Meow Gallery

Meow Gallery is the lightweight, polished gallery solution for WordPress. Built from scratch for simplicity, appearance, and speed. Features a Gallery Block, shortcode support, or works as an override for the standard WordPress gallery. It’s responsive, retina-friendly, with modern layouts, and tightly optimized.

Stop fighting bloated gallery plugins that turn your WordPress into a slower experience! 😘

Meow Gallery focuses on what actually matters: Beautiful Layouts and Performance. Check out our official site and see the layouts in action to get started.

Core Features

🎨 Beautiful Layouts
Choose from Tiles, Masonry, Justified (like Flickr), Square (like Instagram), Cascade, and Horizontal. Pro version adds Carousel and Map layouts.

🚀 Performance First
Built from scratch with modern code. No legacy bloat, no unnecessary features. Just clean, fast galleries.

🔌 WordPress Native
Works naturally with WordPress and Gutenberg without hacking it. Use the Gallery Block, shortcode, or override the standard WordPress gallery. Switch back anytime—no lock-in.

📱 Responsive & Retina
All layouts are fully responsive and retina-ready for crisp images on any device.

Compatibility

Since Meow Gallery works with WordPress naturally, it’s compatible with most plugins and themes:

• Lightbox: Use any lightbox you prefer. We recommend Meow Lightbox for the best experience.
• Lightroom: Fully compatible with Photo Engine for media organization and Lightroom sync.
• External Links: Use Gallery Custom Links to add custom URLs to your images.
• Audio: Add audio to images with Audio Story Images.

SEO-friendly with automatic sitemap integration (works with Yoast SEO and others).

Pro Features

• Infinite/Lazy Loading: Faster page loading and smoother experience
• Carousel Layout: Dynamic slider/carousel that can also work as a hero
• Map Layout: GPS-based photo display for travel galleries
• Animations: Bring your galleries to life with smooth animations

You can find more information on Meow Apps: Meow Gallery.

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   Meow Gallery.

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5.4.1 (2025/12/07)

• Update: Refined how shortcode ordering options are handled for more predictable display behavior.
• Fix: Reset the plugin’s internal database version when options are reset to ensure a clean configuration state.
• Add: Introduced tabindex support and improved keyboard navigation for better accessibility.
• Fix: Ensured all block-related features safely handle list operations to prevent unexpected errors.

5.4.0 (2025/12/04)

• Update: Better enqueuing.
• Fix: Stop sending htmlPreview data with block content to improve performance.
• Update: Apply the new stylesheet loading method in the WordPress admin area.
• Fix: Ensure the lightbox render is triggered after async loading.
• Fix: Add the base wp-image- class to carousel images.

5.3.9 (2025/12/03)

• Fix: Resolve an issue where a broken gutter setting showed as [object Object].
• Fix: Ensure the “animation” option is correctly included when using the block shortcode.
• Add: Introduce a dedicated enqueue_styles method and refine how plugin scripts are loaded.
• Add: Enable animation controls directly in the block settings.

5.3.8 (2025/12/02)

• Update: Smoother and more modern system.
• Update: Refreshed common libs.
• Fix: Glitch with Meow Lightbox.
• 🎵 Discuss with others about Meow Gallery on the Discord.
• 🌴 Keep us motivated with a little review here. Thank you!
• 🥰 If you want to help us, check our Patreon. Thank you!

5.3.7 (2025/11/12)

• Add: Uploading state and preview feature for blocks.
• Add: orderBy attribute and control to the Gallery block.
• Fix: Drag and drop functionality in blocks.

5.3.6 (2025/09/29)

• Add: Retrieve thumbnail sizes for Map Markers.
• Add: Breakpoint for Square layout to improve responsiveness on tablets.
• Add: Search input feature for Galleries and Collections Manager.
• Fix: Resolved an issue where gallery overlays interfered with editor content by integrating Skeleton for better stability.
• Fix: Implemented MutationObserver to automatically rerender Lightbox when Map Layout finishes loading.

