🚀 The Ultimate Image Optimization Plugin for WordPress
⚡ Boost your site’s speed instantly! Optimize images and PDFs with one click, bulk compress to WebP and AVIF, use lazy loading, and resize images.
Increase your website's SEO ranking, number of visitors, and ultimately your sales by optimising any image or PDF document on your website.
The
ShortPixel plugin is a lightweight, user-friendly, install-and-forget solution for image optimization.
It is designed to work with any website type, whether it's a small blog or a large WooCommerce-powered online store with tens of thousands of products.
Additionally, it's an excellent choice for agencies, offering unlimited image optimization credits for a flat monthly fee.
🎬 Ready for a Quick DEMO of our Top Image Optimization Tool?
Test our plugin
here.
Make an instant
image compression test of your site or
compress some images to test our optimization algorithms.
Let's get the ShortPixel plugin running on your WordPress website:
- Sign up using your email at https://shortpixel.com/wp-apikey.
- You will receive your personal API key in a confirmation email, to the address you provided.
- Upload the ShortPixel plugin to the /wp-content/plugins/ directory
- Use your unique API key to activate the ShortPixel plugin in the 'Plugins' menu in WordPress.
- Uploaded images can be automatically optimized in the Media Library.
- Done!
6.2.1
🚀 The CDN & AI Control Update
Release Date: May 27, 2025
⚙️ Improvements
- AI Feature Control: Added a filter to easily disable AI-powered features if needed.
CDN Delivery Enhancements:
- Now supports background images inside inline style blocks.
- Delivers inline SVGs through the CDN for consistent asset performance.
- Fallback for Missing WebP/AVIF: If WebP or AVIF images aren't generated locally, they’ll now be created on-the-fly and served directly from the CDN.
- Broken Image Protection: Added checks to ensure the CDN doesn't store or deliver broken images.
- Improved Timestamp Handling: Timestamps are now added whenever images are sent for optimization, helping prevent unwanted caching.
- PNG Conversion via ImageMagick: Added fallback support for PNG conversion using ImageMagick when the GD extension isn’t available.
- Punctuation Tweak for AI Texts: AI-generated alternative texts now end with a trailing dot for readability (can be disabled via filter).
🛠️ Fixes
CDN Delivery:
- Fixed multiple edge cases where image URLs with single/double quotes were not parsed correctly.
- Corrected issues with relative paths not resolving to the proper CDN URL.
- Resolved an issue where CDN links were accidentally duplicated in specific situations.
- Settings Import: Fixed import functionality for older PHP versions.
- WebP/AVIF Count Fix: Image counts in bulk processing now display correctly again.
- S3 Uploads Compatibility: Fixed an error triggered by a missing method when using the S3 Uploads plugin (thanks @matthewgrzegorczyk! 🙌).
- WP-CLI Message Bug: Corrected a misleading WP-CLI message shown when thumbnails were unwritable but main images were optimized.
-
Custom Media Folder Fix: Resolved errors in the folders list when performing specific actions.
🌍 Language Updates
-
Added 2 new strings and updated 2, to enhance global translation support.
Update now to take full advantage of smarter CDN handling, more control over AI features, and improved compatibility across the board! 🚀
6.2.0
🚀 The Power Tools Update
Release Date: May 8, 2025
🌟 New Features
- Smart WebP Compression: ShortPixel now compresses your existing WebP images to save even more space without sacrificing quality.
- AI-Powered Image Captioning (BETA): Automatically generate meaningful “alternative text(ALT)” for your images using our AI model—great for SEO and accessibility!
- Global CDN for CSS & JS: Your CSS, JS, and even background images can now be served via ShortPixel's global CDN for faster page loads.
- CDN Cache Purge Controls: New buttons to purge cached CSS, JS, or the entire CDN cache with one click—right from your dashboard.
- Save & Restore Settings: Export and import all settings effortlessly — ideal for agencies managing multiple sites.
⚙️ Improvements
- Cross-Tab Sync: Optimizations done in multiple browser tabs now stay in sync using browser broadcasting.
- Automatic Association to ShortPixel Account: Your site domain is now automatically associated to your ShortPixel account when enabling CDN delivery.
- CDN Domain Validation: Prevent misconfigurations with smart validation of your CDN domain format.
