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Media Library Organizer - Settings Reference ​

Media Library Organizer lets you organize your WordPress Media Library with folders, filters, sorting options, and metadata management. You can find all plugin settings by navigating to Media Library Organizer in the WordPress admin sidebar.

Core Settings ​

Filter and Sort ​

Filter by Folders ​

When enabled, the plugin adds a folder dropdown to the Media Library toolbar. You can use it to narrow the view to media files in a specific folder. If you have created custom taxonomies (see Taxonomy Manager), a separate "Filter by [Taxonomy Name]" toggle appears for each one. Disable any filter you do not use to keep the toolbar uncluttered.

Sort By ​

When enabled, the plugin adds a dropdown to the Media Library toolbar that lets you sort files by date, ID, author, and other criteria. Turn this on when the default date-based sort is not enough and you need to find files by different attributes.

Sort Order ​

When enabled, the plugin adds an option to switch between ascending and descending sort order in the Media Library toolbar. This works alongside the Sort By dropdown; if Sort By is disabled, this toggle has no practical effect.

When enabled, the search bar in the Media Library expands to let you search by alt text, filename, caption, or description, with options to control how those fields are matched. This is useful when you remember part of a caption or description but not the file name. This setting requires the Pro version.

Multi-Select Filters ​

When enabled, you can apply more than one filter at the same time in the Media Library toolbar. For example, you could filter by two folders at once or combine a folder filter with a taxonomy filter. Without this, each filter dropdown only accepts a single selection. This setting requires the Pro version.

User Preferences ​

Remember Sort By ​

When enabled, the plugin saves each user's last-used sorting choice and automatically applies it the next time they visit the Media Library. This is helpful on multi-user sites where different people prefer different sort orders so they do not have to reselect their preference each session.

Remember Sort Order ​

When enabled, the plugin saves each user's last-used sort direction (ascending or descending) and reapplies it on their next visit to the Media Library. Works the same way as Remember Sort By but for the direction rather than the field.

Quick Edit on Upload ​

Enable Quick Edit on Upload ​

When enabled, metadata editing fields appear in the upload dialog as you drag and drop or select files. You can fill in titles, captions, descriptions, alt text, and assign folders right at the moment of upload rather than editing each file afterward. This is a significant time-saver when uploading large batches of files. This setting requires the Pro version.

Frontend Size ​

Frontend Size ​

Controls the image size displayed on individual attachment pages on the front end of your site. The available options are Thumbnail, Medium, Medium-Large, and Large. Change this if attachment pages show images that are too small or too large for your theme layout. This does not affect how images appear inside posts or pages — only dedicated attachment pages.

Advanced Modules ​

Auto Categorization ​

This entire section requires the Pro version. The section header includes a toggle to enable or disable the feature. When disabled, the sub-settings below are hidden.

Auto Categorization uses the Imagga image-recognition service to analyze uploaded images and automatically assign them to folders or custom taxonomies based on what it detects. You can get started with 100 free API calls per month on Imagga's free plan.

Authorization Code ​

The API key that connects the plugin to your Imagga account. You must sign up at Imagga and paste the authorization code here before auto-categorization will work. Without a valid code, the feature does nothing.

Confidence Level ​

A number that controls how certain Imagga must be before it assigns a category. The default is 25. Higher values produce fewer but more accurate categories; lower values produce more categories but may include less relevant ones. Adjust this if auto-categorization is either too aggressive or too conservative for your library.

Add New Categories To ​

A dropdown that determines which taxonomy receives the categories Imagga detects. By default this is set to Folders, but if you have created custom taxonomies through the Taxonomy Manager you can direct auto-generated categories into a separate taxonomy to keep them apart from your manual organization.

Store Terms within Auto Categorization Term? ​

When enabled, every category that Imagga creates and assigns to an image is placed as a child of a top-level "Auto Categorization" parent term. This keeps auto-generated terms visually separated from the terms you create manually, making it easier to manage or bulk-delete them later.

EXIF and IPTC Data ​

This entire section requires the Pro version. The section header includes a toggle to enable or disable the feature. When disabled, the sub-settings below are hidden.