5.3.5 (2025/08/27)

• Add: Density for Justified layout.

5.3.4 (2025/08/16)

• Add: Introduced a global $wpmgl variable (JS API).
• Fix: Corrected ALT Text for images with non-srcset sizes.
• Update: UI improvements.

5.3.3 (2025/07/23)

• Add: Missing Leaflet images to improve content completeness.
• Fix: Empty rows in collections Bento for a cleaner appearance.
• Fix: Warning messages resolved to enhance stability.

5.3.2 (2025/07/01)

• Add: Carousel ‘Keep Aspect Ratio’ now available as a Block and Shortcode attribute.
• Add: Skeleton loading option added for gallery layouts and enabled by default to reduce CLS.
• Fix: Improved pagination in Collections Manager.
• Fix: Improved pagination in Galleries Manager.
• Update: Collections now use the original image for map pin display if no other size is available.

5.3.1 (2025/05/06)

• Fix: Corrected table display issues for Collections.

5.3.0 (2025/05/03)

• Add: Improved Gallery Manager display with more detailed information.
• Add: Introduced new order options in the Gallery Manager.
• Add: Added support for additional “order by” sorting options.

5.2.9 (2025/05/02)

• Add: Order by option to Gallery Manager for enhanced sorting flexibility.
• Fix: Corrected sorting for IDS to ensure accurate display order.

5.2.8 (2025/05/01)

• Fix: Corrected post selector search and allowed saving without selected posts.
• Fix: Resolved a render loop issue and improved gallery rendering stability.
• Fix: Updated SQL query in get_gallery_by_id to use a proper string placeholder.
• Update: Refactored CollectionThumbnails, updated styles and dimensions in ShortcodeMaker, and improved unique ID generation.
• Update: Refined UI by updating the back button SVG and commenting out the loading spinner.
• Add: Introduced lead image selection feature for Collections.
• Update: Replaced generate_uniqid with wp_unique_id and added unique constraints in the database.
• Fix: Sanitized captions to prevent XSS vulnerabilities.
• Update: Replaced NekoInput with PostSelector in the manager for better post selection.
• Fix: Removed incompatible PHP 8 syntax in get_collection_by_id.
• Add: Added a default link option setting.
• Update: Ensured gallery layout respects block settings overrides.

5.2.7 (2025/03/13)

• Update: Reworked the Block to support Manager shortcodes for better integration.
• Add: Added support for the AVIF image format in the MediaSelector component.
• Update: Refactored gallery and collection data retrieval to use core methods for consistency.
• Fix: Resolved block display issues when selecting Gallery/Collection.
• Update: Migrated Galleries and Collections from options to database tables for improved performance.
• Update: Implemented React Query for Galleries and Collections to enhance data handling.
• Fix: Corrected sorting issues in the Gallery Manager.
• Fix: Fixed fetching of galleries data in the Gallery Manager.
• Update: Improved Collections by integrating Neko Shortcode.
• Fix: Addressed multi-page gallery selection issues in the Collection Maker.

5.2.5 (2025/02/17)

• Add: Added wp-video-id class to videos in galleries for better styling and identification.
• Update: Improved video element handling and fixed boolean attributes in XML.
• Fix: Added an attachment fallback when link=”file” is empty for videos.
• Fix: Corrected boolean attributes in XML for video elements.
• Update: Refactored ShortcodeMaker to use NekoShortcode for better shortcode management.
• Note: We need some love! If you have a moment, please write a little review for the Meow Gallery. Thank you! 💕

5.2.4 (2025/01/15)

• Fix: Issue with how the JSON attributes were escaped.
• Update: Enhanced the UI of the blocks.

5.2.3 (2025/01/04)

• Update: Improved escaping related to JSON gallery attributes.
• Fix: Check if the shortcode ID is set and not empty.
• Add: Native horizontal scrolling in Horizontal layout settings.
• Update: Removed max attributes for layouts.
• Add: Galleries and Collections Management now available in the Gallery Block.

