Per Søderlind

<p>Virtual Media Folders brings virtual folder organization to your WordPress Media Library. Organize your media files into hierarchical folders without moving files on disk—folders are virtual, so your URLs never change.</p>
<h4>Features</h4>
<ul>
<li><strong>Virtual Folders</strong> – Create hierarchical folder structures to organize media</li>
<li><strong>Drag & Drop</strong> – Easily move media between folders with drag and drop</li>
<li><strong>Sticky Sidebar</strong> – Folder navigation stays visible while scrolling through media</li>
<li><strong>Gutenberg Integration</strong> – Filter media by folder directly in the block editor</li>
<li><strong>Bulk Actions</strong> – Move multiple media items at once</li>
<li><strong>Keyboard Accessible</strong> – Full keyboard navigation support</li>
<li><strong>Internationalized</strong> – Ready for translation (Norwegian Bokmål included)</li>
</ul>
<h4>Free add-ons</h4>
<p><a href="https://github.com/soderlind/vmfa" rel="nofollow ugc"><strong>Add-On Manager</strong></a> lets you easily install and manage add-ons that extend Virtual Media Folders with powerful new features:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://github.com/soderlind/vmfa-ai-organizer" rel="nofollow ugc"><strong>AI Organizer</strong></a> – Uses vision-capable AI models to analyze actual image content and automatically organize your media library into virtual folders. This is add-on functionality requiring an API key from a supported AI service provider, or a local LLM.</li>
<li><a href="https://github.com/soderlind/vmfa-editorial-workflow" rel="nofollow ugc"><strong>Editorial Workflow</strong></a> – Role-based folder access, move restrictions, and Inbox workflow.</li>
<li><a href="https://github.com/soderlind/vmfa-folder-exporter" rel="nofollow ugc"><strong>Folder Exporter</strong></a> – Export folders (or subtrees) as ZIP archives with optional CSV manifests.</li>
<li><a href="https://github.com/soderlind/vmfa-media-cleanup" rel="nofollow ugc"><strong>Media Cleanup</strong></a> – Tools to identify and clean up unused or duplicate media files.</li>
<li><a href="https://github.com/soderlind/vmfa-migrate" rel="nofollow ugc"><strong>Migrate</strong></a> – Migrate folder structures from other media folder plugins to Virtual Media Folders.</li>
<li><a href="https://github.com/soderlind/vmfa-rules-engine" rel="nofollow ugc"><strong>Rules Engine</strong></a> – Rule-based automatic folder assignment for media uploads, based on metadata, file type, or other criteria. </li>
</ul>
<p><span class="embed-youtube" style="text-align:center; display: block;"><iframe loading="lazy" class="youtube-player" width="750" height="422" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bA4lf7ynz24?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen="true" style="border:0;" sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox"></iframe></span></p>
<h4>How It Works</h4>
<p>Virtual Media Folders uses a custom taxonomy to assign media to folders. This means:</p>
<ul>
<li>Your media files stay exactly where they are on the server</li>
<li>URLs never change when you reorganize</li>
<li>Folders can be nested to create hierarchies</li>
</ul>
<h4>Usage</h4>
<p><strong>Organizing Media</strong></p>
<ol>
<li>Go to <strong>Media > Library</strong></li>
<li>Click the folder icon to show the sidebar</li>
<li>Use <strong>+</strong> to create folders</li>
<li>Drag media onto folders to organize / Bulk select media and use the “Move to Folder” action</li>
<li>Click a folder to filter the view</li>
</ol>
<p><strong>Settings</strong></p>
<p>Go to <strong>Media > Folder Settings</strong> to configure:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Show “All Media”</strong> – Display “All Media” option in sidebar</li>
<li><strong>Show “Uncategorized”</strong> – Display folder for unassigned media</li>
<li><strong>Jump to folder after move</strong> – Navigate to target folder after moving</li>
<li><strong>Default folder for uploads</strong> – Auto-assign new uploads to a folder</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Block Editor</strong></p>
<p>When inserting media from a block (Image, Gallery, etc.):</p>
<ol>
<li>Open the Media Library modal</li>
<li>Use the folder sidebar to filter</li>
