Media Sweep · Version history
Media Sweep changelog and version history
- Latest version
- 1.3.1
- Nov 7, 2026 (2 days ago)
- Releases
- 17
- since 2025
- In the last year
- 15
- about one every 24 days
- Tested up to
- WordPress 7.1.4
- PHP 7.4 or later
Releases each year
- 20253 releases
- 202614 releases
202614 releases
Media Sweep 1.3.1Latest
Media Sweep 1.3.0
- New: the first time you open Media Sweep, an optional screen asks whether you want to share usage data with us: your site address, your WordPress, PHP and plugin versions, and the plugins and themes you use. Nothing is sent unless you click Allow. The settings page shows exactly what is sent, lets…
- New: an optional newsletter signup box on the plugin’s own pages. It sends nothing unless you click Subscribe.
- New: when you deactivate the plugin you can tell us why. “Skip and deactivate” sends nothing.
Media Sweep 1.2.1
- Fixed: on sites running close to their PHP memory limit, deleting files did nothing – single delete showed no message and bulk delete stayed at 0%. Deletion no longer counts memory used by WordPress and other plugins against itself, and always makes progress.
Media Sweep 1.2.0
- New: WordPress Abilities API support — AI agents and MCP clients can run scans and read findings and the trash. Sweeping files is off MCP by default and needs a preview-minted confirmation; emptying the trash is never exposed.
- Fixed: an image referenced only by ID in a plugin or theme option (for example the WooCommerce placeholder image) was reported as unused and offered for deletion.
Media Sweep 1.1.4
- Security: hardened input validation on the scan data endpoints. Updating is recommended.
Media Sweep 1.1.3
- Fixed: the search box on the scan results screen always came back empty.
Media Sweep 1.1.2
- New: you can now delete a file even when it is reported as in use. The confirmation shows where it was found so you can judge for yourself, and the file goes to Trash like any other, so you can restore it if you change your mind.
- Fixed: files were wrongly reported as in use because other plugins keep their own record of every file on your site. Image optimizers, security scanners, backup tools and caching plugins all do this. Those records are still shown in the file’s notes, but they no longer count as usage on their own.
- Fixed: an image could report itself as in use, because some optimizer, CDN and rename plugins store the image’s own file name back onto it.
- Fixed: a successful bulk clean-up used to report large numbers of “errors”. Thumbnails are removed together with the media file they belong to, and each one was then counted as a failure. They are now reported as already handled, and the summary explains what happened.
- Fixed: the summary after a bulk action closed instantly, and clearing a whole page of results showed “no files found” instead of the remaining files. The summary now stays open with a link to the Trash, and the list moves back to the last page that still has results.
- New: the Trash screen now shows a thumbnail of each image instead of a generic file icon, so you can see what you are about to restore or delete.
- Fixed: the Trash folder’s access protection is now re-applied to sites that already had a trash folder, and is written in a form that Apache 2.4 and IIS also understand.
- Safer cleanup: a file that has changed since the scan ran is now skipped instead of removed, with a message telling you to run a new scan first. Deleting from an old scan can no longer remove a file that has been replaced or put back into use.
- New: scan results older than a week now carry a clear warning that they may be out of date, so nothing gets deleted based on a stale list.
- Fixed: starting a new scan could land you on an old interrupted scan with no way past it. New scans always start fresh, and an interrupted scan is only offered when it is genuinely still running (or from the Resume button on the scans list).
- Fixed: restoring or permanently deleting a file from the Trash could fail on some servers, and the Trash screen showed a full server path instead of the folder name.
- Fixed: permanently deleting a file from the Trash now clears it from your file records instead of leaving it listed as recoverable.
- Fixed: a failed restore showed a raw technical message; it now explains the problem in plain language.
Media Sweep 1.1.1
- Fixed: on sites where several registered image sizes share the same dimensions (common with WooCommerce, Getwid, Robo Gallery and similar plugins), the scan tried to record the same file twice and the resulting database notices broke the scan with “Your server interrupted the scan”. Each file is no…
- Fixed: resuming a scan could re-record results it had already saved. Progress is now saved continuously while a scan runs, so a resumed scan picks up exactly where it stopped.
- Fixed: Media Sweep no longer lets database notices or other plugins’ debug output reach its own responses, and the scanner can now recover a scan even if something else on the site prints output mid-request. Sites running with WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY enabled are no longer affected.
- Improved: scan requests shrink their workload further on hosts with very short request limits.
Media Sweep 1.1.0
- New scan engine: your content is now read ONCE into an indexed reference index, then every attachment is checked with instant indexed lookups — scans that previously took hours (or died with “The response is not a valid JSON response.”) now finish in minutes on any hosting.
- Fixed: scans no longer get stuck at 40% or fail with “The response is not a valid JSON response.” on shared hosting — every scan request now completes well inside even the strictest server timeouts (works on 30-second hosts, no configuration needed).
