Replace Existing Media Files

Images are adding up to your WordPress Media Library and uploads folder year after year until, one day, you realize that the filenames that were used were not exactly the best for SEO. Especially if you allowed your client or visitors to upload their own!

A first glimpse at your Media Library will only show part of the problem:

Because the worst is to come when you’ll connect to your host by FTP and open your site’s folder /wp-content/uploads/ to discover this never ending list of files:

41229150_SV200203_6689809831542390784_n-08c98a79.jpg
41229150_SV200203_6689809831542390784_n-08c98a79-58×80.jpg
41229150_SV200203_6689809831542390784_n-08c98a79-80×80.jpg
41229150_SV200203_6689809831542390784_n-08c98a79-100×100.jpg
41229150_SV200203_6689809831542390784_n-08c98a79-150×150.jpg
41229150_SV200203_6689809831542390784_n-08c98a79-219×300.jpg
41229150_SV200203_6689809831542390784_n-08c98a79-555×400.jpg
41229150_SV200203_6689809831542390784_n-08c98a79-555×762.jpg
41229150_SV200203_6689809831542390784_n-08c98a79-746×1024.jpg
41229150_SV200203_6689809831542390784_n-08c98a79-750×450.jpg
41229150_SV200203_6689809831542390784_n-08c98a79-768×1054.jpg
41229150_SV200203_6689809831542390784_n-08c98a79-850×567.jpg
41229150_SV200203_6689809831542390784_n-08c98a79-1140×650.jpg
41229150_SV200203_6689809831542390784_n-08c98a79-1321×500.jpg
41229150_SV200203_6689809831542390784_n-08c98a79-1321×850.jpg
41284030_DSC_40707242gjgklg_3625813517292011520_nrgbsd.jpg
41284030_DSC_40707242gjgklg_3625813517292011520_nrgbsd-60×80.jpg
41284030_DSC_40707242gjgklg_3625813517292011520_nrgbsd-80×80.jpg
41284030_DSC_40707242gjgklg_3625813517292011520_nrgbsd-100×100.jpg
41284030_DSC_40707242gjgklg_3625813517292011520_nrgbsd-150×150.jpg
41284030_DSC_40707242gjgklg_3625813517292011520_nrgbsd-223×300.jpg
41284030_DSC_40707242gjgklg_3625813517292011520_nrgbsd-555×400.jpg
41284030_DSC_40707242gjgklg_3625813517292011520_nrgbsd-555×745.jpg
41284030_DSC_40707242gjgklg_3625813517292011520_nrgbsd-750×450.jpg
41284030_DSC_40707242gjgklg_3625813517292011520_nrgbsd-763×1024.jpg
41284030_DSC_40707242gjgklg_3625813517292011520_nrgbsd-768×1031.jpg
41284030_DSC_40707242gjgklg_3625813517292011520_nrgbsd-850×567.jpg
41284030_DSC_40707242gjgklg_3625813517292011520_nrgbsd-1140×650.jpg
41284030_DSC_40707242gjgklg_3625813517292011520_nrgbsd-1390×500.jpg
41284030_DSC_40707242gjgklg_3625813517292011520_nrgbsd-1390×850.jpg
copy_486345415173403_n-6ba12ad6.jpg
copy_486345415173403_n-6ba12ad6-51×80.jpg
copy_486345415173403_n-6ba12ad6-80×80.jpg
copy_486345415173403_n-6ba12ad6-100×100.jpg
copy_486345415173403_n-6ba12ad6-150×150.jpg
copy_486345415173403_n-6ba12ad6-190×300.jpg
copy_486345415173403_n-6ba12ad6-555×400.jpg
copy_486345415173403_n-6ba12ad6-555×876.jpg
copy_486345415173403_n-6ba12ad6-649×1024.jpg
copy_486345415173403_n-6ba12ad6-750×450.jpg
copy_486345415173403_n-6ba12ad6-768×1212.jpg
copy_486345415173403_n-6ba12ad6-850×567.jpg
copy_486345415173403_n-6ba12ad6-1140×650.jpg
copy_486345415173403_n-6ba12ad6-1214×500.jpg
copy_486345415173403_n-6ba12ad6-1214×850.jpg
front_store_1623365017769603cc7847d1.jpg
front_store_1623365017769603cc7847d1-53×80.jpg
front_store_1623365017769603cc7847d1-80×80.jpg
front_store_1623365017769603cc7847d1-100×100.jpg
front_store_1623365017769603cc7847d1-150×150.jpg
front_store_1623365017769603cc7847d1-198×300.jpg
front_store_1623365017769603cc7847d1-555×400.jpg
front_store_1623365017769603cc7847d1-555×840.jpg
front_store_1623365017769603cc7847d1-677×1024.jpg
front_store_1623365017769603cc7847d1-750×450.jpg
front_store_1623365017769603cc7847d1-768×1162.jpg
front_store_1623365017769603cc7847d1-850×567.jpg
front_store_1623365017769603cc7847d1-1140×650.jpg
front_store_1623365017769603cc7847d1-1240×500.jpg
front_store_1623365017769603cc7847d1-1240×850.jpg
IMG_0123_463069617507503_9195715187657670656_copy.jpg
IMG_0123_463069617507503_9195715187657670656_copy-57×80.jpg
IMG_0123_463069617507503_9195715187657670656_copy-80×80.jpg
IMG_0123_463069617507503_9195715187657670656_copy-100×100.jpg
IMG_0123_463069617507503_9195715187657670656_copy-150×150.jpg
IMG_0123_463069617507503_9195715187657670656_copy-213×300.jpg
IMG_0123_463069617507503_9195715187657670656_copy-555×400.jpg
IMG_0123_463069617507503_9195715187657670656_copy-555×783.jpg
IMG_0123_463069617507503_9195715187657670656_copy-726×1024.jpg
IMG_0123_463069617507503_9195715187657670656_copy-750×450.jpg
IMG_0123_463069617507503_9195715187657670656_copy-768×1083.jpg
IMG_0123_463069617507503_9195715187657670656_copy-850×567.jpg
IMG_0123_463069617507503_9195715187657670656_copy-1140×650.jpg
IMG_0123_463069617507503_9195715187657670656_copy-1264×500.jpg
IMG_0123_463069617507503_9195715187657670656_copy-1264×850.jpg

And you have hundreds of them, if not thousands…
It would be great to replace them with new filenames, right?
And you are certainly not going to delete and replace them with new files, one by one, isn’t it?

Enters this awesome free plugin: Enable Media Replace by ShortPixel.

No more deleting, renaming and re-uploading files!
The plugin will add this new menu for each file in your Media Library:

When clicking on this menu a new page opens where you can upload the replacement file and have it side by side with the existing one:

 

You’ll get then 2 different Replacement Options:

  1. Just replace the file. This option requires you to upload a file of the same type as the one you are replacing. The name of the attachment will stay the same no matter what the file you upload is called.
  2. Replace the file, use new file name and update all links. If you check this option, the name and type of the file you are about to upload will replace the old file. All links pointing to the current file will be updated to point to the new file name.

And 3 different Date Options:

Once you decide which options to use just hit the UPLOAD button and your Media Library will feel a much better!

Share the love:

Leave a Reply