<li>Select your media as usual</li>
</ol>
<p><strong>AI Abilities</strong></p>
<p>Virtual Media Folders exposes Abilities API tools that can be used by AI agents and MCP adapters:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong><code>vmfo/list-folders</code></strong> (read-only) – Lists folders with <code>id</code>, <code>name</code>, <code>parent_id</code>, <code>path</code>, and <code>count</code>.</li>
<li><strong><code>vmfo/create-folder</code></strong> (write) – Creates a folder with <code>name</code> and optional <code>parent_id</code>.</li>
<li><strong><code>vmfo/add-to-folder</code></strong> (write) – Adds one or more attachments to a folder using <code>folder_id</code> and <code>attachment_ids</code>.</li>
</ul>
<p>Recommended AI flow:</p>
<ol>
<li>Call <code>vmfo/list-folders</code> to resolve folder names/paths to a stable <code>id</code>.</li>
<li>If needed, call <code>vmfo/create-folder</code> to create the target folder.</li>
<li>Call <code>vmfo/add-to-folder</code> with that <code>folder_id</code> and one or more <code>attachment_ids</code>.</li>
</ol>
<p>This avoids ambiguity when duplicate folder names exist.</p>
<p>Permission model:</p>
<ul>
<li><code>vmfo/list-folders</code> and <code>vmfo/add-to-folder</code> require the <code>upload_files</code> capability.</li>
<li><code>vmfo/create-folder</code> requires the <code>manage_categories</code> capability.</li>
</ul>
<p>See the <a href="https://github.com/soderlind/virtual-media-folders/blob/main/docs/mcp.md" rel="nofollow ugc">MCP Integration guide</a> for client configuration (Claude, GitHub Copilot, Cursor) and a full usage walkthrough.</p>
<h4>Documentation</h4>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://github.com/soderlind/virtual-media-folders/blob/main/docs/a11y.md" rel="nofollow ugc">Accessibility</a> – Keyboard navigation and screen reader support</li>
<li><a href="https://github.com/soderlind/virtual-media-folders/blob/main/docs/development.md" rel="nofollow ugc">Development</a> – Setup, API reference, hooks, and contributing</li>
<li><a href="https://github.com/soderlind/virtual-media-folders/blob/main/docs/mcp.md" rel="nofollow ugc">MCP Integration</a> – MCP client configuration, upload flow, and AI agent usage</li>
<li><a href="https://github.com/soderlind/virtual-media-folders/blob/main/docs/addon-development.md" rel="nofollow ugc">Add-on Development</a> – Guide to building add-on plugins</li>
</ul>
<h4>Free add-ons</h4>
<p>Use the <a href="https://github.com/soderlind/vmfa" rel="nofollow ugc"><strong>add-on manager</strong></a> to easily install and manage add-ons that extend Virtual Media Folders with powerful new features:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://github.com/soderlind/vmfa-ai-organizer" rel="nofollow ugc">Virtual Media Folders – AI Organizer</a> – Uses vision-capable AI models to analyze actual image content and automatically organize your media library into virtual folders.</li>
<li><a href="https://github.com/soderlind/vmfa-editorial-workflow" rel="nofollow ugc">Virtual Media Folders – Editorial Workflow</a> – Role-based folder access, move restrictions, and Inbox workflow.</li>
<li><a href="https://github.com/soderlind/vmfa-folder-exporter" rel="nofollow ugc">Virtual Media Folders – Folder Exporter</a> – Export folders (or subtrees) as ZIP archives with optional CSV manifests.</li>
<li><a href="https://github.com/soderlind/vmfa-media-cleanup" rel="nofollow ugc">Virtual Media Folders – Media Cleanup</a> – Tools to identify and clean up unused or duplicate media files.</li>
<li><a href="https://github.com/soderlind/vmfa-migrate" rel="nofollow ugc">Virtual Media Folders – Migrate</a> – Migrate folder structures from other media folder plugins to Virtual Media Folders.</li>
<li><a href="https://github.com/soderlind/vmfa-rules-engine" rel="nofollow ugc">Virtual Media Folders – Rules Engine</a> – Rule-based automatic folder assignment for media uploads, based on metadata, file type, or other criteria.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Privacy Policy</h3>
<p>Virtual Media Folders does not:</p>
<ul>
<li>Track users</li>
<li>Send data to external servers</li>
<li>Use cookies</li>
<li>Collect any personal information</li>
</ul>
<p>All data is stored locally in your WordPress database.</p>