- Cleaner Admin Bar: The ShortPixel icon is now hidden when restoring items to keep your admin interface tidy.
- CDN Bypass Option: Append
?PageSpeed=off
to disable CDN replacement for debugging or testing.
- WebP Limit Handling: Files that exceed WebP conversion limits are now properly managed to avoid errors.
🛠️ Fixes
- Lossless Labeling Bug: Fixed an issue where images were incorrectly marked as "Lossless" if the main image wasn't optimized.
- Sticky Notification: Resolved an issue where the API key notification couldn't be dismissed after saving it from settings.
- Folder Creation Fix: The plugin no longer attempts to create month-based folders—it now leaves that job to WordPress.
- File Format Conversions: Improved support for HEIC, TIFF, and BMP file conversion.
- API Key Onboarding Fix: Pressing Enter now correctly saves your API key during onboarding.
🌍 Language Updates
- Added 87 new strings, updated 2, and deprecated 28 to enhance global translation support.
Update now for faster speeds, smarter automation, and more control than ever! 🚀
6.1.4
🔧 The Clarity & Stability Update
Release Date: March 27, 2025
🛠️ Fixes & Improvements
- Quota Limit Message: Clearer messaging is now shown on the bulk processing screen when you're out of optimization quota.
- Admin Notice Styling: Fixed visual issues with some admin notifications that weren’t styled correctly in wp-admin.
- Duplicate Image Requests: Resolved an issue where some background images caused doubled image requests when using the PICTURE tag for next-gen formats.
- Redirect Loop Prevention: Added a fail-safe mechanism to avoid potential redirect loops in wp-admin if
register_shutdown_function
fails.
Update now for a cleaner, more stable, and user-friendly experience! 🚀
6.1.3
🔧 The Smart CDN Update
Release Date: February 13, 2025
🛠️ Fixes & Improvements
- Smarter CDN Replacements: The plugin now verifies if replaced URLs are empty, preventing issues in text templates used by various plugins.
- JSON Compatibility Fix: Resolved cases where JSON files containing images were broken by the CDN replacer.
- Background Processing Cleanup: When disabling background mode, the cron job is now properly removed to avoid unnecessary processes.
This update ensures a more reliable CDN integration, preventing conflicts with plugins and structured data. Update now for a smoother experience! 🚀
6.1.2
🛒 The Seamless Shopping Update
Release Date: February 11, 2025
🛠️ Fixes
- WooCommerce CDN Fixes: Resolved issues where images in the WooCommerce cart and checkout pages weren’t correctly replaced with CDN links.
- Duplicate Optimization Info: Fixed cases where ShortPixel optimization details appeared twice when using Gutenberg.
- Background Processing Errors: Corrected cron errors affecting background processing in specific scenarios.
- Relative URL CDN Delivery: Ensured proper replacement of relative URLs when using CDN delivery for consistent performance.
- Picture Tag Adjustments: All attributes are now fully supported when delivering next-gen images via the Picture tag method.
🔧 Compatibility Updates
- Avada Live Builder Integration: Automatically disabled the CDN replacer when using Avada Live Builder to prevent conflicts.
✨ Tweaks & Improvements
- UI Refinements: Enhanced CSS styling, clearer texts, and smoother layouts to improve the onboarding experience for new users.
🌍 Language Updates
- Added 2 new strings, updated 3, with no deprecated strings to improve global translation coverage.
Update now to keep your WooCommerce store and website running seamlessly! 🚀
6.1.1
🔧 The needed Friday release
Release Date: January 24, 2025
🛠️ Fixes
AVIF Notification Disabled: The AVIF notification got a little crazy and started appearing where it shouldn’t. We’ve completely disabled it to avoid any further confusion. Apologies for the inconvenience!
Thank you for your patience and understanding! Update now for a smoother experience. 🚀
6.1.0
🚀 The Data-mining Update
Release Date: January 23, 2025
🎉 New Features
- AI Training Control: Added data-mining options in the EXIF management settings. You can now decide whether your images can be used for AI training.
- Improved Switchers Design: Enjoy a cleaner and more user-friendly design for the switchers in settings and bulk processing.
- AVIF Recheck Option: Added a handy recheck option to notifications about AVIF issues for better troubleshooting.
