Description
Flexa Media Folders adds a hierarchical, drag-and-drop folder tree to the WordPress Media Library. Group images, videos, documents and any other attachment into nested folders, then filter the library to a single folder with one click – in the grid view, the list view, and the media picker inside the post editor.
Folders are stored in two dedicated, indexed database tables, so your wp_term* tables stay clean and the tree loads fast even with thousands of files.
Features
- Hierarchical folder tree – create unlimited nested folders, rename them, and reorder them by drag-and-drop.
- Drag attachments into folders – drag an item from the Media Library straight onto a folder.
- Works everywhere the Media Library does – the folder sidebar appears on the Media grid, the list view (
upload.php), and the media modal in both the block editor and the Classic Editor. - One-click filtering – click a folder to filter the library to it, plus built-in “All files” and “Uncategorized” views.
- Color labels – assign one of 18 colors to any folder from the right-click menu to spot it at a glance.
- Full context menu – New Folder, Rename, Cut, Paste, Delete and Change Color, all from a right-click.
- File counts – each folder can show how many attachments it contains (toggle in Settings).
- Folder search – filter the folder tree as you type.
- Settings page – choose a default folder for new uploads (none / last used / a specific folder), set the folder sort order, toggle file counts, and exclude specific post types from showing the sidebar.
- Dark mode – the tree automatically follows your WordPress admin color scheme.
- Accessible – full ARIA tree semantics, keyboard navigation, and visible focus styles.
- Translation ready – every string is internationalized and a
.pottemplate is bundled. - REST API – all screens are powered by a REST API under
/wp-json/flexa-mf/v1/, so external integrations and your own code can read and manage folders too. - WP-CLI – manage folders and reset plugin data from the command line with
wp flexa-mf. - Clean uninstall – a Settings danger zone (and
wp flexa-mf reset) wipes all plugin data on demand; uninstalling the plugin drops its tables. Your media files are never touched.
Source code for compiled JavaScript and CSS
The plugin ships with minified/compiled JavaScript and CSS in assets/dist/. The human-readable source code for these assets is publicly available and maintained at:
https://github.com/flexatech/flexa-media-folders
Installation
- Upload the plugin files to
/wp-content/plugins/flexa-media-folders, or install it through the WordPress Plugins screen. - Activate the plugin through the Plugins screen.
- Open Media in the admin menu – the folder sidebar appears next to your library. Visit Media Media Folders to configure defaults.
FAQ
-
Does this move or rename my media files?
-
No. Folders are an organizational layer stored separately in the database. Your files stay exactly where WordPress put them, with the same URLs.
-
What happens to my folders if I deactivate or delete the plugin?
-
Deactivating keeps all folder data. Deleting (uninstalling) the plugin drops its database tables and removes its settings – but your media files are never deleted. You can also wipe folder data on demand from the Settings danger zone.
-
Does it use WordPress taxonomies?
-
No. Folders live in two dedicated, indexed tables. This keeps your
wp_term*tables clean and lets the tree load in a single query. -
Can I filter the Media Library by folder inside the post editor?
-
Yes. The folder sidebar is available in the media modal in both the block editor and the Classic Editor.
-
Is there a REST API?
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Yes – all folder data is exposed under
/wp-json/flexa-mf/v1/. The endpoints require the same capabilities as the Media Library itself. -
How does the plugin handle authentication and permissions?
-
Every state-changing request goes through the WordPress REST API and is gated by two checks: a capability check (
upload_filesfor folder actions,manage_optionsfor settings and the data-reset endpoint) and the standard WordPress REST nonce (X-WP-Nonce). On top of that, assigning or detaching media is verified per attachment with theedit_postcapability, and the attachment listing is scoped to media the current user can manage. The plugin does not register any custom admin-ajax endpoints. Both capability gates are filterable viaflexa_mf/capabilities/manageandflexa_mf/capabilities/settingsif you need to tighten or loosen them. -
Yes. The plugin’s Settings page has a per-post-type exclusion list.
Reviews
There are no reviews for this plugin.
Contributors & Developers
“Flexa Media Folders” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.
Contributors
Translate “Flexa Media Folders” into your language.
Interested in development?
Browse the code, check out the SVN repository, or subscribe to the development log by RSS.
Changelog
1.2.4
- New: translation template (.pot) covering all plugin strings, so the plugin can now be translated into other languages.
1.2.3
- New: a Settings link on the Plugins page now takes you straight to the Media Folders settings.
1.2.2
- Fix: development files are no longer included in the release package.
1.2.1
- Fix: the “Download folder” notice now inserts the folder name correctly in translated languages, so translators can reposition the placeholder.
1.2.0
- New: after moving media into a folder, the confirmation toast now offers an Undo button for 5 seconds – click it to send every item back to its previous folder (including Uncategorized) with folder counts and the media grid updated automatically.
1.1.0
- New: rename a folder inline by double-clicking its name in the sidebar – press Enter or click away to save, Esc to cancel. Empty names are ignored and the right-click Rename option still works as before.
1.0.2
- Security: the folder assign/detach REST endpoints now verify per-attachment edit permission (
edit_post) for each item, so a user can only organize media they are allowed to edit instead of any attachment in the library. - Security: the attachment-listing REST endpoint now scopes results to media the caller can manage – users who cannot edit others’ posts see only their own uploads.
1.0.1
- Security: bind every custom-table identifier through
wpdb::prepare()‘s%iplaceholder so no SQL string interpolates a table name outsideprepare(). - Security: gate the Media Library query-filter superglobal reads behind an explicit
current_user_can()check (defense in depth on top of WordPress’s upstream cap enforcement). - Fix: the admin UI now loads correctly on the Settings page.
- Fix: dark-mode styling on the folder tree, drag tooltip, and toast.
- Compatibility: minimum WordPress version bumped from 5.8 to 6.2 (required for the
%iplaceholder).
1.0.0
- Initial release.
- Hierarchical, drag-and-drop folder tree for the Media Library.
- Drag attachments into folders.
- Folder sidebar in the Media grid, the list view, and the editor media modal.
- One-click folder filtering with built-in “All files” and “Uncategorized” views.
- Folder color labels (18-color palette) and a full right-click context menu.
- Per-folder file counts, folder-tree search, and a Settings page (default upload folder, sort order, count display, post-type exclusions).
- Dark mode that follows the WordPress admin color scheme; full keyboard and ARIA accessibility.
- REST API under
/wp-json/flexa-mf/v1/andwp flexa-mfWP-CLI commands. - Translation ready with a bundled
.pottemplate.