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WordPress · Website Toolkit
Folder Organization for Your WordPress Media Library
Drag-and-drop media into folders. Four professional gallery themes with lightbox. Built-in image compression. Automatic resize-on-upload. Zero cloud dependencies.
Content Velocity
Organized media libraries accelerate content production; find and reuse assets instantly instead of scrolling
Security
No cloud dependencies — compression and processing happen locally on your server
What it's about
WP PM Media Folders
The default WordPress media library works fine with fifty images. At five hundred images, it becomes unwieldy. At five thousand, it is unmanageable. Scrolling through a flat list of files sorted only by upload date wastes time and makes finding anything a guessing game.
PM Media Folders adds a collapsible folder tree to the media library sidebar. Drag and drop images into folders. Create as many levels of nesting as you need. Color-code folders for visual organization. Files stay in their original upload directories — the organization is non-destructive and reversible.
Beyond organization, the plugin includes four professional gallery themes with a flexible shortcode, built-in image compression, and automatic resize-on-upload. A complete media management solution with no cloud dependencies.
PM Media Folders is included free with premotion media managed WordPress hosting agency servers — for unlimited WordPress installs.
Features
Thought through to the daily workflow.
Every building block is focused on a clear benefit and fits into existing processes.
Feature Section
A collapsible folder tree appears in the WordPress media library sidebar. Create, rename, delete, and color-code folders. Drag and drop media between folders. Right-click any folder for a context menu, or double-click a folder name to rename it inline. New uploads land automatically in the currently selected folder.
Folder Tree Sidebar
A collapsible folder tree appears in the WordPress media library sidebar. Create, rename, delete, and color-code folders. Drag and drop media between folders. Right-click any folder for a context menu, or double-click a folder name to rename it inline. New uploads land automatically in the currently selected folder. Folder organization is non-destructive. Files remain in their original WordPress upload directories. The folder structure is stored as a taxonomy — easy to modify, easy to undo.
- Unlimited folder nesting levels
- Shown in the grid media library view; list view support can be enabled in settings
- Right-click context menu for folder actions
- Inline rename with double-click
- Folder search by name
- Color-coding with crisp SVG folder icons
- Drag-and-drop media between folders, including multi-select batch moves
- Drag-and-drop custom sort order for folders and for images within a folder
- Live media counts per folder
- New uploads are assigned to the currently selected folder automatically
- Non-destructive: files stay in their original upload directory
Enhanced Gallery Themes
Four professional gallery themes turn folder contents into frontend displays via the [pmf_gallery] shortcode — or by enhancing the standard WordPress [gallery] shortcode automatically. Each theme can open images in a built-in custom lightbox for full-size viewing. Default Grid Traditional responsive grid layout. Images arranged in equal-width columns that adapt to screen size. Clean and straightforward.
- Built-in custom lightbox with keyboard navigation (arrow keys, Escape), image counter, and captions
- 1 to 9 columns, choice of image size, and link behavior (file, attachment page, or none)
- Sort by custom drag-and-drop order, date, title, or random — ascending or descending
- Styling controls: gutter width, borders, corner radius, and shadow
- Responsive layouts with lazy-loaded images
- Migration-compatible [wpmf_gallery] shortcode alias
Built-in Image Compression
Server-side compression with no external service dependency. Compress new uploads automatically, process images one at a time, or bulk-compress your entire library with a progress bar. Thumbnail sizes are compressed along with the original. Two compression modes:
- Supports JPEG, PNG, and WebP
- Automatic compression on upload (optional)
- JPEG quality: 60–95 (default 82)
- WebP quality: 60–95 (default 80)
- Optional EXIF metadata stripping to reduce file size further
- Backup originals before compression
- Restore from backup at any time — thumbnails are regenerated from the restored original
- Bulk compression with progress tracking and total savings report
Resize on Upload
Oversized images from cameras and phones are automatically scaled down on upload. A configurable maximum dimension (default: 2000 pixels) ensures images are web-ready without manual intervention.
- Configurable maximum dimension from 100 to 10,000 pixels (default: 2000 on the longest side)
- Aspect ratio preserved automatically
- Configurable resize quality (70–100, default 90)
- Animated GIF protection: animated GIFs are detected and skipped to preserve animation
- Original dimensions are recorded for reference
- Processing happens transparently during upload
Utility Tools
Bulk Regenerate Thumbnails Regenerate all WordPress thumbnail sizes in a batch operation. Essential after theme changes or when custom image sizes are added. Batch processing avoids server timeouts, and a progress bar tracks completion. Duplicate Image Tool Create a full copy of any media item directly from the attachment details panel — including alt text, caption, and folder assignment. Useful when the same base image needs different crops or treatments for different contexts.
How it works
A clear path to the result.
- 01
Step 1 — Activate and Open Media Library
After activation, the folder tree sidebar appears automatically in the WordPress media library. No configuration needed.