🛠️ Fixes
- Resolved "Could not save backup" errors caused by specific combinations of thumbnail sizes and SmartCropping.
- Fixed missing icons or images in certain notifications.
- Custom Media folders "Last change" timestamps are now updated correctly when changes occur.
- Proper detection of Custom Media images missing WebP or AVIF formats in all scenarios.
- Fixed display issues with Custom Media notices when selecting new folders.
- Removed old Custom Media cron formats when the plugin is deactivated.
- Prevented errors by ensuring thumbnails aren’t added to the optimization queue when the main image isn’t processable.
- Resized images through filters get their metadata updated correctly.
✨ Tweaks & Improvements
- WP-CLI Processes: Updated process stats every 3 minutes for accurate numbers.
- Custom Media Cron: Cron jobs for new file detection won’t run if the Custom Media option is disabled.
- Added a filter for settings to enable programmatic changes when needed.
- Updated all plugin links to avoid unnecessary redirects.
- Added support for CDN on http-only websites.
- Polished CSS, texts, and layouts for a smoother experience.
- Old, unused code has been cleaned up.
🌍 Language Updates
- Added 16 new strings, updated 7, and deprecated 67 to enhance global translation support.
Update now to take full advantage of these enhancements and new features! 🌟
6.0.5
Release Date: January 16, 2025
🛠️ Fixes
- Resolved an issue where WebP or AVIF formats were not added to bulk processing for Custom Media items.
- Fixed a deprecation warning that appeared when using PHP 8.3.
- Corrected a redirect error after saving the API Key, which previously led to the general WordPress settings.
- Fixed a misleading message displayed when a converted image was restored from backup.
- Added a proper link to Custom Media images when displaying errors after the bulk processing.
🔧 Compatibility Updates
- CDN Replacer Disabled: Now automatically disabled when using Bricks, Breakdance, or Oxygen builders to avoid conflicts.
✨ Tweaks & Improvements
- Updated Texts: Improved clarity in messages when bulk processing is paused and background mode is active.
- API Key Box Hidden: Completely hide the API Key box when the SHORTPIXEL_HIDE_API_KEY constant is used.
🌍 Language Updates
- Added 4 new strings, updated 2 strings, and deprecated 4 strings to improve translation coverage.
Update now to enjoy these enhancements and fixes for a smoother experience! 🚀
6.0.4
Release date: December 10, 2024
- Fix: Inline images and SVGs are no longer replaced by CDN links;
- Fix: The text domain load has been removed from the plugin code to avoid future errors;
- Fix: When trying to clear the queue, the settings page was not loaded correctly;
- Fix: Forced generation for PNGs could be enabled even if the PNG2JPG option was disabled;
- Tweak: Several minor CSS and wording improvements have been added;
- Tweak: Bulk preparation now runs faster when no images are optimized;
- Language: 0 new strings added, 2 updated, 0 fuzzed and 0 deprecated.
6.0.3
Release date: December 3, 2024
- Fix: With certain WooCommerce themes and CDN delivery enabled, some images were not loaded on the cart and checkout pages
- Fix: Removed an unused hook that was triggering errors in some cases;
- Fix: A JavaScript error was displayed in the browser console when CDN delivery was hidden in the settings;
- Fix: Divi frontend builder now works when CDN delivery is enabled;
- Language: 2 new strings added, 0 updated, 0 fuzzed and 0 deprecated.
6.0.2
Release date: November 28, 2024
- Fix: Resizing and SmartCropping can now both be enabled;
- Fix: Beaver Builder now works when CDN delivery is enabled;
- Fix: In some cases the picture tag was generated even if it was disabled;
- Fix: Some notifications still had links pointing to the old settings structure;
- Fix: The custom media cron generated an error under very specific conditions in PHP 8.2.x;
- Fix: More CSS changes to make the settings usable when other plugins insert their own CSS in wrong places;
- Fix: All database options are now removed from the tools section after uninstalling the plugin;
- Fix: Added a possible fix if the execution of the installation scripts hangs after upgrading to version 6;
- Fix: Some JavaScript errors were displayed in the Theme Customizer section;
- Tweak: Added filter to hide the new CDN delivery method;
- Tweak: Removed a database query for custom media that was no longer needed in wp-admin;
- Tweak: The save settings button function has been improved and prevents multiple saves at once;
- Tweak: The default CDN URL has been updated;
- Language: 1 new strings added, 10 updated, 0 fuzzed and 0 deprecated.
