Double Youpï Refined Media Library (RML) is a free WordPress plugin that adds folders and collections to the media library. It is also included in Double Youpï Refined Admin Dashboard, so install one, not both.
The WordPress media library hasn’t really changed in years. A few hundred uploads in, you spend more time scrolling than working. Refined Media Library turns it into an actual asset manager, without adding a single per-image setting for you to babysit.
Folders that actually feel like folders
- Real nested folders: create subfolders, drag a folder into another to re-parent it, or drop it between two to reorder, with live drop indicators so there’s no guesswork.
- Right-click any folder (or the ⋯ button) for new subfolder, rename, move and delete, in clean designed dialogs rather than the browser’s grey pop-ups.
- Collections that ignore folder boundaries, so the same image can sit in several at once.
- Drag media straight onto a folder or collection, from the grid or the list, and upload right into the folder you’re looking at.
- Works on top of the native media library, so it behaves the same whether you build with Bricks, Elementor, Gutenberg or Divi.
A real detail panel
Click any file and a panel slides in from the right, no more full-screen modal. Edit the alt text and title, move it to a folder, drop it into collections, copy its URL, and see exactly which posts and pages use it (WooCommerce galleries included). The preview is resizable: it scales proportionally as you widen the panel, and you can drag the handle beneath it to set its height. Click the image to open it full screen in a lightbox and step through the whole library with the arrow keys.
Less clutter, automatically
- Automatic alt text and titles, filled in from the filename on upload, but only when you left them blank. It runs on your server and talks to nobody.
- Duplicate detection: re-upload the same file and it gets flagged, with a link to the original.
- An unused-media scanner that finds files no post actually references (featured images, content, custom fields, WooCommerce galleries) and lets you bulk-delete them behind a deliberate double confirmation. It errs on the side of caution: if it can’t be sure, it leaves the file alone.
WebP and AVIF on upload
Convert images to WebP and/or AVIF the moment they land, after a quick check that your server can actually do it. Quality is one slider, not a wizard. If another plugin already owns image conversion, Refined Media Library steps aside.
Switching from another plugin?
One-click import from FileBird, Real Media Library, HappyFiles, Folders (Premio) and Enhanced Media Library. It reads their data directly, even if the plugin is already deactivated, never touches it, and the import is reversible. Preview first, undo anytime.
No per-image settings
That’s the whole point. A few toggles in one place, sensible defaults everywhere else.
For teams and client sites
- Editors and administrators manage folders and collections; anyone who can upload files their media.
- Keep the settings to yourself, and hide the Feedback button and the review link in one click.
- Folders, collections and WebP/AVIF copies are available to headless fronts through WPGraphQL and the REST API.
Free, and built to stay that way
No locked features, no “upgrade to unlock folders”, no nag screens. It’s not a trial or a lite version: the whole plugin, free for good and actively maintained.
The whole admin, redrawn the same way
This media library is also part of Double Youpï Refined Admin Dashboard, which redraws the rest of the WordPress admin in the same style: navigation, lists, editor, notices and dashboard, in dark or light. It is free too. If you install it, this plugin steps aside and the dashboard keeps your folders and collections. If you use it, you don’t need this plugin as well.
Learn more
Documentation and news: doubleyoupi.com/plugins/refined-media-library.
Contributing
The code of every release is on GitHub: github.com/double-youpi/refined-media-library. Found a bug? Open an issue there. Questions and help requests stay on the support forum here.
External services
This plugin sends a report to doubleyoupi.com when you use the “Send feedback” tab, and only then. Nothing is sent while you simply use the media library, and nothing is sent in the background.
When it happens. Only when you open the feedback tab, write a message and tick the consent box. The dialog shows you the exact report before you send it, and you can read every field.
What is sent. Your message and, if you attached one, your screenshot. The title and address of the admin screen you were on, with any token removed. The plugin or theme the screen belongs to. Version numbers for WordPress, PHP, your theme and this plugin. Your browser’s user agent string and window size. A site identifier that is a truncated one-way hash of your site address, so reports from one install can be grouped without knowing which site it is. If, and only if, you ask for a reply, your email address and your site address.
What is never sent. No posts, pages, media files, users, passwords or database content. Nothing from your site’s contents, ever.
Reports are kept for 24 months, then deleted, screenshot included. You can ask for access, correction or deletion at any time.
Service provider: Double Youpï, https://doubleyoupi.com
Terms of use: https://doubleyoupi.com/terms
Privacy policy: https://doubleyoupi.com/privacy
Screenshots
Nested folders and collections, in a panel that slots right into the native media library.
Drag folders to reorganise: re-parent or reorder, with live drop indicators.
Right-click (or the ⋯ button) for folder actions: new subfolder, rename, move, delete.
Drag media straight onto a folder or collection to file it.
A Finder-style detail panel: edit metadata, pick a folder from the tree, and see where the file is used.
Search and filter the library by type, name, folder or collection.
The unused-media scanner finds files no post references, with a safe bulk delete.
One-click import from FileBird, Real Media Library, HappyFiles, Folders and Enhanced Media Library.