Over time, your WordPress media library can become cluttered with unused images, PDFs, and other files. These unnecessary files take up storage space, slow down your website, and make it harder to manage content. Cleaning up your media library and optimizing images before uploading improves site speed, performance, and SEO.
Why Removing Unused Media Matters
- Improves Website Speed – Large, unoptimized media files slow down page load times, leading to a poor user experience and lower search rankings.
- Saves Storage Space – Unused images take up hosting space, which can impact site performance and increase hosting costs.
- Simplifies Media Management – A clutter-free media library makes it easier to find and use the right files.
How to Remove Unused Media from WordPress
Step 1: Identify Unused Files
WordPress doesn’t automatically tell you which files aren’t being used on your website. To find and remove unused images, use a media cleanup plugin like:
- Media Cleaner – Scans your media library and detects unused files.
- WP-Optimize – Includes a database cleanup feature for removing unnecessary media files.
After installing one of these plugins, run a scan and review the suggested files before deleting them to avoid removing anything important.
Step 2: Delete Unused Media Files
- Go to Media > Library in your WordPress dashboard.
- Switch to List View for better visibility.
- Use the Search function to find old or duplicate files.
- Select and delete any unused images or files.
How to Optimize Images Before Uploading
Uploading large images slows down your website, which can lead to higher bounce rates and lower SEO rankings. Instead of relying on WordPress to resize images, optimize them before uploading using an image compression tool like:
- ShortPixel – Reduces file size without losing quality.
- TinyPNG – Compresses PNG and JPEG images for faster loading times.
Best Practices for Image Optimization
- Resize images before uploading – Large, high-resolution files aren’t necessary for web use. Resize images to the dimensions you need.
- Use the right file format – PNG is best for graphics with transparency, while JPEG is better for photos. WebP is a modern format that offers better compression.
- Enable lazy loading – WordPress has built-in lazy loading, ensuring images only load when they appear on the screen, improving speed.
What’s Next?
Cleaning up your media library and optimizing images are key steps in maintaining a fast, efficient website. If you want to ensure your site is fully optimized, secure, and running at peak performance, a Website Diagnostic Review can help identify other areas for improvement. Learn more about the service here.
