Category Archives: Media Library

How to Download Your Entire WordPress Media Library (3 Ways)

download wordpress images, download wordpress media library, duplicator, duplicator pro, Media Library, wordpress media library, WordPress Plugins

Do you want to download all the images and media files from your WordPress website?

By downloading your media library, you can easily store a backup of your media files on your computer or, if you have created another WordPress site, then you can also transfer these images from one site to another.

In this article, we’ll show you how to easily download your entire WordPress media library, step by step.

How to download your entire WordPress media library

Why Would You Want to Download the Media Library?

The WordPress media library stores all the media files that you have uploaded to your site. If you want to create a backup of these media files, then you can easily do that by downloading a copy of the media library and storing it on your computer.

You can always use a fully automated WordPress backup solution to back up your entire WordPress site (including plugins, themes, posts, and the media library).

However, most backup plugins do not offer an easy way to just download and upload your media library.

You could also use your WordPress hosting account file manager or FTP to download the media library, but these methods are a bit complicated and confusing for beginners.

With that being said, we’ll show you some easy ways to easily download your entire media library in WordPress.

Method 1. Download Media Library Using The Export Media Library Plugin

For this method, we’ll be using a plugin to download the media files.

First, you need to install and activate the Export Media Library plugin. For more details, see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, go to the Media » Export page from your admin area.

Once you’re on the ‘Export Media Library’ page, simply choose the ‘Single folder with all files’ option from the dropdown menu beside the ‘Folder Structure’ option.

Download the media library using the Export Media Library plugin

Now all your media will be downloaded into one folder. They will be downloaded as the original file types, such as JPG, PNG, or SVG.

If you want your media to be placed into separate folders based on the time of upload, then choose the ‘Nested Folder’ option from the dropdown menu.

After that, simply click the ‘Download Zip’ button, and your entire media library will be downloaded into a zip file on your computer.

Method 2. Download the Entire WordPress Backup Including Media Files

If you want to create a backup for your entire WordPress website including the media library, then this method is for you.

We’ll be using the Duplicator plugin which is the best WordPress backup plugin on the market and enables you to create a complete backup of your WordPress website.

First, you’ll need to install and activate the Duplicator plugin. For more details, see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, you need to visit the Duplicator » Packages page from the admin sidebar and click on the ‘Create New’ button.

Create a new backup by clicking the Create New button

Next, you need to choose a name for your WordPress backup.

It can be anything that will help you identify the backup once it’s downloaded on your computer.

After that, click on the ‘Next’ button to continue.

Choose a backup name

In the next step, your website will be scanned for potential errors.

Once the scan is complete, simply click on the ‘build’ button to create your package.

Note: If an error is highlighted by Duplicator during the scan, you would need to solve that error before rescanning and building your package.

Scan complete

Once the package is built, you need to click on the ‘Download Both Files’ button.

Now, your installer and archive files will be downloaded simultaneously.

Click the Download both files button

Your WordPress website backup including media files will now be downloaded and stored on your computer.

If you want to restore a WordPress backup, you may also want to see our guide on how to restore WordPress from a backup.

Method 3. Download Media Library Using WordPress Settings

In this method, we’ll show you how to download your entire media library from your WordPress backend and import it to another WordPress website.

Note: This method allows you to download the media library without using any plugins. However, we do not recommend this method because it exports your media as an XML file.

This method can come in handy if you want to import your WordPress media library to one of your other websites.

For that, head over to the Tools » Export page from the WordPress admin dashboard.

Now that you’re on the ‘Export’ page, simply check the box beside the ‘Media’ option.

If you don’t want to download your entire library, then you can also select a date range for a specific time frame. With this feature, only the images uploaded during your chosen time frame will be downloaded.

Finally, click on the ‘Download Export File’ button.

Choose media on the export page

Now, your WordPress media library will be saved on your computer as an XML file.

Next, you need to install and activate the WordPress Importer plugin. For more instructions, please see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

This plugin will allow you to import your XML file to another WordPress website.

First, you need to visit the Tools » Import page from the admin sidebar.

Then you can simply click on the ‘Run Importer’ link below the ‘WordPress’ option.

Click on the run importer link

This will take you to the ‘Import WordPress’ page where you need to click on the ‘Choose File’ button.

Now, you can upload your media library XML file from the computer.

Import media

Once you’re done, don’t forget to click on the ‘Upload file and import’ button to upload the media library.