5.2.2 (2024/12/06)

• Add: Caption Backgrounds in the Settings.

5.2.1 (2024/11/04)

• Add: “Load More” option for Infinite Scroll.
• Fix: Media Selector limitations.

5.2.0 (2024/10/17)

• Update: PhotoSwipe now works with Infinite Scrolling.
• Fix: Gallery initial state saved in the block.

5.1.9 (2024/08/25)

• Fix: Fixed link attributes for maps.
• Fix: Removed error logs.

5.1.8 (2024/08/01)

• Fix: Make sure data-attr have a layout.
• Fix: Minor issues.

5.1.7 (2024/06/15)

• Update: Code cleaning, libs optimization, etc.
• Fix: Carousel Hero height for non-horizontal images.
• Fix: Resolved issues with the Gallery Manager modal.
• Update: Use Image Alt as Aria Label if there is link attachment by default.

5.1.6 (2024/06/05)

• Add: Hero Mode for Carousel with Latest Posts.
• Add: Re-order feature for Gallery Manager.
• Fix: “Edit” modal functionality in current gallery mode.
• Fix: JS/Picture WebP Rewriting compatibility.
• Fix: Maintained Left to Right layout on Masonry resize.
• Update: Integrated latest NekoUI and common libraries.
• Update: And a few more things here and there.

5.1.5 (2024/05/10)

• Fix: Addressed XSS injection vulnerability via shortcode and updated readme documentation.
• Add: Implemented carousel infinite scroll with lazy loading.
• Update: Enabled Lightbox rendering for lazy-loaded carousel media.
• Update: Prepared gallery rendering within Gutenberg iframe.

5.1.3 (2024/04/06)

• Fix: Order by used in shortcode.

5.1.2 (2024/03/16)

• Add: Hero Carousel for Posts.
• Add: Improved Masonry layout.
• Add: Added support for videos in the Gallery Manager.
• Add: Added a meow attribute to the shortcodes to avoid conflicts with other plugins.
• Fix: Issues related to Infinite Loading, Custom Links and Shortcodes.
• Update: Improve the Media Selector.

5.1.1 (2024/01/20)

• Add: New zoom setting for map layouts and maintenance features including export, import, and reset options.
• Update: Enhanced map functionality with thumbnail selection fix for missing images and corrected src_set values.
• Add: Density labels with image count and captions alignment feature.
• Update: Integrated captions style with WordPress standards and reintroduced resize event for full pages.
• Fix: Issues with collections in WP/LR folders and removed obsolete gallery and collection processes.
• Add: ‘mgl_custom_link_classes’ filter and collection preview, with collection style moved to pro file.

5.1.0 (2023/12/08)

• Add: Support for collections in the Pro! You can now create collections of galleries, and have them displayed nicely on your pages.
• Add: New option to avoid overring the default WordPress gallery.

= 5.0.9 (2023/11/26)
* Add: Introduced unique IDs for Gallery Manager to enhance functionality
* Add: Initial version of Gallery Manager (Proof of Concept) added.
* Fix: Addressed the issue with missing Leaflet for maps by implementing async loading at mount.
* Update: Changed “Immersive captions” from being the default setting to an optional feature.

5.0.7 (2023/11/15)

• Update: Enhanced Carousel with the addition of a compact design, integrating navigation and captions internally for a more immersive experience.
• Update: Refined Carousel captions style to enhance user immersion and engagement.
• Fix: Resolved CSS typo for improved style consistency.
• Fix: Addressed Carousel and Square component mounting visibility issues, ensuring seamless display across layouts.
• Fix: Corrected nowrap settings for Dots and Thumbnails to enhance navigation.
• Fix: Fixed an issue where carousel captions were not displaying in certain scenarios.
• Fix: Addressed an issue with invisible captions to improve content visibility.
• Fix: Implemented a workaround for initializing map sizes, enhancing layout adaptability.
• Fix: Resolved warning issues in Horizontal layout on mobile devices for better user experience.

