Alexandre Froger

Ever wanted to make your media truely private? Make sure images, videos and other files are only accessible to chosen roles, or cannot be hotlinked, with permissions specifically set per item.
This plugin adds the following major features to WordPress:
<ul>
<li>Media Privacy: Lock access to items in the Media Library by preventing hotlinks only or by limiting access to files to selected user roles.</li>
<li>User-friendly forbidden handler: Images set to private do not break on the frontend. Instead, they are replaced by a simple access denied SVG picture – the forbidden handler can be replaced using the filter hooks <code>pvtmed_forbidden_response_content</code> (<code>apply_filters( 'pvtmed_forbidden_response_content', $forbidden_response_content, $file );</code>) and <code>pvtmed_forbidden_mimetype</code> (<code>apply_filters( 'pvtmed_forbidden_mimetype', 'image/svg+xml' );</code>).</li>
<li>Customizable for more granularity: Restricted media will be checked for autorization – plugin developers can hook into the <code>pvtmed_is_authorized</code> filter (<code>apply_filters( 'pvtmed_is_authorized', $authorized, $attachment_id );</code>) to apply more complex conditions for authorization.</li>
<li>Optimized private media delivery: Files with access restriction are served using streams without loading the file entirely in memory before delivery, and WordPress files are loaded as lightly as possible for an optimised server memory usage.</li>
<li>Fallbacks: Restricted files are kept in an alternate <code>wp-content/pvtmed-uploads</code> folder (or equivalent if <code>WP_CONTENT_DIR</code> is not the default) ; fallbacks are in place to make sure:
<ul>
<li>moving a media to private does not break previously embedded media (javascript dynamic fallback with notice on post edit screen – Classic Editor only). </li>
<li>deactivating the plugin does not break previously embedded media (database update). </li>
<li>deleting the plugin does not break previously embedded media (database update). </li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
A <a href="https://codex.wordpress.org/Must_Use_Plugins" rel="nofollow ugc">Must Use Plugin</a> <code>pvtmed-endpoint-optimizer.php</code> is installed automatically to make sure WordPress is loaded as lightly as possible when requesting restricted media items. Developers can safely edit it to enable their plugin to execute during such request if necessary.
The media privacy policy is set per media item – therefore, this plugin is not a replacement for general image hotlink prevention plugins, but is ideal for anyone looking for preventing direct links to files depending on specific conditions.

Private Media

Add access restrictions to specific items of the WordPress Media Library.

Krasen Slavov

Developry

Have images on your server but they don’t appear in your Media Library?
<a href="https://mediarecoveryplugin.com/?utm_source=mlr&utm_medium=free_plugin&utm_campaign=readme_md" rel="nofollow ugc">Media Library Recovery</a> helps you recover lost media files in these common scenarios:
<ul>
<li>After site migration – Moved from localhost to production and media is missing</li>
<li>After hosting transfer – Changed hosts and files didn’t sync properly</li>
<li>After database restore – Restored from backup but lost media library entries</li>
<li>Orphaned files – Files exist in <code>wp-content/uploads</code> but don’t show in WordPress</li>
<li>Development/staging sync – Pulled production DB to staging and lost media</li>
<li>Broken image links – Images show on server but broken in posts/pages</li>
</ul>
The plugin scans your uploads folder, finds orphaned media files, and rebuilds the WordPress database entries to restore them to your Media Library.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Media Library Recovery for WordPress" width="750" height="563" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JRsaCsaF-k4?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<h3>How it works:</h3>
<ol>
<li>Navigate to Media > Media Recovery</li>
<li>View all orphaned files in the Media Explorer</li>
<li>Select files to recover (10 at a time in free version)</li>
<li>Click “Media Recovery” and let the plugin rebuild your library</li>
<li>Check Media > Library to confirm recovery</li>
</ol>
No files are uploaded or overwritten – the plugin only reconnects existing files to your database.
<h3>USAGE</h3>
Once the plugin is uploaded and activated:
<ol>
<li>Navigate to Media > Media Recovery in the main menu to open the Media Explorer.</li>
<li>Use the options to show or hide existing image files already found in your server and database.</li>
</ol>
Here are the steps to use <a href="https://mediarecoveryplugin.com/?utm_source=mlr&utm_medium=free_plugin&utm_campaign=readme_md" rel="nofollow ugc">Media Library Recovery</a>:
<ol>
<li>Open the Media Explorer.</li>
<li>Select the image files you want to recover.</li>
<li>Click the Media Recovery… button and wait for the images to rebuild.</li>
<li>Go to Media > Media Recovery to confirm the images were recovered successfully.</li>
</ol>
Note: The plugin does not upload or overwrite any images on the server. It only scans for image files in the default WordPress uploads folder.
<h3>FEATURES & LIMITATIONS</h3>
The <a href="https://mediarecoveryplugin.com/?utm_source=mlr&utm_medium=free_plugin&utm_campaign=readme_md" rel="nofollow ugc">Media Library Recovery</a> plugin allows you to:
<ul>
<li>Restore and recover images after database failure or reset if the files are still on your server.</li>
<li>Quickly rebuild your Media Library with the custom Media Explorer.</li>
<li>Hide existing image files already in the Media Library.</li>
<li>Display unique icons for existing, recoverable, selected, and unavailable image files for easy recovery management.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Known Issues and Limitations</h3>
<ul>
<li>Original image files with dimensions in their file names (e.g., <code>icon-128x128.png</code>) won’t appear in the Media Explorer.</li>
<li>You can recover a maximum of 10 images at a time.</li>
<li>Image file sizes must not exceed 2MB to avoid exceeding the <code>max_execution_time</code> on most servers.</li>
</ul>
<h3>DETAILED DOCUMENTATION</h3>
Find step-by-step setup guides, usage instructions, demos, videos, and insights on the <a href="https://mediarecoveryplugin.com/help" rel="nofollow ugc">Media Library Recovery Pro</a> page.
<h3>MEDIA LIBRARY RECOVERY PRO</h3>
If you’re using the free version from WordPress.org and want Pro features, you can purchase the premium version on the <a href="https://mediarecoveryplugin.com/?utm_source=mlr&utm_medium=free_plugin&utm_campaign=readme_md" rel="nofollow ugc">Media Library Recovery Pro</a> website.
Here are some features included in the Pro version:
<ul>
<li>Support for all media types, not just images.</li>
<li>Customize the default <code>wp-content/uploads</code> path.</li>
<li>Recover unlimited files at once.</li>
<li>WordPress Multisite compatibility.</li>
<li>Built-in uploads backup folder feature.</li>
<li>Enhanced performance for managing larger files and faster recovery.</li>
<li>Pro media file explorer with advanced search, filter, and sort options.</li>
<li>Priority support and updates for one year.</li>
</ul>

Media Library Recovery – Restore Lost Image Files

It was great to have my images back showing into the WordPress media library.

Great, plugin. Keep up the good work/

Nice one, recovered my unlisted images

Limits you to recovering 10 files at a time. User interface is very confusing. In addition, as shown below, the developer is sarcastic and blames users for the developer's failure to do any usability testing.

Nearly useless

Recover missing media files after site migrations, hosting transfers, database restores, or when files exist on your server but are missing from your  …

Private Media vs Media Library Recovery – Restore Lost Image Files