BugWP logo BugWP
Back to Community
Home / Community / Plugin → Ewww image optimizer

Understanding and Using the 'Delete Originals' Tool in EWWW Image Optimizer

24 threads Sep 16, 2025 Plugin → Ewww image optimizer

Content

Many WordPress users turn to the EWWW Image Optimizer plugin to reduce their website's storage footprint. A common point of confusion revolves around the plugin's 'Delete Originals' tool—what it does, what it doesn't do, and how to use it effectively. This guide breaks down everything you need to know.

What Exactly Does "Delete Originals" Mean?

It's crucial to understand that the term "originals" can refer to different things in different contexts within the plugin. Based on community discussions, the 'Delete Originals' tool found under Tools -> EWWW Image Optimizer has one specific purpose:

  • It is designed to delete the original, oversized image files that WordPress itself creates and retains after scaling down large uploads (a feature introduced in WordPress 5.3).
  • It does not delete the primary, scaled version of the image that your site uses.
  • It does not affect the 'image-backup' folder created by EWWW IO's local backup feature.
  • It does not delete originals after a PNG-to-JPG (or JPG-to-PNG) conversion; that is a separate setting on the Convert tab.
  • It does not delete originals after creating WebP files; the original (JPG/PNG) files are kept for browser compatibility.

Common Issues and Solutions

1. The Tool Runs for Hours and Then Fails

Some users report that the deletion process runs for a very long time on large sites and eventually fails without completing.

Why this happens: The tool works by scanning through a list of all media IDs in the database to check for the 'original_image' metadata. On very large sites, this process can be resource-intensive and may hit server timeout limits.

Potential solutions:

  • The EWWW Image Optimizer team has acknowledged that resume functionality for this specific tool may be limited compared to the bulk optimizer. If it fails, it may start from the beginning again.
  • Patience is key. For massive libraries, the process may simply take a very long time to complete.

2. The Tool Runs, But Large Original Files Remain

Users run the tool, see the progress bar complete, but find their original, oversized files are still on the server.

Why this happens: The tool only deletes files that WordPress has flagged as a scaled 'original.' If an image was uploaded before WordPress 5.3 or was not large enough to be scaled, it will not have this metadata and will be skipped. The progress bar indicates the scan is complete, not that files were necessarily deleted.

How to verify: Upload a new, oversized image (larger than 2560px on either side). Let WordPress and EWWW IO process it. Then, run the 'Delete Originals' tool again. Check your server via FTP; the original oversized file for that new image should be gone, while the primary '-scaled' image remains.

3. Confusion with Other "Original" Files

Many users want to delete different kinds of "originals," leading to confusion when this tool doesn't work as expected.

  • For WebP Conversion: The original JPG/PNG files are intentionally kept to serve as a fallback for browsers that do not support WebP. There is no built-in option to delete them, as it would break site functionality for some visitors.
  • For PNG/JPG Conversion: The "Delete Originals" option on the Convert tab handles this for converted images only.
  • For the 'image-backup' Folder: This folder contains backups from EWWW IO's optimization process and is not touched by any "Delete Originals" tool. You can safely delete this folder manually via FTP if you have disabled the backup option in settings.

Important Considerations Before Deleting

  • Backup Your Site: Always take a full site backup before running any operation that deletes files.
  • Regeneration: Once you delete these original files, you will not be able to regenerate thumbnails from the original, high-quality source. Ensure you are happy with all the image sizes your site currently uses.
  • CDN Users: If you use a service like Jetpack's Site Accelerator (Photon), your origin server is still the source for the CDN. Deleting files from your server will break images on your live site.

By understanding its specific purpose, you can effectively use the 'Delete Originals' tool to reclaim disk space from unnecessary oversized image files that WordPress stores.

Related Support Threads Support