We hope this article helped you download your WordPress media library. You may also want to see our tutorial on how to speed up your WordPress website, and our comparison of the best Instagram plugins for WordPress.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post How to Download Your Entire WordPress Media Library (3 Ways) first appeared on WPBeginner.

How to Easily Organize Media Uploads by Users in WordPress

Media Library, media uploads by users, user uploads in wordpress, wordpress media, WordPress Plugins, wp users media, wpcode

Do you want to organize media uploads by user in WordPress?

If you run a multi-author website, then you may want to restrict each author’s media library access to only their own uploads. This can prevent an author from accidentally deleting another user’s images, and help keep subscriber-only content private.

In this article, we’ll show you how to organize media uploads by users in WordPress.

How to organize media uploads by users in WordPress

Why Restrict Author Access to Media Uploads?

If you have a multi-author WordPress blog, then people might be uploading lots of different images. This can make it difficult for an author to find the right image, or they might delete or edit another person’s media file by accident.

This can cause all sorts of problems including poor productivity, lots of extra work for site admins and editors, and a complicated editorial workflow.

This unlimited access can also be a privacy concern. For example, if you’re working on a new product or idea, then other authors might see confidential images in the media library before you make a public announcement.

If you have a WordPress membership site, then contributors and subscribers may be able to access premium media files they shouldn’t have access to. For example, if you sell online courses then a contributor might use their media library access to download premium PDFs and other course materials, without buying a subscription.

That being said, let’s take a look at how to restrict who can see media uploads inside your WordPress admin area. Simply use the quick links below to jump straight to the method you want to use.

Method 1. Organizing Media Uploads by Users With a Plugin (Quick and Easy)

The easiest way to restrict access to media uploads is by using the Frontier Restrict Access plugin.

This free plugin checks whether a user has the edit_others_posts permission, which allows them to edit another user’s posts.

By default, this ability is granted to everyone who has the site admin or editor role. If you want to change this, then you can add or remove capabilities to user roles in WordPress.

If the user doesn’t have this permission, then once this plugin is activated, they won’t be able to access another user’s files in the WordPress media library. This allows you to organize media uploads by users, without restricting access for admins and editors.

This plugin works out of the box and there are no settings for you to configure, so you can simply install and activate the Frontier Restrict Access plugin. For more details, see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Method 2. Organizing Media Uploads Using Code (Advanced)

Another option is to restrict access to files in the media library using code. This method requires you to add a code snippet to your WordPress blog or website, so it isn’t the most beginner-friendly method. However, you won’t need to install a separate plugin just to organize your media uploads.

Often, you’ll find guides with instructions to add custom code to your WordPress theme. However, this isn’t recommended as mistakes and typos in your code can cause common WordPress errors, or even break your site completely.

That’s why we recommend WPCode.

WPCode is the best code snippets plugin used by over 1 million WordPress websites. It makes it easy to add custom code in WordPress without having to edit the functions.php file.

For this method, we’ll be adding code that checks whether the user has the edit_others_posts permission. If they don’t have this permission, then the code snippet below will stop them from accessing other people’s files in the WordPress media library.

The first thing you need to do is install and activate the free WPCode plugin. For more details, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, head over to Code Snippets » Add Snippet.

How to add custom PHP snippets to your site using WPCode

Here, simply hover your mouse over ‘Add Your Custom Code.’

When it appears, click on ‘Use snippet.’

Adding a custom code snippet to WordPress

To start, type in a title for the custom code snippet. This can be anything that helps you identify the snippet in the WordPress dashboard.

After that, open the ‘Code Type’ dropdown and select ‘PHP Snippet.’

Restricting access to the media library using WPCode

In the ‘Code Preview’ area, paste the following code snippet:

add_filter( 'ajax_query_attachments_args', 'user_show_attachments' );
 
function user_show_attachments( $query ) {
    $user_id = get_current_user_id();
    if ( $user_id && !current_user_can('activate_plugins') && !current_user_can('edit_others_posts
') ) {
        $query['author'] = $user_id;
    }
    return $query;
}

Next, just scroll to the ‘Insertion’ section. WPCode can add your code to different locations, such as after every post, frontend only, or admin only.

We want to use the custom PHP code across our entire WordPress website, so click on ‘Auto Insert’ if it isn’t already selected. Then, open the ‘Location’ dropdown menu and choose ‘Run Everywhere.’