6.0.1
Release date: November 22, 2024
- Fix: Some PHP warnings were displayed for certain images when they were optimized;
- Fix: The plugin settings are loaded correctly even if the Google Reviews & Ratings plugin is active;
- Fix: Help icon pop-ups now look better;
- Language: 0 new strings added, 0 updated, 0 fuzzed and 0 deprecated.
6.0.0
Release date: November 21, 2024
- New: The plugin now also delivers next generation images such as WebP and AVIF via the ShortPixel CDN;
- New: Complete redesign of the plugin settings and layout;
- New: Overview page with image status in a single view;
- New: Simple and advanced settings modes are now available;
- Tweak: Plugin processing is no longer started for users without appropriate rights (such as Authors);
- Fix: The filter "optimized/not optimized" from the Media Library now works correctly when the main image is excluded;
- Fix: The comparator in the NextGen Gallery now looks better;
- Fix: When using WPML, random optimization errors occurred with some images;
- Language: Many of the plugin strings have been updated or changed and we thank the translation teams for their efforts..
5.6.4
Release date: October 9, 2024
- Fix: A Broken Access Control vulnerability has been fixed (safely disclosed by the PatchStack team - thanks!);
- Fix: An SQL injection vulnerability has been patched (also safely disclosed by the PatchStack team);
- Fix: Moved loading of the plugin text domain to the init hook to increase compatibility;
- Language: 2 new strings added, 0 updated, 0 fuzzed, and 0 deprecated.
5.6.3
Release date: July 16, 2024
- Compat: Integration with Polylang Pro is fixed;
- Fix: Some bulk actions in the list view of the Media Library did not work;
- Fix: PHP warning was displayed when an existing Custom Media folder was no longer present on the disk;
- Language: 0 new strings added, 0 updated, 0 fuzzed, and 0 deprecated.
5.6.2
Release date: May 23, 2024
- Fix: The Cover or Contain setting for resizing was not retained when saving;
- Language: 0 new strings added, 0 updated, 0 fuzzed, and 0 deprecated.
5.6.1
Release date: May 21, 2024
- Fix: Folders from the uploads folder can now be selected as Custom Media even if the year/month structure is not used;
- Fix: In certain cases PHP errors were generated when trying to optimize or even upload images;
- Fix: Some typos caused warnings in some cases;
- Fix: Fixed a typo regarding the number of seconds in a day (kudos to @JusGu for pointing this out);
- Fix: Images with a size of 0Kb are no longer processed;
- Compat: The integration with Formidable Forms now works directly in the Media Library (no need for Custom Media anymore);
- Language: 5 new strings added, 2 updated, 1 fuzzed, and 2 deprecated.
5.6.0
Release date: May 2, 2024
- New: Added background mode that uses cron jobs to perform optimizations without having to keep the browser open;
- New: Custom media folders are now automatically checked for new images in the background with cron jobs;
- New: The bulk actions from the list view of the media library have been moved to JS;
- New: BMP and TIFF files are automatically converted to JPG;
- Compat: Added integration for images uploaded via Formidable Forms;
- Compat: Improved performance of PICTURE tag delivery mode when offload is enabled;
- Compat: The images generated by the Uncode theme are now automatically optimized;
- Compat: PNG conversion has been improved to better handle images with alpha channel but without transparent pixels;
- Compat: Added a filter to disable the PHP basedir constraints check;
- Compat: Added filter to allow generation of WebP/AVIF even if they are larger than JPG/PNG;
- Compat: Added new hooks for Regenerate Thumbnails Advanced;
- Compat: Added notification to enable double WebP extension when WebP delivery is enabled in Litespeed Cache;
- Compat: Fixed a conflict with the Getty Images plugin (thanks @pintofbeer);
- Compat: Fixed Photo Engine/WpLr integration when republishing images from Adobe Lightroom;
- Fix: PDF files are now correctly excluded from processing when the option is disabled in the advanced settings;
- Fix: Styling corrected when deactivating the plugin;
- Fix: Added additional checks for silent mode when errors occurred in some cases;
- Fix: Some PHP warnings were displayed under PHP 8.3;
- Fix: The warning about Imagify could not be dismissed;
- Language: 27 new strings added, 6 updated, 0 fuzzed, and 0 deprecated.
