Upluggit

Media Restriction is a lightweight and powerful WordPress plugin that gives site admins full control over who can see what in the Media Library. Restrict access by user role so that users only see their own uploads, exclude trusted individuals from the restriction, and keep a full audit trail of every upload, deletion, and library view — all from a clean, modern settings panel.
Whether you manage a multi-author blog, an online course platform, a membership site, or a client project — Media Restriction ensures your media library stays tidy, private, and secure.
What makes v2.0.0 different: 
Version 2.0.0 is a complete rebuild. The settings page has been redesigned with a tabbed interface and instant role toggles (no page reloads). A new Activity Log records every media event with user, file name, IP address, and timestamp. REST API protection closes the Gutenberg and headless bypass that most similar plugins miss entirely. And a critical bug affecting excluded users in the grid view has been resolved.
<h3>🌟 Features</h3>
Core restriction 
✅ Restrict media library access by user role 
✅ Works in both grid view (media modal) and list view (Media Library screen) 
✅ Administrators always have full access — no configuration needed 
✅ Exclude specific users from restriction — grant bypass access to trusted individuals regardless of their role 
✅ REST API protection — /wp/v2/media respects the same restriction rules, covering Gutenberg and headless setups
Settings & admin 
✅ Modern tabbed settings page — Roles & Users and Activity Log in one place 
✅ Instant role toggles — enable or disable restriction per role without a page reload 
✅ Live status badges on each role card showing user count and restriction state 
✅ Header summary showing how many roles are restricted and users excluded
Activity log 
✅ Tracks all upload, delete, and view events automatically 
✅ Records user, file name, IP address, and timestamp for every event 
✅ Displays the latest 30 entries in a clean admin table 
✅ One-click clear log with confirmation prompt
Compatibility & clean code 
✅ Works with default WordPress roles and any custom roles (LMS, membership, WooCommerce, etc.) 
✅ Compatible with Gutenberg block editor, classic editor, and headless setups 
✅ Restricted users can still upload and manage their own files — restriction is visibility only 
✅ No impact on existing media files — the plugin never modifies or deletes files 
✅ Clean uninstall — removes all plugin options and database tables on deletion
<h3>🧠 Use Cases</h3>
Online Learning Platforms (LMS): 
Prevent instructors from seeing or using each other’s uploaded course files. Exclude trusted course managers so they retain full access.
Client Sites & Freelancers: 
Limit clients to only their own media uploads, keeping your own assets private and the library uncluttered.
Multi-Author Blogs: 
Ensure each contributor only sees their own images and uploads. Exclude editors who need to manage all media.
Membership or Community Sites: 
Allow members to upload profile or content images but restrict them from browsing admin or other members’ uploads.
Agencies & Teams: 
Give designers and content editors restricted media access while allowing project leads or account managers full visibility.

Media Restriction

Restrict media library access by user role — with activity logging, and REST API protection.