- 02
Step 2 — Create Folders
Click the "New Folder" button or right-click for a context menu. Name your folders, nest them as deep as you need, and assign colors for visual identification.
- 03
Step 3 — Organize Media
Drag and drop images from the media grid into any folder. Select multiple images and move them in a batch. Reorder folders and images by dragging. Files stay in their original upload directory — folder organization is stored as taxonomy terms.
- 04
Step 4 — Configure Compression
Set your preferred compression mode (lossy or lossless), JPEG and WebP quality levels, and whether to strip EXIF data. Enable automatic compression on upload and resize-on-upload with your preferred maximum dimension.
- 05
Step 5 — Display Galleries
Embed the [pmf_gallery] shortcode with a folder ID on any page, or let the plugin enhance the standard WordPress gallery. Select a theme — Grid, Masonry, Portfolio, or Slider — and the lightbox is included automatically.
Who is it for?
Made for concrete requirements.
The solution is a particularly good fit for these teams, roles and business models.
Photography and Portfolio Sites
Organize shoots into folders. Display them with Masonry or Portfolio gallery themes. Lightbox viewing for full-resolution images. Professional presentation without a separate gallery plugin.
E-Commerce Sites
Manage product image catalogs with folder organization. Group images by product line, season, or category. Compress product images automatically for faster page loads.
Content-Heavy Blogs
Large media libraries become manageable with folder organization. Find images by folder name instead of scrolling through months of uploads. Bulk compression keeps storage costs and load times in check.
Agencies
Optimize client images for web performance with built-in compression and resize-on-upload. Deliver faster sites without third-party image CDN costs. Organize assets into clearly labeled folders.
Privacy-Focused Administrators
No cloud image processing services. No external API calls. Compression and resizing happen locally on your server. Images never leave your infrastructure.
WP Media Folder Users
Migration-compatible with WP Media Folder's taxonomy structure and gallery shortcode. Switch to PM Media Folders and keep your existing folder organization intact.
Tech & scope
The key details at a glance.
- Version
- 1.1
- WordPress Minimum
- 6.4 (tested up to 6.7)
- PHP Minimum
- 8.1
- License
- GPL-2.0+
- Data Storage
- Local WordPress database (taxonomy)
- Telemetry
- None
- External Dependencies
- None
- Gallery Themes
- 4 (Grid, Masonry, Portfolio, Slider)
- Gallery Shortcodes
- [pmf_gallery], [wpmf_gallery], enhanced [gallery]
- Compression Modes
- 2 (Lossy, Lossless)
- Compression Formats
- JPEG, PNG, WebP
- Resize Formats
- JPEG, PNG, WebP, GIF (animated GIFs skipped)
- EXIF Stripping
- Optional
- Resize on Upload
- Configurable max dimension (100–10,000 px)
- Backup Location
- Local, inside wp-content
- Author
- premotion media
- Hosting
- Included free with premotion media managed WordPress hosting agency servers
- Installs
- Unlimited per agency server
FAQ
Frequently asked questions.
Does moving images to folders change their file location?
No. Folder organization is non-destructive. Files remain in their original WordPress upload directory. The folder structure is stored as taxonomy terms in the database, not as physical directory changes.
How many folders can I create?
There is no limit. Create as many folders and subfolders as you need. Nesting depth is unlimited.
Does the folder tree work in list view?
Yes. By default the folder tree appears in the grid view of the media library; a settings toggle enables it in list view as well.
Does compression reduce image quality?
Lossy mode reduces file size with a slight quality reduction that is usually imperceptible for web use. Lossless mode preserves original quality. You control the quality level for JPEG (60–95) and WebP (60–95).
Can I undo compression?
Yes. The plugin backs up original images before compression. You can restore any image to its original quality at any time — thumbnails are automatically regenerated from the restored original.
Which formats can be compressed?
JPEG, PNG, and WebP. Thumbnail sizes are compressed along with the original file.
Does resize-on-upload work with GIFs?
Static GIFs are resized; animated GIFs are automatically detected and skipped to preserve their animation.
Can I migrate from WP Media Folder?
Yes. PM Media Folders is compatible with the WP Media Folder taxonomy, so your existing folder structure is recognized automatically. Existing [wpmf_gallery] shortcodes continue to work.
Do I need an external service for compression?
No. All compression happens server-side using PHP's built-in image processing. No external API calls, no cloud services, no per-image fees.
How do the gallery themes work?
Use the [pmf_gallery] shortcode with a folder ID and choose a theme: Grid, Masonry, Portfolio, or Slider. You can also let the plugin enhance the standard WordPress [gallery] shortcode. The built-in lightbox is included automatically, and a full shortcode reference is available in the plugin's Info tab.
Ready?
Your Media Library, Organized
Folders bring order to chaos. PM Media Folders adds drag-and-drop folder organization, four gallery themes, built-in compression, and automatic resize-on-upload to your WordPress media library. Included free with premotion media managed WordPress hosting agency servers.
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