Enables viewing and editing of EXIF and IPTC metadata directly inside WordPress when editing an image.

Display Non-editable EXIF Data ​

When enabled, technical image properties that cannot be changed (such as camera settings and sensor data) are shown alongside the editable fields when you edit an image. Turn this on if you want a quick reference to the technical details of your photos without leaving WordPress.

Configure Editable Fields ​

Two configuration buttons let you choose which EXIF and IPTC metadata fields are available for editing.

Configure EXIF Fields opens a panel where you can enable or disable each of the following fields:

  • Camera Make — the manufacturer of the camera that took the photo
  • Camera Model — the specific model of the camera
  • Created Date — the date the photo was taken
  • Created Time — the time the photo was taken
  • Comments — general comments embedded in the image
  • Title — the EXIF title field
  • Author — the photographer or creator recorded in the EXIF data
  • Description — a text description stored in the EXIF data
  • Latitude — the GPS latitude where the photo was taken
  • Longitude — the GPS longitude where the photo was taken

Configure IPTC Fields opens a panel organized into four groups:

Basic Info:

  • Title — the IPTC title of the image
  • Description — a narrative description of the image content
  • Keywords — tags or keywords associated with the image
  • Headline — a short synopsis of the image's content
  • Date Created — the date the intellectual content was created
  • Description Writer — the person who wrote the description
  • Instructions — editorial instructions for using the image
  • Intellectual Genre Line — the genre of the intellectual content
  • Job ID — a job or assignment identifier
  • Source — the original source of the image

Creator Info:

  • Creator — the person who created the image (displayed by Google in Image searches)
  • Creator's Job Title — the job title of the creator
  • Contact Information: Address — the creator's street address
  • Contact Information: City — the creator's city
  • Contact Information: Country — the creator's country
  • Contact Information: Email — the creator's email address
  • Contact Information: Phone — the creator's phone number
  • Contact Information: Postal Code — the creator's postal code
  • Contact Information: State/Province — the creator's state or province
  • Contact Information: URL — the creator's website

Rights & Licensing:

  • Copyright Notice — the copyright notice for the image (displayed by Google in Image searches)
  • Credit Line — the credit to be shown when the image is published (displayed by Google in Image searches)
  • Rights Usage of Terms — the terms governing use of the image
  • Copyright Owner: Name — the name of the copyright holder
  • Copyright Owner URL — the website of the copyright holder
  • Image Creator: Name — the name of the image creator
  • Image Creator: URL — the website of the image creator
  • Licensor: ID — an identifier for the licensor
  • Licensor: Name — the name of the licensor (displayed by Google in Image searches; used with Licensor URL to produce a "Get this image on" link)
  • Licensor: URL — the website of the licensor (displayed by Google in Image searches; used with Licensor Name to produce a "Get this image on" link)
  • Web Statement of Rights / Copyright Info URL — a URL pointing to the licensing terms (displayed by Google in Image searches; produces a Licensable badge)

Location Data:

  • City (legacy) — the city associated with the image content
  • Country (legacy) — the country associated with the image content
  • Country Code (legacy) — the ISO country code
  • Province or State (legacy) — the state or province
  • Sublocation (legacy) — the specific location within a city

These location fields are marked "legacy" because the IPTC standard has moved to a newer location schema, but they remain available for backward compatibility with older workflows.

Auto Extract ZIP Files ​

This entire section requires the Pro version. The section header includes a toggle to enable or disable the feature. When disabled, the sub-settings below are hidden.

When enabled, ZIP files uploaded to the Media Library are automatically extracted and their contents are added as individual media items.

Use ZIP Folder Names ​

When enabled, the plugin reads the folder structure inside the ZIP file and creates matching folders (or taxonomy terms) in your Media Library. This lets you organize files on your computer, compress them into a ZIP, and have that structure replicated in WordPress automatically.

Extract Folders To ​

A dropdown that appears only when Use ZIP Folder Names is enabled. It controls which taxonomy receives the folders created from the ZIP structure. By default this is set to Folders, but you can direct them into any custom taxonomy you have created through the Taxonomy Manager.