5.0.6 (2023/10/23)

• Add: Initial implementation of Thumbnail Navigation for Carousel.
• Add: “Scroll Warning” feature for Horizontal layout.
• Add: “Stylish Style” for the “Tiles” layout.
• Add: Introduced ‘mgl_sort_ahead’ filter for more flexible infinite loading.
• Update: Improved Carousel behavior with fixes to clone loop handling and clone images in lightbox.
• Update: Enhanced navigation features including dot navigation for large galleries and centering thumbnails.
• Update: Moved Carousel caption above dot navigation for improved visibility.
• Update: Code refinements in Carousel component and corrected overwritten code from previous commit.
• Fix: Addressed issues with “Keep Aspect Ratio” on both mobile and carousel affecting other layouts.
• Fix: Resolved issues with Gallery interfering with other Leaflet maps and improved map centering.
• Fix: Adjusted captions for Horizontal layout and ensured Autoplay functions correctly without arrow navigation.

5.0.5 (2023/10/10)

• Add: Carousel autoplay and better captions.
• Add: Option to keep the images’s aspect ratio with Carousel.
• Update: Infinite Scroll now has its own section and loading styles.
• Fix: Display an error message instead of crashing for backtrack limit exhaustion.

5.0.4 (2023/10/28)

• Fix: Previously generated gallery previews were not showing at all, now handled properly.
• Update: Adjusted infinite scroll images to fit parent div.
• Fix: Initial Map Layout size.

5.0.3 (2023/10/19)

• Update: Back to using the DOM naturally for the images. This will be easier for lightboxes to work with the gallery, and SEO scripts to work with the images.
• Update: Code cleaning, libs optimization, etc.

5.0.2 (2023/10/14)

• Fix: Removed useless data attributes.
• Fix: Images always had links, now it respects the settings.

5.0.1 (2023/09/12)

• Fix: Links from Gallery Custom Links were not supported.
• Fix: Alignment issue (fullwidth, etc).
• Fix: Square Layout was not working with more than 5 columns.
• Fix: Compatibility with PHP 8.4.

5.0.0 (2023/09/02)

• Update: Big rewriting to make the plugin more modern and faster, and allow more features in the future.
• Update: Meow Lightbox and Meow Gallery both need to be version 5.0.0+ to work together.

4.3.8 (2023/05/01)

• Update: Common dashboard.
• Fix: Issues with tiles in the editor.
• Fix: Issues in the carousel.

4.3.5 (2023/04/23)

• Update: Minimal for mobile now means one column.

4.3.4 (2023/04/23)

• Fix: Restore the common dashboard, and lighter bundle.
• Fix: There was an issue with maps, if you were using them.

4.3.2 (2023/02/21)

• Update: New admin, and UI framework.

4.3.1 (2023/01/06)

• Fix: Avoid the E_PARSE error on some PHP versions.

4.3.0 (2022/12/28)

• Fix: Required PHP version was a bit too high.
• Fix: There was useless console.logs in the code and a useless call in the admin.

4.2.9 (2022/11/28)

• Fix: There was a crash on some versions of PHP (not sure which ones).

4.2.8 (2022/11/14)

• Fix: The right click handling was not implemented.

4.2.7 (2022/09/29)

• Add: Option to set the height buffer for infinite loading.
• Fix: Load script in the footer instead of header.

4.2.6 (2022/07/13)

• Fix: If the phpinfo() function doesn’t exist, avoid calling it.

4.2.5 (2022/04/14)

• Update: jQuery is not needed anymore.
• Add: New filter mgl_ids, to overrides the IDs used.
• Fix: Compatibility with latest Gutenberg (you might need to click on “Repair Block” when editing them again).

4.2.4 (2022/02/25)

• Update: Only load CSS and JS when the gallery is in use.
• Fix: Responsive Images weren’t used since January – sorry about that!
• Add: New “Horizontal” layout.
• Fix: Improved touch events.

4.2.2 (2021/09/22)

• Fix: Carousel block issue.
• Update: Common lib 3.6.