5.5.5
Release date: February 13, 2024
- Compat: Added new hooks to be used by the Regenerate Thumbnails Advanced plugin;
- Compat: Adjusted the settings limitations for the new Unlimited plans;
- Fix: Added an additional check to prevent database table errors when the plugin is removed;
- Language: 0 new strings added, 1 updated, 0 fuzzed and 0 deprecated.
5.5.4
Release date: January 22, 2024
- Tweak: The messages displayed when executing WP-CLI "auto" commands have been improved;
- Tweak: More options and flexibility for the filter used when creating the
.htaccess
rules (for WebP delivery);
- Tweak: Added a check and mechanism to prevent running out of memory if the bulk process preparation fails due to lack of memory;
- Tweak: Added back the "Optimize" option in the "Bulk actions" section in the list view of the Media Library;
- Compat: Added integration with the "Media File Renamer" plugin;
- Fix: Under PHP 8.1+, a notice was displayed when re-optimizations were performed;
- Fix: A PHP warning was displayed converting optimization metadata via WP-CLI;
- Fix: Multiple exclusion checkboxes in the plugin settings can now be selected with the SHIFT key;
- Fix: Converting optimization metadata without backups could cause the main images to be incorrectly set to unprocessed;
- Language: 4 new strings added, 0 updated, 0 fuzzed, and 0 deprecated.
5.5.3
Release date: January 3, 2024
- Fix: In some cases, an error was displayed when adding a folder to Custom Media, even if the folder was added correctly;
- Fix: For WebP files uploaded directly to the Media Library, the plugin could remove the wrong files during certain operations;
- Fix: Bulk processing of Custom Media could lead to errors in some cases;
- Fix: A PHP Warning was displayed on the Custom Media page if no items were present;
- Language: 0 new strings added, 0 updated, 0 fuzzed and 0 deprecated.
5.5.2
Release date: November 24, 2023
- Fix: The excluded thumbnails are no longer checked out when saving the settings;
- Fix: Adding new exclusions is now fixed;
- Fix: Updated the wording of exclusions to make them consistent;
- Fix: An error was displayed in the logs if an image could not be loaded at all;
- Fix: An error is now displayed when a Custom Media folder cannot be added instead of silently crashing the page;
- Fix: If WP_CONTENT_DIR does not contain wp-content, adding a Custom Media folder failed;
- Language: 8 new strings added, 2 updated, 0 fuzzed and 7 deprecated.
5.5.1
Release date: November 17, 2023
- New: Added a filter to change the parameters sent to the API (e.g. for granular resizing);
- Fix: Some PHP notices were displayed in the logs when no exclusions were set;
- Fix: when using the Media Library Grid view, a request for a non-existent image resulted in an Ajax error;
- Fix: Add checks to prevent errors when WebP files cannot be copied to their destination;
- Tweak: Removed notification about HEIC files;
- Language: 0 new strings added, 0 updated, 0 fuzzed and 2 deprecated.
5.5.0
Release date: November 8, 2023
- New: The Custom Media folders have been redesigned, more features have been added and everything has been moved to Media -> Custom Media;
- New: The exclusions have been redesigned to provide a simpler and more flexible mechanism;
- New: The ability to override exclusions and manually optimize excluded images has been added;
- New: The ability to mark images as completed (optimized) has been added;
- New: Added migration of optimization data to WP-CLI;
- New: Added constant to disable the feedback survey when the plugin is deactivated;
- Compat: Added proper validation and integration for the Swift AI plugin;
- Compat: Added filter to suppress cache clearing for various cache plugins (useful for large websites);
- Fix: If an image has been excluded, it can now be restored from the backup;
- Fix: Envira and Soliloquy have been added to the list of pages where processing is performed automatically;
- Fix: Websites with many Custom Media folders and/or NextGen galleries should no longer hang;
- Fix: Added some checks and validations to avoid
open_basedir
warnings;
- Fix: Updated wording and banners throughout the plugin;
- Language: 94 new strings added, 3 updated, 5 fuzzed and 33 deprecated.
EARLIER VERSIONS
- please refer to the changelog.txt file inside the plugin archive.