Configure File Types ​

Opens a dialog where you can choose which types of files are extracted from uploaded ZIP archives. Each file type has its own toggle:

  • Images — image files (JPG, PNG, GIF, WebP, etc.)
  • Videos — video files (MP4, MOV, AVI, etc.)
  • Audio — audio files (MP3, WAV, OGG, etc.)
  • Documents — document files (PDF, DOC, DOCX, etc.)
  • Spreadsheets — spreadsheet files (XLS, XLSX, CSV, etc.)
  • Presentations — presentation files (PPT, PPTX, etc.)
  • Text Files — plain text files (TXT, etc.)
  • Other Files — any file type not covered by the categories above

All types are enabled by default. Disable specific types if you want to ignore certain files during extraction — for instance, if your ZIP contains system files or temporary files you do not want in your library.

Taxonomy Manager ​

This entire section requires the Pro version.

The Taxonomy Manager displays a table of all taxonomies registered for media attachments. The built-in "Folders" taxonomy always appears and cannot be deleted. Each taxonomy in the table shows its plural name, singular name, whether it is hierarchical, and whether it is enabled.

When you click Add Taxonomy, a form appears with the following fields:

  • Plural Name — the plural label for the taxonomy (e.g., "Media Tags")
  • Singular Name — the singular label (e.g., "Media Tag")
  • Hierarchical — whether terms can have parent-child relationships (Yes) or are flat like tags (No)
  • Enabled — whether the taxonomy is active and usable

Custom taxonomies you create here become available as filter options in the Media Library toolbar and as targets for features like Auto Categorization and ZIP folder extraction. Use this when the built-in Folders taxonomy is not enough and you want additional ways to classify your media — for example, separating "Client" and "Project" taxonomies.

Defaults ​

Enable Default Settings ​

A toggle that activates the upload defaults system. When enabled, a configuration panel appears below where you can define default metadata values that are automatically applied to newly uploaded files. When disabled, uploads receive no preset metadata. Turn this on if you regularly upload files that should all share the same title pattern, caption, description, folder assignment, or display options.

Set Default Attributes ​

This section only appears when Enable Default Settings is turned on.

The defaults panel is organized by file type. Each file type has its own sub-tab:

  • Images
  • Videos
  • Audio
  • Text
  • Documents (Pro only)
  • Spreadsheets (Pro only)
  • Presentations (Pro only)
  • Archives (Pro only)
  • Other (Pro only)

Within each file type tab, you configure a ruleset that defines the default values for newly uploaded files of that type.

Default Attributes ​

Each ruleset contains fields for the metadata that will be applied by default:

  • Title — the default title assigned to new uploads
  • Caption — the default caption
  • Description — the default description
  • Alt Text — the default alt text (images only)
  • Media Folder — the default folder assignment (select from existing folder terms)

If you have created custom taxonomies through the Taxonomy Manager, they also appear here as multi-select fields so you can assign default terms. When the Pro EXIF and IPTC modules are enabled, additional "EXIF: [Field Name]" and "IPTC: [Field Name]" fields appear for images, letting you set default values for those metadata fields as well.

Rules ​

Rules configuration requires the Pro version.

Rules let you apply different default values conditionally, based on attributes of the uploaded file. Each ruleset includes a rules section with the following:

Apply Strategy controls how multiple rules are evaluated:

  • All Rules must Pass — defaults are applied only if every rule matches
  • Any Rule can Pass — defaults are applied if at least one rule matches
  • Ignore Rules (just apply Attributes) — the defaults are always applied regardless of rules

Each rule consists of three columns:

  • Attribute — the file property to check (Alt Text for images, plus Title, Caption, Description, and Media Folders for all file types)
  • Compare — the comparison operator (Equals, Does not Equal, Greater Than, Greater Than or Equal To, Less Than, Less Than or Equal To, Contains, Does Not Contain, Empty, Not Empty, or No Comparison to skip the rule)
  • Value(s) — the value to compare against

You can add multiple rulesets by clicking Add Rule, each with its own default values and conditions. This is useful when different types of uploads within the same file category need different default metadata — for example, photos from different sources that should go into different folders.

