fraew Broken Media Inspector

Use it at your own risk, and always take a backup first. "Orphaned" only means a file is not registered in the Media Library — it does not guarantee the file is unused. Themes, page builders, sliders, custom code, and other plugins (including WebP and image-optimisation plugins) can reference files directly in ways WordPress cannot detect from its database. Treat the orphan list as a strong hint, not a certainty. That is exactly why the plugin does not delete orphans outright. Instead you Archive them — they are moved to wp-content/uploads/fbmi-archive, so your site behaves as if they were gone, but you can Restore any file instantly if something breaks. Only empty the archive once you have confirmed everything still works.

No. The broken-media scan is diagnostic — it tells you what's broken, where, and why, but restoring missing files is up to you (usually from a backup). This keeps it simple and safe.

The broken-media scan is strictly read-only. The Orphaned Files tool can change things, but only when you ask it to. Archiving and restoring simply move files between wp-content/uploads and wp-content/uploads/fbmi-archive; permanent deletion happens only when you empty the archive. Every path is validated to stay inside the uploads folder.

The broken-media scan checks every file on disk in a fast first pass, so even large libraries finish quickly — typically a few seconds for a few thousand images, with usage details filled in afterwards.

Yes. The broken-media scan only reads data. The orphan tools act only on the files you explicitly select.

No. The orphan scanner builds a list of every file WordPress knows about — originals, scaled versions, and all generated thumbnail sizes — so legitimate thumbnails are never mistaken for orphans.

No. Everything runs inside WordPress. No API calls, no cloud services, no data sent anywhere. Works on any hosting, including shared hosting.

Yes. For each broken image, the report shows which pages/posts reference it, with direct links to edit them.

Yes. The plugin processes images in batches and tracks progress. Even massive libraries are supported.

Congratulations! No action needed. The report shows detailed counts and can be exported as proof for your team or clients.

The broken-media scan works alongside any optimisation, lazy-load or CDN plugin — it checks whether the real file exists on disk. Note that WebP/optimiser plugins often create extra files (such as photo.jpg.webp) that aren't in the Media Library, so those will appear in the Orphaned Files list. They're usually in active use, so review before archiving.

Version 1.0 supports single-site installations. Multisite is a candidate for a future release.

Not in Version 1.0. Scheduled scanning is a candidate for a future release based on user feedback.

The "likely cause" is a best guess based on the type of failure:

• Missing — the file isn't on disk. Usually the uploads folder (or a sub-folder) wasn't copied during a migration or restore, or the file was deleted manually.
• Metadata issue — the file exists but WordPress has no size/metadata for it, typically from an incomplete upload or import.