Auto Rename Media On Upload
This plugin will automatically rename any media files you upload to the Media Library, by adding a prefix to the beginning of the filename based on the filetype.
Consider an alternative
Auto Rename Media On Upload shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 100+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 2 years ago, and scores 32/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (100+ active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
- No update in 2 years
- Only tested up to WordPress 6.5 (latest is 7.1)
How does it stack up?
Side-by-side on installs, updates, ratings & support
Daily downloads
Download spikes usually follow a new release — each site that auto-updates counts as a download.
Rankings
Where Auto Rename Media On Upload stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| automatically | >100 |
| media | >100 |
| rename | >100 |
| sherk | #1 |
| upload | >100 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
Rating breakdown
★★★★★★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
About Auto Rename Media On Upload
From the official readme · v1.1.0Description
This plugin will automatically rename any media files you upload to the Media Library, by adding a prefix to the beginning of the filename based on the filetype.
For example, you can tell it to add the prefix “pic-” to the beginning of all .jpg files that you upload. So uploading an image called car.jpg would get renamed to pic-car.jpg
And since it changes the name of the file, it will also change the “slug” that wordpress uses based on this new name.
You can set an individual/unique prefix for each of the following filetypes:
jpg jpeg png bmp gif tif mp4 avi m4v mov flv mkv 3gp pdf doc docx xls xlsx ppt pptx mp3 ogg wav zip csv txt rtf odt
You will need to go to the settings page and set the prefix you want to use for each of the filetypes.
The default behavior is that it will NOT rename any uploaded files until you have set the prefix on the settings page.
Frequently asked questions
Can I manually rename the files when I upload them?
No. In the settings you can set how the filename will be renamed when it is uploaded. File will be automatically renamed during the upload process.
Can I choose whether a file will be renamed when I upload it?
No. In the settings you can set how the filename will be renamed when it is uploaded. File will be automatically renamed during the upload process.
How do I disable renaming files of only certain types?
On the settings page, you can remove the prefix from the textbox and set it empty/blank for any filetype that you do not want to be renamed when it is uploaded. If a particular filetype has an empty/blank textbox, then it will not be renamed when it is uploaded.
How do I rename only files of one specific filetype, but not all the other filetypes?
On the settings page, you can remove the prefix from the textbox and set it empty/blank for any filetype that you do not want to be renamed when it is uploaded. If a particular filetype has an empty/blank textbox, then it will not be renamed when it is uploaded.
For what filetypes can I modify the prefix for the renaming of the file?
You can set an individual/unique prefix for each of the following filetypes: jpg jpeg png bmp gif tif mp4 avi m4v mov flv mkv 3gp pdf doc docx xls xlsx ppt pptx mp3 ogg wav zip csv txt rtf odt
The filetype I need to rename is not listed. What can I do?
Submit a support request and I will see if I can get that filetype added for you.
I have uploaded a file to the Media Library, but it was not renamed? What happened?
Make sure you go to the settings page and set the prefix you want to use for the particular filetype you are uploading and want renamed. And don’t forget to hit the SAVE button to make sure your changes are saved.
Changelog
1.1.0
- Sanitize settings on save to prevent vulnerability for a high privilege user to perform stored cross-site scripting attack.
1.0.5
- Compatible with WordPress v5.5
1.0.4
- Shortened the name because it was too long in the settings menu.
1.0.3
- Minor code cleanup
1.0.2
- Added RTF and ODT formats.
1.0.1
- Minor code cleanup
Screenshots
For developers
Is this your plugin? Show off the numbers.
Add a live badge to your site, docs or GitHub README. It updates on its own — no account needed.
Best Auto Rename Media On Upload alternatives
All automatically plugins →
FAQ
Auto Rename Media On Upload: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Sep 29, 2026
Is Auto Rename Media On Upload free?
Yes. Auto Rename Media On Upload is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is Auto Rename Media On Upload safe to use in 2026?
Auto Rename Media On Upload shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 100+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 2 years ago, and scores 32/100 on our health check.
How many websites use Auto Rename Media On Upload?
Auto Rename Media On Upload is active on 100+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 5,279 times since it launched in October 2019. It was downloaded 115 times in the last 30 days.
Does Auto Rename Media On Upload work with WordPress 7.1?
Auto Rename Media On Upload is officially tested up to WordPress 6.5.12, while the latest release is 7.1.2. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
When was Auto Rename Media On Upload last updated?
The latest version, 1.1.0, was released on June 29, 2024 (2 years ago).
Who makes Auto Rename Media On Upload?
Auto Rename Media On Upload is developed and maintained by Jeff Sherk.
What are the best alternatives to Auto Rename Media On Upload?
The most popular alternatives to Auto Rename Media On Upload are Auto Upload Images (20K+ installs), Auto Update Plugins (1K+ installs) and Auto Cart Update On Quantit… (200+ installs).
Powered by PageForge
Want thousands of pages that rank like these? Build them in an afternoon.
This directory runs on the same engine as PageForge. Turn any spreadsheet, CSV or API into thousands of fast, SEO-ready WordPress pages — with schema, internal links and AI-written copy baked in.
- CSV, Google Sheets & API data sources
- AI content, schema & internal links per page
- Works with Elementor, Gutenberg, Yoast & Rank Math
- Free on WordPress.org — no credit card