Display Defaults ​

Below the attributes and rules, a Display Defaults section controls how files of this type appear when inserted into post or page content.

For images, three options are available:

  • Link To — what the image links to when clicked (None, Media File, Attachment Page, or Custom URL)
  • Alignment — the default alignment (None, Left, Center, or Right)
  • Size — the default inserted size (Thumbnail, Medium, Large, or Full Size)

For videos and audio, the options are:

  • Link To — how the media is inserted (Link to Media File, Embed Media Player, or Link to Attachment Page)

For all other file types, the option is:

  • Link To — what the file links to (None, Media File, or Attachment Page)

Media Library ​

When you navigate to Media > Library in the WordPress admin, Media Library Organizer adds a sidebar, toolbar controls, context menus, drag-and-drop interactions, and additional list view columns to the standard WordPress Media Library screen. Everything described below appears on that screen alongside the native WordPress media interface.

The sidebar appears on the left side of the Media Library and is titled "Media Library Organizer." It contains the folder tree, folder management controls, and a settings button.

Settings Button ​

A gear icon in the sidebar header opens the Settings modal (described below under Sidebar Settings Modal). Use it to configure per-user display preferences for the Media Library without leaving the page.

New Folder ​

A button at the top of the sidebar that opens an inline text input. Type a folder name and press Enter or click the checkmark to create the folder. Press Escape or click the X to cancel. If you have a regular folder selected when you click New Folder, the new folder is created as a child of that folder. If "All Files" or "Uncategorized" is selected, the folder is created at the root level.

Sort Folders ​

A button that toggles the sort order of folders in the sidebar tree between A-Z and Z-A. When alphabetical sorting is active, it overrides any custom drag-and-drop ordering you may have set. This button requires the Pro version; in the free version it appears with a "PRO" badge and is disabled.

Collapse All ​

A button that collapses every expanded folder in the sidebar tree so only root-level folders are visible. Useful when you have a deep folder hierarchy and want to start navigating from the top.

Expand All ​

A button that expands every folder in the sidebar tree so the full hierarchy is visible at once.

Find Folder ​

A search input below the controls that filters the folder tree as you type. Only folders whose names match the search term remain visible, along with their parent folders. Clear the field to restore the full tree.

Folder Tree ​

The folder tree lists all your folders in a hierarchical structure. Two system entries always appear at the top:

  • All Files — shows every media file in your library regardless of folder assignment
  • Uncategorized — shows media files that have not been assigned to any folder

Below these, a "Folders" section divider separates your custom folders. If no folders exist yet, an empty state message reads "No folders yet" with a prompt to click "New Folder."

Each folder in the tree displays its name and, if the Show File Counts setting is enabled, the number of files it contains. Folders that contain subfolders show a chevron toggle to expand or collapse them. Click a folder name to filter the Media Library to show only files in that folder. Double-click a folder name to enter rename mode.

Folders can be dragged and dropped within the tree to reorder them or to move them into other folders. When you drag a folder over another folder, visual indicators show whether the folder will be placed before, after, or inside the target folder. A "Move to Root Level" drop zone appears at the bottom of the tree during a drag operation, letting you move a nested folder back to the top level.

When no custom folders exist and the special system folders ("All Files" or "Uncategorized") are selected, the Rename, Delete, and Bulk select action buttons are hidden since they do not apply to system folders.

Rename ​

A button in the action bar below the search field that puts the currently selected folder into rename mode. An inline text input replaces the folder name. Press Enter or click the checkmark to save the new name, or click the X to cancel. This button is disabled when "All Files" or "Uncategorized" is selected, or when bulk select mode is active.

Delete ​

A button that deletes the currently selected folder (or, in bulk select mode, all checked folders). Clicking it opens a confirmation dialog that warns "Are you sure you want to delete? This action cannot be undone. Your media files will not be deleted." The dialog has Cancel and Delete buttons. Deleting a folder removes it from the tree but does not delete the media files that were inside it — those files become uncategorized.

