder?

Yes. The disk scan walks wp-content/uploads and lists orphaned files: images with
no Media Library record, including thumbnails left behind by deleted images. Other
file types are left alone.

### Does the cleanup keep running if I leave the page?

Yes. Scans, cleanups, backups, and restores run on the server in background batches
and continue after you close the tab. Reopen the plugin page to see the progress.

## Reviews

![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/43d8f0ad3e8ad1892fca20318f3b0723d63039e8dfb52d91da98b7fa23b1eeb9?
s=60&d=retro&r=g)

### 󠀁[Free and totally does it’s job.](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/free-and-totally-does-its-job-great-tool/)󠁿

 [gocciaspa](https://profiles.wordpress.org/gocciaspa/) agosto 29, 2026

Had a ton of old media sitting around from past redesigns. The scan found a lot 
more unused files than I expected, and the recycle bin made it easy to clean up 
without worrying about deleting something important.

![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/64576918d017fc2d2a1d041b3c10c1b8075c7bac4b743a78eb5ea5045e05b459?
s=60&d=retro&r=g)

### 󠀁[Solid tool for clean libraries](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/solid-tool-for-clean-libraries/)󠁿

 [monicp](https://profiles.wordpress.org/monicp/) agosto 26, 2026

User-friendly tool that gets the job done without risking data loss.

 [ Read all 2 reviews ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/devdome-safe-media-cleaner/reviews/)

## Contributors & Developers

“DevDome Media Cleaner – Remove Unused Images, Orphan Images & Duplicates” is open
source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.

Contributors

 *   [ DevDome ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/devdome/)

[Translate “DevDome Media Cleaner – Remove Unused Images, Orphan Images & Duplicates” into your language.](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/devdome-safe-media-cleaner)

### Interested in development?

[Browse the code](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/devdome-safe-media-cleaner/),
check out the [SVN repository](https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/devdome-safe-media-cleaner/),
or subscribe to the [development log](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/devdome-safe-media-cleaner/)
by [RSS](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/devdome-safe-media-cleaner/?limit=100&mode=stop_on_copy&format=rss).

## Changelog

#### 1.0.8

 * DevDome Dashboard: plugin list, descriptions, logos and versions now come from
   devdome.com, one-click install of DevDome plugins from WordPress.org, Docs link
   and Fix buttons, Activate stays on the dashboard.

#### 1.0.7

 * Bundled DevDome core updated to 1.6.2: the DevDome Dashboard shows the new Affiliate
   Manager logo.

#### 1.0.6

 * Scans, cleanups, backups and restores now keep running on the server after you
   leave the page or switch tabs. Before, a job on a quiet site could stall until
   you came back.
 * A restore or delete that cannot move any file (folder not writable) now stops
   with a clear message instead of running forever.
 * Bundled DevDome core updated to 1.6.1. Screenshots are no longer packed into 
   the download (1.1 MB smaller).

#### 1.0.5

 * A site that has never been scanned now shows a dash instead of a perfect score,
   on the plugin page and in the DevDome Dashboard.
 * DevDome Monitoring settings now show a Connect button above the disabled toggle
   while no account is connected, instead of a dead checkbox.
 * Removed the legacy connect return flow; connecting uses the suite’s one-click
   signed-in flow shared by every DevDome plugin.
 * The DevDome Dashboard (suite hub) was redesigned: cleaner cards, your account
   email and plan on the overview, and update buttons shown only when an update 
   really exists.
 * One button system across the suite: the same Connect button and the same Save
   Settings button in every DevDome plugin.

#### 1.0.4

 * Unified DevDome suite icons and updated the suite hub with one-click installs
   for WordPress.org plugins.

#### 1.0.3

 * Initial WordPress.org release.

## Meta

 *  Version **1.0.8**
 *  Last updated **6 días ago**
 *  Active installations **30+**
 *  WordPress version ** 6.0 or higher **
 *  Tested up to **7.1**
 *  PHP version ** 7.4 or higher **
 *  Language
 * [English (US)](https://wordpress.org/plugins/devdome-safe-media-cleaner/)
 * Tags
 * [duplicate images](https://arg.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/duplicate-images/)[media cleaner](https://arg.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/media-cleaner/)
   [orphaned images](https://arg.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/orphaned-images/)[unused images](https://arg.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/unused-images/)
   [unused media](https://arg.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/unused-media/)
 *  [Advanced View](https://arg.wordpress.org/plugins/devdome-safe-media-cleaner/advanced/)

## Ratings

 5 out of 5 stars.

 *  [  2 5-star reviews     ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/devdome-safe-media-cleaner/reviews/?filter=5)
 *  [  0 4-star reviews     ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/devdome-safe-media-cleaner/reviews/?filter=4)
 *  [  0 3-star reviews     ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/devdome-safe-media-cleaner/reviews/?filter=3)
 *  [  0 2-star reviews     ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/devdome-safe-media-cleaner/reviews/?filter=2)
 *  [  0 1-star reviews     ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/devdome-safe-media-cleaner/reviews/?filter=1)

[Your review](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/devdome-safe-media-cleaner/reviews/#new-post)

[See all reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/devdome-safe-media-cleaner/reviews/)

## Contributors

 *   [ DevDome ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/devdome/)

## Support

Got something to say? Need help?

 [View support forum](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/devdome-safe-media-cleaner/)