4.2.1 (2021/09/07)

• Fix: Preview was not working well with the new security enhancements.

4.2.0 (2021/09/02)

• Fix: Issue with avoidLoneLastItem code in Tiles.
• Fix: Fix issue with square columns not working.
• Add: Added filters for access control.

4.1.9 (2021/08/29)

• Fix: Enhanced security for the plugin to avoid hackers.

4.1.8 (2021/08/27)

• Info: It seems like the version 4.1.7 version was maybe not pushed properly, so let’s have a jump to make sure everyone is up to date.

4.1.7 (2021/08/11)

• Fix: Attributes where escaped a tad too much.

4.1.6 (2021/07/31)

• Fix: SQL Injection and Arbitrary Options Update fixes.

4.1.3 (2021/07/06)

• Fix: Remove double images on map markers.
• Fix: Allow HTML such as links in the gallery items.
• Fix: Fixed double slash in the CSS and JSS urls.

4.1.2 (2021/04/05)

• Fix: Issue with the options relative to captions.

4.1.1 (2021/03/05)

• Fix: Optimization of the core.

4.1.0 (2021/03/02)

• Fix: Avoid compatibility issue if an old version of the common library is used.

4.0.9 (2021/03/01)

• Fix: Preview issues with default layout.
• Fix: Attempt to fix compatibility with some SEO plugins.
• Fix: Row height calculation.
• Fix: Prevent the avoidLoneLastItem function fail.

4.0.8 (2021/02/14)

• Fix: Users with sufficient roles can now edit blocks.
• Fix: Preview wasn’t working fine when set on default.
• Fix: Issue with tiles CSS.

4.0.7 (2021/02/11)

• Fix: Tiles Block in Gutenberg.
• Update: Use Google Maps SDK instead of Leaflet.
• Fix: MacOS Chrome issue with Tiles.
• Fix: Square layout issue.

4.0.6 (2021/02/06)

• Update: New system for tiles.
• Update: Better responsive features (please check the settings).
• Fix: Issue with dots nav.
• Fix: Compatibility with Social Snap.

4.0.5 (2020/12/30)

• Update: New and better admin.
• Update: Brand new carousel with no extra script.

4.0.4 (2020/11/20)

• Add: Right click option.

4.0.3 (2020/09/06)

• Update: Better compatibility with Meow Lightbox.
• Update: Updated the common library.

4.0.1 (2020/08/25)

• Fix: Better loading of the JS and CSS files.
• Fix: Compatibility with WP/LR Sync.
• Update: Repository cleaning.

4.0.0 (2020/08/21)

• Update: New UI in the admin, better and faster architecture.

3.5.9

• Fix: Remove dots when 3 or fewer images in Carousel.
• Fix: Cascade layout had an issue when vertical image was sandwiched between two horizontal ones.
• Update: With the Gutenberg Block, default should be… default, and not always ‘Tiles’.
• Fix: Map doesn’t crash anymore on first init in the editor.

3.5.8

• Fix: When the gallery is empty, automatically gets the images attached to the post.
• Update: Better i18n support for admin.

3.5.7

• Fix: Avoid an issue (when a gallery had an issue, all the other galleries weren’t rendered).
• Update: Admin refresh.

3.5.4

• Fix: Default order issue.
• Fix: Run mglInitMaps only if there is a map on the page.

3.5.3

• Add: New layout for Pro: The Map Layout. Please try it and let us know what you think 🙂
• Fix: Admin Updater.
• Fix: Remove the call to gallery_written which was allowing theme to break the Meow Gallery. If this causes an issue, an option will be added instead.

3.5.0

• Add: The two new attributes ‘orderby’ and ‘order’. You can learn more about them here: https://meowapps.com/meow-gallery-tutorial/#Gallery_Shortcode.
• Fix: A bunch of little fixes.

3.4.8

• Fix: Carousel dots.
• Fix: iiooi layout was 103%.

3.4.7

• Fix: Responsive for Tiles and Square layouts.