- New: scans are checkpointed and resumable — closing the tab, a server hiccup, or even a PHP fatal now pauses the scan with a Resume button instead of losing progress.
- New: smarter detection — media used in Elementor and other page-builder layouts, widgets, site icon/logo settings, and WooCommerce category images is now correctly reported as in use (with the location named in the file’s usage notes).
- New: WP-CLI support — run wp media-sweep scan for unattended scans of very large libraries.
- Improved: the scanner automatically adapts to slow servers (self-tuning delays, automatic retries with backoff) and never shows raw technical errors — and the detailed per-file usage reports you rely on are unchanged, still free, and now even more complete.
- Fixed: edited images are no longer marked “in use” by their own backup metadata.
- Under the hood: new mswp_scan_refs table and scan checkpoint columns, migrated automatically on update.
Media Sweep 1.0.7
- New: a “More from WPCreatix” section that helps you discover the other WPCreatix plugins, with one-click install and activate right from the admin.
- Fixed: the “leave a review” banner could reappear after being dismissed — dismissing it is now remembered for good.
Media Sweep 1.0.6
- Compatibility with WordPress 7.0
- New: optional “Delete All Data on Uninstall” setting (Settings → Data Management). When enabled, deleting the plugin now cleanly removes its database tables, options, scheduled tasks, and the Media Sweep trash folder. Disabled by default, so your scan history and trash are preserved unless you opt…
Media Sweep 1.0.5
- Fixed scan aborting at 40-53% with “WordPress database error: Processing the value for the following field failed: notes” on sites where one image is referenced in many posts/pages
- Notes column upgraded from TEXT to LONGTEXT and applied to existing installs automatically on upgrade
- Each file’s recorded usage is now capped at 10 entries with a “+ N more usage locations” summary so the database stays lean
- A single problematic row no longer aborts the entire scan — it is now logged as an error and the rest of the batch continues
- Results table now shows the first usage location inline next to the filename so it is obvious where each file is used without clicking
- Fixed the usage-notes popover overflowing the viewport when a file has many usages — it now scrolls inside a fixed-height container
Media Sweep 1.0.4
- Dynamic batch size based on server resources (max_execution_time and memory_limit)
- Smaller batches (20-30) for limited shared hosting, larger batches (50-100) for well-resourced servers
- Dynamic API request timeout scaled to server’s max_execution_time (30s-300s)
- Improved user experience with smoother progress feedback during scans
Media Sweep 1.0.3
- Fixed scan getting stuck at “0 / X files” on hosting with limited server resources
- Improved pause/resume mechanism to correctly maintain file count progress across interruptions
- Added API request timeout handling with automatic retry for slow servers
- Enhanced error display when scan encounters issues instead of silently failing
- Better resource management for servers with low max_execution_time or memory_limit
- Reduced batch size from 100 to 50 files for smoother progress updates and better user feedback
20253 releases
Media Sweep 1.0.2
- Compatibility with WordPress 6.9
- Improved review notice banner with better user experience
Media Sweep 1.0.1
- Fixed file status not being reactivated when previously trashed/deleted files are found again during new scans
- Improved file record management to automatically restore files that were moved back to original locations
Media Sweep 1.0.0
- 🎉 Launch Features:
- Dual Scan Modes – Media Library and File System scanning capabilities
- Smart Detection Engine – Advanced algorithms for accurate unused file identification
- Safe Trash System – Secure file removal with restore capabilities
- Comprehensive Analytics – Detailed scan reports and file insights
- Bulk Operations – Efficient processing of multiple files
- Real-time Progress – Live scan monitoring with pause/resume functionality
- Advanced Filtering – Filter by status, file type, date, and directory
- Search Functionality – Quick file location and identification
- Resource Management – Intelligent system monitoring prevents timeouts
- Modern UI/UX – Clean, responsive interface optimized for all devices
- Translation Ready – Full internationalization support
- Developer Friendly – Extensive hooks and filters for customization
- 🔧 Technical Highlights:
- Built with modern React components and WordPress REST API
- Optimized database queries for large media libraries
- Memory-efficient processing with batch operations
- Compatible with popular caching and optimization plugins
- Follows WordPress coding standards and security best practices
- Extensive error handling and logging capabilities
- 🛡️ Security & Performance:
- Secure file operations with proper capability checks
- Nonce verification for all AJAX requests
- Sanitized input/output throughout the application
- Optimized for sites with thousands of media files
- Minimal server resource usage during scans
Questions about Media Sweep’s releases
What is the latest version of Media Sweep?
1.3.1, released on Nov 7, 2026 (2 days ago). It’s tested up to WordPress 7.1.4 and needs PHP 7.4 or later.
How often is Media Sweep updated?
15 releases in the last year, about one every 24 days. Its first release on WordPress.org dates from October 2025.
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Start freeRelease dates come from the day each version’s folder was made in Media Sweep’s WordPress.org SVN repository; the notes from its readme’s changelog, as its authors wrote it.