Running custom PHP code across your website using WPCode

After that, you’re ready to scroll to the top of the screen and click on the ‘Inactive’ toggle, so it changes to ‘Active.’

Finally, click on ‘Save Snippet’ to make the PHP snippet live.

How to restrict access to media files using code

Now, users will only have access to the files they upload to the WordPress media library.

We hope this article helped you better organize media uploads by users on your WordPress site. Next, you can check out our ultimate WordPress security guide or see our expert pick of the best contact form plugins for WordPress.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post How to Easily Organize Media Uploads by Users in WordPress first appeared on WPBeginner.

10 Best Website to Get Free Photos for your WordPress Blog

blogging, Featured Image, images, Media Library, photography

You decided to make your very first WordPress blog. Now what? Most experts suggest using photos in blog posts to make them more attractive to readers. It increases credibility and authority, and overall interaction with your content. A powerful image zaps right into your readers’ minds’ first bits and obtains them in the mood you [...]

Read More...

The post 10 Best Website to Get Free Photos for your WordPress Blog appeared first on Learn WordPress with WPLift.

Mediabay Review: Add Folders to the WordPress Media Library

Image, Media Library, review

Ever wished that you could organize the WordPress Media Library with folders? As your site grows, it can be hard to keep track of all your media files because WordPress doesn’t do a great job of organizing them with its native features. Folders let you neatly organize every file so that you can always find ... Read more

The post Mediabay Review: Add Folders to the WordPress Media Library appeared first on Learn WordPress with WPLift.

How to Connect Your WordPress Media Library to Google Drive

guide, Media Library, Technical, Tutorials

Looking for an easy way to connect the WordPress Media Library to Google Drive? In this article, I’m going to show you a simple way to sync your WordPress Media Library with Google Drive in both directions. That is, when you add a file to your WordPress Media Library, that file will show up in ... Read more

The post How to Connect Your WordPress Media Library to Google Drive appeared first on Learn WordPress with WPLift.

Filebird Review: Add Folders to the WordPress Media Library

Admin, images, Media Library, review

Struggling to organize your WordPress Media Library? When you first launch your site, it’s easy to keep track of all your image and media files because…well, there just aren’t that many of them. However, as your site grows, it gets a lot more difficult to keep a handle on everything because the WordPress Media Library ... Read more Filebird Review: Add Folders to the WordPress Media Library

The post Filebird Review: Add Folders to the WordPress Media Library appeared first on Learn WordPress with WPLift.

HappyFiles Review: Organize your WordPress Files like a Boss

Admin, Media Library, review

It’s no secret that adding media files like images and videos can make all the difference to the success of your WordPress website. Yet by the time you’ve added an explainer video here and a few product photos there, all those files can become a nightmare to manage. That’s where WordPress media library management plugins like ... Read more HappyFiles Review: Organize your WordPress Files like a Boss

The post HappyFiles Review: Organize your WordPress Files like a Boss appeared first on Learn WordPress with WPLift.

Extend the WordPress Media Library With These Plugins

Image, Media Library

If you’ve ever tried locating that one picture you need out of an extensive library of thousands of images, you’ll know what a time-consuming chore it can be. Fortunately, the WordPress media library plugins we’re looking at today can change all that. Using a WordPress media library plugin can make it easier than ever to ... Read more Extend the WordPress Media Library With These Plugins

The post Extend the WordPress Media Library With These Plugins appeared first on Learn WordPress with WPLift.

How to Connect Your WordPress Media Library to OneDrive

Media Library, Onedrive, Technical

Ever wished that you could store some or all of your WordPress site’s media files in remote cloud storage instead of on your server? There are a lot of benefits to this when it comes to price, convenience, and potentially performance. In this post, you’re going to learn how to connect your WordPress media library ... Read moreHow to Connect Your WordPress Media Library to OneDrive

The post How to Connect Your WordPress Media Library to OneDrive appeared first on Learn WordPress with WPLift.

Mediamatic Review: Add Folders to the WordPress Media Library

Admin, Media Library

There’s a lot to like about WordPress, but the WordPress Media Library isn’t always the high point. While your desktop lets you organize files with simple folders and drag-and-drop, the WordPress Media Library just throws everything together in a mish-mash of different files. Mediamatic is a freemium WordPress plugin that lets you change that by ... Read moreMediamatic Review: Add Folders to the WordPress Media Library

The post Mediamatic Review: Add Folders to the WordPress Media Library appeared first on Learn WordPress with WPLift.