3.4.6

• Fix: Justified layout had… issues. Sorry about that!
• Add: Meow Gallery can now be converted into Gutenberg Gallery or (and from) Image Blocks.
• Update: Little optimization for the rendering.

3.4.4

• Fix: Return the WordPress default gallery if None is selected (and no layout).
• Update: Lazy doesn’t use an 1×1 external image anymore, but a tiny inline SVG.

3.4.2

• Add: Support for custom classes.
• Fix: CSS issue for caption in some cases.
• Fix: There were issues when using Infinite with a specific Image Size.

3.4.0

• Fix: One (actually useless) argument was missing to the post_gallery filter.
• Update: Avoid having one photo left alone when using the Tiles Layout.

3.3.6

• Add: Possibility to switch between src-set and precise image sizes (thumbnail, medium, large, full).
• Fix: Namespace conflict with carousel.

3.3.4

• Fix: Added a new class to the images (might be important for other plugins).
• Fix: A few CSS glitches were corrected.
• Add: Container for the gallery and its inline CSS, to avoid breaking DOM parsers.
• Fix: Default CSS behavior/style is missing for some theme and was affecting the Justified layout.

3.3.0

• Add: Filter mgl_sort to build your own customized order. Check more about this here.
• Fix: JetPack Lazy.
• Fix: Visual glitches.

3.2.9

• Update: The Slider is now the Carousel (for Pro).
• Update: Larger sizes to avoid pixelization (if any issue, check the filters).
• Add: New filters (https://meowapps.com/meow-gallery-tutorial/#Customize_the_Meow_Gallery).
• Fix: Tiles layout issue.

3.2.4

• Fix: Compatibility with PHP… 5! 🙂 (the plugin was made for PHP 7+).
• Fix: An invisible character was breaking the gallery attributes.
• Add: Added animations.

3.1.0

• Update: Added a filter which is also used by the standard WP Gallery for compatibility with other plugins.
• Fix: Compatibility with WordPress 5.0.
• Fix: The include attribute in the shortcode was not working.

3.0.6

• Add: Compatibility with WP/LR Sync. Collections from Lightroom are now accessible from the Meow Gallery Gutenberg Block.
• Add: LinkTo in the block.
• Add: Cascade layout.
• Info: Huge update for Gutenberg and WordPress 5. Try it 🙂

2.0.9

• Fix: For Gutenberg last update compatibility.
• Fix: Convert special characters in captions to HTML entities to avoid breaking standard HTML.
• Fix: Compatibility issue with WP/LR Sync.
• Update: Randomize identical layouts for Tiles.
• Fix: Function filemtime seems to fail on a few installs, so added alternative for it.

2.0.4

• Update: Enhanced Tiles layout.
• Update: Optimize CSS.
• Fix: Issue in the Slider constructor.

2.0.2

• Update: Complete recoding of the Meow Gallery! Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger.
• Add: Add Meow Gallery setting in the Gallery Block in Gutenberg.
• Fix: Gutenberg compatibility.

1.1.2

• Fix: Gutenberg compatibility.
• Fix: Issue with Infinite.
• Fix: Compatibility with PHP prior to 5.6.3.
• Update: Support for WP 4.9.

1.0.4

• Add: i18n.
• Fix: Better Justified layout.
• Fix: W3C validation.
• Fix: Compatibility with prehistoric themes.
• Fix: Gallery width.
• Fix: Issues with PHP < 7.

1.0.0

• Add: Optimization of the Infinite Loading.
• Fix: Now really uses the core WP Gallery 100% naturally.
• Fix: Many fixes.

0.2.5

• Add: Instagram Layout.
• Fix: Many little fixes.
• Add: Filter that allows changes in the images list (used by WP/LR Sync).

0.2.2

• Add: Justified layout.
• Fix: Many little fixes.

0.1.6

• Fix: Many fixes, many updates, revamped.
• Add: Pro -> Infinite loading, with options

0.0.3

• Tiny fixes.

0.0.1

• First release.