Bulk Select ​

A toggle button that activates bulk selection mode. When active, a checkbox appears next to each folder in the tree. Check the folders you want to act on, then use the Delete button to remove them all at once. The Delete button shows the count of selected folders in parentheses. Click Bulk Select again to exit the mode.

Clicking the gear icon in the sidebar header opens a modal with the following options. Changes take effect after clicking Save Settings.

Default Startup Folder ​

A dropdown that controls which folder is automatically selected when you first open the Media Library. The options include all your folders plus the system entries (All Files, Uncategorized). Set this to the folder you use most often so the Media Library opens pre-filtered to the files you need.

Infinite Scroll on Grid View ​

A toggle that controls whether additional media items load automatically as you scroll down in grid view, or whether you must click to load more. Turn this on if you prefer a continuous browsing experience; turn it off if you want more control over loading or have performance concerns with very large libraries.

Grid Size ​

A dropdown that controls the size of media thumbnails in grid view. The options are:

  • Thumbnail — the smallest size, showing the most items per row
  • Small — slightly larger than Thumbnail
  • Medium — the WordPress default size
  • Large — larger thumbnails for easier previewing
  • Extra Large — the largest size, useful when you need to distinguish between visually similar files

List Columns ​

A "Manage Columns" button that opens a secondary modal where you can choose which columns appear in the list view. A summary below the button shows how many columns are currently enabled. The available columns are:

  • Tree View: Categorize / Move Icon — a drag handle icon in each row that lets you drag media items onto folders in the sidebar to categorize them
  • Author — the WordPress user who uploaded the file
  • Folders (and any custom taxonomies) — columns showing which taxonomy terms are assigned to each file
  • Uploaded to — the post or page the file is attached to
  • Comments — the comment count for the attachment
  • Date — the upload date
  • Alt Text — the image alt text
  • Caption — the media caption
  • Description — the media description
  • Slug — the URL slug of the attachment
  • File Extension — the file extension (e.g., jpg, pdf, mp4)
  • File Type — the general type of file (e.g., image, video, document)
  • File MIME — the full MIME type (e.g., image/jpeg)
  • File Size — the file size on disk
  • Dimensions — the width and height of images
  • Width — the image width alone
  • Height — the image height alone
  • Attachment ID — the WordPress post ID of the attachment
  • URL — the full URL to the media file

Show File Counts ​

A toggle that controls whether the number of files in each folder is displayed next to the folder name in the sidebar tree. Turn this off if you find the counts distracting or if your site has many folders and you want a cleaner look.

Show Empty Folders ​

A toggle that controls whether folders containing zero files appear in the sidebar tree. When turned off, only folders that have at least one file assigned to them are shown. Turn this off to reduce clutter if you have many placeholder folders that are not yet in use.

Toolbar Controls ​

Media Library Organizer adds filter and sort controls to the toolbar above the media list. The availability of each control depends on your plugin settings (configured under Media Library Organizer > Core Settings).

Taxonomy Filter Dropdowns ​

When filter settings are enabled, one dropdown per enabled taxonomy appears in the list view toolbar. The default taxonomy is Folders. Each dropdown lists all terms in that taxonomy plus an "All [Taxonomy Name]" option to clear the filter and an "(Unassigned)" option to show only files not assigned to any term. In grid view, these filters use enhanced dropdowns with search-as-you-type functionality.

Sort By ​

When the Sort By setting is enabled, a dropdown appears in the list view toolbar with the following options:

  • Attachment ID — sort by the internal WordPress ID
  • Author (Uploader) — sort by the user who uploaded the file
  • Date — sort by the upload date
  • Filename — sort by the file name
  • Modified Date — sort by when the file was last modified
  • Uploaded to — sort by the parent post
  • Title — sort alphabetically by media title
  • Uploaded Date — sort by the date the file was uploaded to WordPress

Sort Order ​

When the Sort Order setting is enabled, a dropdown appears in the list view toolbar with two options:

  • Ascending (A-Z) — smallest or earliest first
  • Descending (Z-A) — largest or most recent first

Context Menu ​

Right-clicking a folder in the sidebar tree opens a context menu with the following actions. For the system folders "All Files" and "Uncategorized," only Download and Properties are available.

