If your WordPress has got a lot of media files then you have to manage them properly only by using a good naming convention. Default WordPress does not have any method to create folders in WordPress media library or categorize those existing media files. So, you do not have any method to categorize the media files and you are unable to do any bulk operations on WordPress media files.
You can see how the default media page looks in your WordPress admin.
Here you have to put all the media files in one place and you do not have a way to categorize them. This article is for you.
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If you need to find out a particular image then you have to browse all images or you have to know the name of the image to carry out a search.
To overcome the above-mentioned issues, you can use a WordPress plugin. CatFolders is one of the best WordPress plugins to organize and manage your media files. This plugin is user-friendly and very easy to use to manage your media library.
Best Plugin to Create Folders in WordPress Media Library
CatFolders WP plugin has got the following features in a nutshell:
- Categorize all media files
- Easy to find media files
- Very fast and responsive
- Simply drag and drop operations
- Smart operations on media files
- Improve your productivity when managing media files
- Download media file with folder structure
How to Install CatFolders Plugin
First, you can download the CatFolders plugin from the website wpmediafolders.com and after you download the plugin. If you want to use the PRO version then you have to purchase the plugin and then you can get the license code for it.
The paid version is required if you want to update the future version of the plugin and also to get the support service from plugin builders that are available only for paid members.
Once you download the file from the server you can install it on your WordPress website.
In your WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Add New to add a new plugin
Then browse the zip file you downloaded and click on it to install and activate the plugin. The installation process is very straightforward and what you need is the zip file of the plugin only.
Once you install the plugin you will be directed to the homepage of the plugin and you can configure the CatFolders plugin. You can see three options named Setting, License, and import.
The Import tab allows you to import and export the folder structure. This is very important when you migrate WordPress websites.
Media Library
This is how you can view the media page once you install the CatFolders. All images are under the Uncategorized category at the start.
Now let’s see how to manage your media files using CatFolders.
Please note that the categories you create on this page are only virtual folders and it does not have any relationship with the categories of the WordPress posts.
How to Set Startup Folder to Categorize Media Files
You can set the startup folder which is the active folder when you open the media library. By default startup folder is Uncategorized.
You have the following options to select
- Previous folder selected
- All files
- Uncategorized
- Specific File
In addition to the startup folder you can set the Auto Sort Files by and Auto Sort Files by
How to Create Folders in WordPress Media Library
Creating a folder on the media file page is very simple and you have the New Folder icon located at the top of the page.
If you do not select any folder of the folder tree it will create the folder at the top level and if you want to create a subfolder then you have to select the parent folder.
Once you click the New Folder icon you can enter a name for the folder and save it.
To rename and delete a folder, you can right-click on the folder and it will give you the popup menu with options delete and rename.
When you delete a folder, media files inside the folder will not be deleted.
How to Categorize your WordPress Media Files
You can categorize the existing media files and you can add new media files directly into the folder.
To categorize existing media files, you can drag and drop the media file into the folder. CatFolders plugin allows you to select multiple thumbnails too.
You can add a new media file inside the folder by selecting the target folder and then clicking on the Add New media button to add new media. Once the uploading is completed it will be placed inside the selected folder.
Operations You Can Do with Categories
There are several operations you can do with categories such as bulk select, rename folders, delete folder and sorting. You can see the bar with operations as shown in the below image. Once you select the folder from the folder tree you can do one of the operations on the selected folder.
Bulk Selection of Media Files
This is a very useful function when you have a large set of files you can select several files and move them to the folders.
You can see the Bulk Select button top of the media panel. If you want to select several files and move to one of the folders of the left panel first you click the Bulk Select button and then click on the thumbnails to select files. After that, you can drag and drop them to the desired folder in the folder tree.
In addition to the bulk file selection, you have the ability to select bulk folders. This is useful when you want to delete several folders at once.
Conclusion
CatFolders WordPress plugin provides you the facility to create folders in WordPress media library and manage it in an effective manner. This plugin comes with built-in features to categorize your media files and also it has got functions to do bulk operations on media files. You can enjoy the drag-and-drop feature as well as the filtering and sorting of media files.
You can refer to the full tutorial on how to use CatFolders in the documentation here.
