Unused Media Usage Audit by CodeCaste

Description

The plugin scans WordPress data, builds a reference index, and lists attachments for which no supported reference was found.

Supported sources include:
* Post content, blocks, shortcodes, lazy-load data, and srcset
* Post meta, custom fields, ACF, and SCF data
* Elementor data
* WooCommerce product images and galleries
* Options, widgets, term meta, and user meta
* Active/parent theme PHP, CSS, JavaScript, HTML, and JSON files
* Eligible custom database tables
* Developer-registered custom scanners

Dashboard: Tools -> Unused Media

Safety

• No automatic deletion.
• Results are Potentially Unused, not guaranteed unused.
• A final reference check runs before deletion.
• Full scans run in background batches.
• Targeted re-scans can run after site changes.

How It Works

After activation, a background scan starts automatically. The plugin indexes detected references and classifies attachments as In Use or Potentially Unused.

The dashboard shows scan status, logs, scan time, and results. Use Run Full Scan for a complete rescan.

If WP-Cron is unreliable, configure server cron for wp-cron.php or keep the dashboard open during scanning.

Results

The dashboard includes search, filtering, list/grid views, attachment details, and Media Library links.

You can delete individual files, selected files, or all files matching the current filters.

WordPress’s standard attachment deletion API is used.

Limitations

Detection is not guaranteed for:
* Dynamically generated URLs
* External APIs or remote services
* Some CDN/offloaded media
* Plugin source files and unsupported filesystem locations
* Unsupported custom database formats
* Some numeric attachment IDs
* WordPress Multisite, which is not currently verified

Always review files before deleting them, especially on sites using CDNs, offloaded media, or third-party integrations.

Developer Extension

Developers can add custom scanners using the
media_cleanup_scout_additional_reference_sources filter.

Data

The plugin stores its scan index, results, logs, settings, and scan state in plugin-managed data.

Deactivation clears scan data and scheduled jobs. Uninstalling removes plugin-managed data and settings.

Technical details