Rename ​

Puts the folder into inline rename mode, the same as double-clicking the folder name. Type the new name and press Enter to save.

Delete ​

Deletes the folder after a browser confirmation prompt. The media files inside the folder are not deleted — they become uncategorized.

Move ​

Opens a "Select Destination Folder" modal showing the full folder hierarchy. Select a target folder and click "Move Here" to move the current folder (and its contents) under the selected parent. A "Root (Top Level)" option at the top lets you move a nested folder to the root level. You cannot move a folder into itself or into one of its own subfolders.

Download ​

Downloads the contents of the folder as a ZIP file. The browser will start downloading a ZIP archive containing all media files assigned to that folder.

Add Child Folder ​

Creates a new subfolder inside the current folder. An inline text input appears indented below the folder. Type the name and press Enter to create it.

Properties ​

Opens a "Folder Properties" modal showing details about the folder:

  • The folder name and type (Custom folder or System folder)
  • Direct Files — the number of files assigned directly to this folder
  • Total Files — the total file count including files in subfolders (only shown if the folder has subfolders)
  • Subfolders — the number of immediate child folders (only shown if the folder has subfolders)
  • Created — the date the folder was created
  • Last modified — the date the folder was last changed
  • Type — Custom folder or System folder
  • Parent folder — the name of the parent folder, if any

Drag and Drop ​

Moving Media into Folders ​

In list view, you can drag a media item by its title or by the move icon (if the Tree View: Categorize / Move Icon column is enabled) and drop it onto any folder in the sidebar to assign it to that folder. If you have items selected with checkboxes, dragging one selected item moves all selected items at once. In grid view, you can drag thumbnail items onto sidebar folders in the same way.

Reordering and Nesting Folders ​

You can drag folders within the sidebar tree to reorder them among their siblings or to move them into other folders as children. A visual indicator shows whether the folder will land before, after, or inside the target. When you drag a folder during the operation, a "Move to Root Level" drop zone appears at the bottom of the tree.

Row Actions (List View) ​

In list view, hovering over a media item reveals a row of action links beneath it. Media Library Organizer adds the following:

Replace Media ​

A link that takes you to the attachment edit screen where you can upload a replacement file. The replacement keeps all existing metadata, folder assignments, and references to the original file intact. Use this when you need to update an image or document without breaking links elsewhere on your site.

Quick Edit ​

This action requires the Pro version.

A link labeled "Quick Edit" that expands an inline editing form directly in the list view row. The form includes fields for:

  • Title — the media title
  • Caption — the media caption
  • Alt. Text — the image alt text
  • Description — the media description
  • Folder and taxonomy checklists — checkboxes for assigning the file to folders and any custom taxonomies
  • Author — a dropdown to change the file's author (visible to users who can edit others' posts)
  • Date — date and time fields to change the upload date

Click Update to save changes or Cancel to discard them.

Bulk Actions ​

Bulk actions require the Pro version.

When the Pro version is active, additional options appear in the Bulk Actions dropdown at the top and bottom of the list view, and as actions available in grid view when items are selected. The available bulk actions are:

  • Auto Categorize — runs the Imagga auto-categorization process on all selected images, assigning detected categories as folder or taxonomy terms. This action only appears when the Auto Categorization module is enabled in settings.
  • Convert to webp — converts the selected images to WebP format. This action only appears when the Optimizer module is enabled in settings.
  • Unzip — extracts the contents of selected ZIP files into the Media Library. This action only appears when the Auto Extract ZIP Files module is enabled in settings.
  • ZIP — compresses the selected media files into a ZIP archive for download. This action only appears when the Auto Extract ZIP Files module is enabled in settings.
  • Duplicate — creates a copy of each selected media file with all its metadata.