Virtual Media Folders

Virtual folder organization and intelligent management for the WordPress Media Library, without altering file locations on disk.

lytechxdigital

<p>Media Folder Manager is a powerful WordPress plugin that adds a virtual folder system to the WordPress Media Library. Organize your media files into unlimited nested folders without physically moving files on your server.</p>
<h4>Key Features</h4>
<ul>
<li><strong>Virtual Folders</strong>: Create unlimited nested folders stored in the database</li>
<li><strong>Left Sidebar</strong>: Modern folder tree view in Media Library with instant filtering</li>
<li><strong>Drag & Drop Ready</strong>: Architecture supports drag & drop media between folders</li>
<li><strong>Grid & List View</strong>: Fully compatible with WordPress default grid and list views</li>
<li><strong>Attachment Details</strong>: Assign folders directly from attachment edit panel</li>
<li><strong>Bulk Operations</strong>: Assign multiple media files to folders at once</li>
<li><strong>Upload Integration</strong>: Select folder during media upload</li>
<li><strong>Modern UI</strong>: React-based interface using WordPress components</li>
<li><strong>No jQuery</strong>: Built with modern JavaScript (React, wp.element)</li>
<li><strong>Performance</strong>: Optimized queries for large media libraries</li>
<li><strong>Security</strong>: Proper nonce verification and capability checks</li>
</ul>
<h4>How It Works</h4>
<ol>
<li><strong>Activate the Plugin</strong>: Once activated, a left sidebar appears in Media Library</li>
<li><strong>Create Folders</strong>: Click “Create Folder” to add new folders</li>
<li><strong>Organize Media</strong>: Assign media to folders via:
<ul>
<li>Sidebar folder selection</li>
<li>Attachment details panel</li>
<li>Bulk selection</li>
<li>Upload modal</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Filter Media</strong>: Click any folder in the sidebar to filter media instantly</li>
<li><strong>Nested Folders</strong>: Create subfolders by selecting a parent folder when creating</li>
</ol>
<h4>Virtual Folders</h4>
<p>Folders are stored in the database, not as physical directories. This means:<br />
* No file system changes<br />
* Fast performance<br />
* Easy to reorganize<br />
* Safe to use on any hosting environment</p>
<h4>Settings</h4>
<p>Configure the plugin from <strong>Settings <span aria-hidden="true" class="wp-exclude-emoji">→</span> Media Folder Manager</strong>:<br />
* Enable/disable folder system<br />
* Reset all folders (moves all media back to “All Files”)</p>
<h3>Development</h3>
<h4>Contributing</h4>
<p>Contributions are welcome! Please follow WordPress Coding Standards and submit pull requests via GitHub.</p>
<h4>Reporting Issues</h4>
<p>Please report bugs and feature requests on the WordPress.org support forums or GitHub issues page.</p>
<h3>Credits</h3>
<p>Built with WordPress best practices and modern web technologies (React, wp.element, wp.components).</p>


Media Folder Manager

Organize media files into virtual folders with a modern, folder-based media manager for WordPress Media Library.

Virtual Media Folders vs Media Folder Manager