KooKoa Folders adds a folder sidebar to the WordPress Media Library. You can create folders, nest them into subfolders, and move files around with drag and drop. It also ships with unlimited smart folders that auto-populate from rules you define — file type, size, date, dimensions, tags, and more — so the library stays tidy as it grows.
Folders are virtual. They are stored as a private WordPress taxonomy and attached to your media items, so your files on disk are never moved and existing image URLs keep working. If you deactivate the plugin your Media Library keeps running as if nothing happened.
Organization
- Unlimited folders and subfolders in the Media Library
- Drag and drop attachments between folders
- Auto-assign new uploads to the folder you are currently in
- Item count per folder
- Folder filter on the Media Library list view
⚡ Smart Folders
- Unlimited smart (rule-based) folders, auto-populated as your Media Library grows
- Combine multiple rules per folder with AND logic — file type, size, dimensions, date, author, status, search, tags, and more
- Live counts cached per folder, refreshed automatically when items change
- Pin, lock, color and icon support — same UX as regular folders
🌈 Cosmetics
- Custom folder colors
- Custom folder icons with emoji picker
- Pin folders to the top of the tree
- Lock folders to prevent accidental rename, color, icon or delete
🔍 Navigation
- Resizable, sticky folder sidebar
- Search and sort the folder tree
- Breadcrumb bar and subfolder cards
- Smart Startup Folder — open the Media Library on the last folder you used, or on a fixed folder of your choice
- Keyboard shortcuts for common actions
- Mobile responsive layout
🔄 Bulk operations
- Bulk Organize mode — select multiple attachments and move them into a folder in one click
- Download a folder (and all its subfolders) as a single ZIP archive
- Download just the selected items as a ZIP, straight from the Bulk Organize toolbar
- Upload a folder structure from your computer and have the subfolders recreated automatically
- Export and import the folder structure as JSON, with Merge or Replace modes
📊 Insights
- Hover tooltip on media items showing filename, size and dimensions
- Optional EXIF fields in the hover tooltip — camera, aperture, shutter, ISO, focal length
🛡️ Access control
- Role-based access — pick which WordPress roles can use the folder sidebar
🔒 Privacy
- Self-hosted font, no Google Fonts call
- No external scripts, no trackers, no analytics
- No frontend assets are loaded for regular visitors; builder/editor integrations load only when an authorized editor opens a supported visual builder
✅ Works with
The folder sidebar is available inside:
- The WordPress Media Library list and grid views
- The block editor (Gutenberg) media modal
- The Classic Editor media modal
- Divi 4 and 5 media modals
- Elementor media modal
- WooCommerce product gallery media modal
🚀 Pro add-on
A separate commercial add-on, KooKoa Folders Pro, extends the folder UX from the Media Library to Posts, Pages and Custom Post Types.
- In your WordPress admin, go to Plugins → Add New.
- Search for KooKoa Folders.
- Click Install Now, then Activate.
- Open the Media Library — the folder sidebar will appear on the left.
- Click + Folder in the sidebar header to create your first folder, then drag items into it.
To configure the plugin, go to
KooKoa Folders in the WordPress admin menu. You can set the default sidebar width, change the color palette and icon set, enable keyboard shortcuts, adjust the context menu, pick which roles can use the plugin, and more.
Manual installation
- Download the plugin zip.
- Go to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin and upload the zip.
- Activate the plugin.