CaphLabs

Keep Originals Safe, convert JPEG/PNG images to WebP and makes WebP the canonical file. WP returns <code>.webp</code> URLs, Keeping originals safely archived.
<h3>How it works (high level)</h3>
<ol>
<li>
Convert
<ul>
<li>For a JPG/PNG attachment, the plugin generates a WebP for the full image and all WordPress-generated sizes.</li>
<li>Conversion is done through WordPress’ image editor system (WP_Image_Editor), meaning it uses GD or Imagick (whichever your server supports) with WebP support enabled.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>
Move originals
<ul>
<li>The original JPG/PNG files are moved to:
<ul>
<li><code>wp-content/uploads/_originals/...</code></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The folder structure mirrors your uploads structure.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>
Update WordPress to serve WebP
<ul>
<li>Attachment “file” + metadata are updated so WordPress serves <code>.webp</code> as the attachment file.</li>
<li>Attachment mime type is updated to <code>image/webp</code>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>
Optional: Replace old URLs everywhere
<ul>
<li>If enabled, the plugin can replace old <code>.jpg/.png</code> URLs across:
<ul>
<li>post content</li>
<li>postmeta</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Replacement is serialized-safe (does not break serialized arrays).</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ol>
<h3>Background jobs (keeps running after page reload)</h3>
Conversion/repair/sweep jobs are designed to run in the background. They keep ticking even if you refresh the page or close the tab.
The plugin uses multiple loopback methods (admin-post / REST / public tick fallback) so it can keep working even on restrictive hosting setups.
<h3>Log + “it looks frozen” note</h3>
A rolling “terminal style” log is written to: 
– <code>wp-content/uploads/hsbc-webp-only/logs/webp-only.log</code>
If the log appears to freeze in the admin page: 
– click Refresh Log, or 
– refresh the page
The job may still be running server-side; refreshing the log/page usually catches up.
<h3>Usage</h3>
Go to Media → WebP Only.
<h3>Settings</h3>
<ul>
<li>Quality
<ul>
<li>WebP quality for conversion (0–100).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Batch size
<ul>
<li>How many items to process per tick. Smaller batches reduce server load.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Replace old .jpg/.png URLs across content + postmeta (serialized-safe)
<ul>
<li>Recommended if your site content contains hard-coded image URLs.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Sweep Include / Exclude
<ul>
<li>Used by the Sweep tools to control which folders are scanned.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conversion Jobs (buttons)</h3>
Start Bulk Convert 
– Converts Media Library attachments (JPG/PNG) in batches. 
– Moves originals to <code>uploads/_originals/</code>. 
– Updates attachment metadata so WordPress serves <code>.webp</code>. 
– Optional URL replacement (content + postmeta).
Start Repair/Cleanup 
– Repairs inconsistencies if something was partially converted or moved. 
– Useful after restores/migrations or if some attachments have mismatched metadata. 
– Optional URL replacement.
Start Folder Sweep 
– Scans the filesystem for eligible images (based on your Sweep Include/Exclude rules). 
– Designed for sites with additional image folders beyond standard uploads. 
– Optional URL replacement.
Stop Job 
– Stops the currently running job.
<h3>Maintenance / Cleanup (buttons)</h3>
Delete duplicate _originals 
– Deletes backup files in <code>uploads/_originals/</code> *only when* an identical file already exists in <code>uploads/</code>. 
– This is a cleanup tool for situations where originals were restored back into uploads and you no longer need the archived duplicate.
Delete duplicate _webp 
– Removes orphaned WebP cache files in: 
 – <code>uploads/_webp/</code> 
– Only deletes WebP files that no longer match anything in <code>uploads/</code> or <code>uploads/_originals/</code>.
Delete duplicate sweep _originals 
– Maintenance cleanup for non-uploads roots (folders under <code>wp-content/</code>) that contain their own <code>_originals/</code> folders. 
– It uses your Sweep Include list to find those roots. 
– Only deletes a file from <code><root>/_originals/</code> when the same file exists at <code><root>/</code> AND the file size matches (safe duplicate).
Revert Everything 
– Restores original JPG/PNG files from <code>uploads/_originals/</code> back into <code>uploads/</code>. 
– Reverts attachment metadata so WordPress serves the originals again.
<h3>Log controls</h3>
Refresh Log 
– Pulls the latest log tail into the admin screen.
Reset Log 
– Clears the log file.
<h3>Requirements</h3>
<ul>
<li>WordPress’ image editor must support WebP.
<ul>
<li>GD with WebP support, or</li>
<li>Imagick with WebP support</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>If WebP conversion is not supported on your server, conversion/repair/sweep will refuse to run (revert tools can still work).</li>
</ul>

OrigiSafe — Advanced Image Optimizer (WebP) — Keep Originals Safe

Convert JPG/PNG uploads (and existing library) to WebP, move originals to /uploads/_originals/, and update Media Library metadata - WP serves .webp

WordPress.org

This plugin adds WebP and AVIF support for media uploads within the WordPress application. By default, AVIF images will be generated if supported on the hosting server, otherwise WebP will be used as the output format. When both formats are available, the output format can be selected under <code>Settings > Media</code>. Modern images will be generated only for new uploads, pre-existing images will only converted to a modern format if images are regenerated. Images can be regenerated with a plugin like <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/regenerate-thumbnails/" rel="ugc">Regenerate Thumbnails</a> or via WP-CLI with the <code>wp media regenerate</code> <a href="https://developer.wordpress.org/cli/commands/media/regenerate/" rel="nofollow ugc">command</a>.
By default, only modern image format sub-sizes will be generated for JPEG or PNG uploads – only the original uploaded file will still exist as a JPEG/PNG image, generated image sizes will be WebP or AVIF files. To change this behavior, there is a checkbox in <code>Settings > Media</code> “Output fallback images” that – when checked – will result in the plugin generating both the original format as well as WebP or AVIF images for every sub-size (noting again that this will only affect newly uploaded images, i.e. after making said change).
This plugin was formerly known as WebP Uploads.

Modern Image Formats


I love that it doesn't force you to generate all image sizes of the original format and avif, but just does the avif (or webp if you choose that). It would be really nice if it could rework old images, and maybe even modify the database to match. But still, excellent and should be installed first thing on all new WP sites in my opinion.


Easiest way to get AVIF images


Thanks for developing this plugin!It's my #1 plugin for image optimization!


So far so good!

Converts images to more modern formats such as WebP or AVIF during upload.

OrigiSafe — Advanced Image Optimizer (WebP) — Keep Originals Safe vs Modern Image Formats