LCweb

<a href="https://lcweb.it/privatecontent-multilevel-content-plugin/free-version/" rel="nofollow ugc">PrivateContent</a> born in 2012, aiming to be the best solution to restrict your website contents and a different membership platform. Different because it uses a standalone database: quicker than the normal WordPress users one and not limited by the bulky roles assignments.
To have a multi-level users database will be easy and fast, keeping your users out of the WordPress backend while creating a modern and optimized users management area in the backend.
No forced pages, no forced URLs: the plugin is designed to seamlessly work and integrate into any website.
<a href="https://lcweb.it/privatecontent-multilevel-content-plugin/free-version/" rel="nofollow ugc">CHECK THE DEMO »</a>
<h3>🌟 Main Features</h3>
<ul>
<li>User levels: unlimited. Each user can have one or multiple levels</li>
<li>Easy user management: Forget the outdated WP users management, everything is clean and fast. From admin user addition to users sort and search</li>
<li>3 user statuses: Users can be disabled without deleting them and registered users can be also placed in pending status, waiting for the admin approval</li>
<li>Contents restrictions: restrict WP pages and posts in few clicks. Bulk restrict through post categories. Precisely define which user levels can access contents. Restricted elements will be totally unreachable, also for search engines</li>
<li>User reserved page: target a container page and it will show different contents depending on the logged user. Everything under a single website URL!</li>
<li>1-click website lock: Do you need a totally private website? It only takes a click!</li>
<li>Login and registration forms: Place them everywhere you want in your website: you will never have to change your desired workflow to adapt PrivateContent</li>
<li>Registration form builder: add/remove/sort the fields as you prefer. Add text blocks and paginate fields. Finally, a modern HTML5 data validation and honeypot anti-spam</li>
<li>Blocks and shortcodes: Quickly insert your forms into your website directly through WP blocks or using the shortcode wizard</li>
<li>Import/export hub: Move users through websites, import existing WP users, export in CSV/XSLX, move the whole plugin setup </li>
<li>Style it as you prefer: Choose among six message styles and tune every aesthetic aspect to fully integrate into your website</li>
</ul>
And even if it’s a free version, each system is packed with a lot of options. 
Everything to adapt as best as possible to every website’s need!
<h3>🕒 Get started in minutes</h3>
Whether you have a large site or creating a new project, PrivateContent is ready to operate out of the box. With 6 preset styles and eventually importing existing WordPress users, your multilevel-protected website will be ready in a flash!
<h3>🌎 100% translatable</h3>
Each section is translatable: the plugin has already been (fully or partially) translated into 27 languages! 
Additionally, it is fully compatible with WPML and Polylang for dynamic strings.
<h3>📑 GDPR Compliant</h3>
The plugin fully satisfies the most recent law requirements in terms of data protection and users management. For example, there is a dedicated module to let users delete their profiles autonomously.
<h3>⌨️ Dev oriented API and hooks</h3>
PrivateContent is extremely flexible and ready to be extended almost in any way you could imagine. The <a href="https://lcweb.it/products-overview/#pc_suite" rel="nofollow ugc">official premium add-ons</a> offers incredible features for specific needs, but if you are a developer there’s a <a href="https://lcweb.it/privatecontent/public-api" rel="nofollow ugc">dedicated documentation</a> guiding you step-by-step to build your systems on top of the PrivateContent engine!
<h3>🚀 PrivateContent Free version is just the beginning</h3>
Since 2012, the plugin has been constantly improved and extended, becoming a real reference in the WordPress world when it comes to protect WordPress website contents. Here’s a summary of what you get with the <a href="https://lcweb.it/privatecontent-multilevel-content-plugin/" rel="nofollow ugc">premium version</a>:
Additional core systems
<ul>
<li>Lightbox engine</li>
<li>Native <a href="https://be.elementor.com/visit/?bta=1930&brand=elementor" rel="nofollow ugc">Elementor</a>, Divi, WPBakery Builder widgets integration</li>
<li>Google reCaptcha anti-spam integration</li>
</ul>
Users membership
<ul>
<li>Multiple registration forms</li>
<li>Advanced users search with direct search-to-export</li>
<li>Users action tracking through Google Analytics or User Activities add-on</li>
<li>WordPress roles emulation to integrate with specific systems (eg. WooCommerce dashboard)</li>
<li>User sessions control (no concurrent login)</li>
<li>Preset/fixed contents for Users reserved page with advanced themes/builders integrations</li>
</ul>
Contents restriction
<ul>
<li>Private block shortcode with optional warning box containing login/register buttons</li>
<li>Restrict any public custom post type or taxonomy</li>
<li>Persistent modal lightbox on page’s opening to force user’s interaction</li>
<li>Comments form hiding</li>
<li>Custom (URL-based) restriction with regular expressions support</li>
<li>Menu items </li>
<li>WooCommerce products sell lock and price hiding</li>
<li>Sidebar widgets</li>
<li>Any Elementor widget (or column or section)</li>
<li>Any Gutenberg block</li>
</ul>
Test it on the <a href="https://lcweb.it/privatecontent-multilevel-content-plugin/" rel="nofollow ugc">preview page</a> or also get a <a href="https://lcweb.dikelicensing.com/trial-license-request/?prod=pc" rel="nofollow ugc">7-days free trial</a>!

PrivateContent Free

Restrict pages, posts, and menus by user level or login status. Create private areas for members or logged-in users with ease and FREE!

Media Restriction vs PrivateContent Free