BLACK FRIDAY
Save 59% on PageForge Annual $191/year $485/year
Claim 59% Off →
Clean Image Filenames icon
Maintained Tested up to 6.9.9 #972 most installed plugin #3 in files

Clean Image Filenames

This plugin automatically converts language accent characters to non-accent characters in filenames when uploading to the media library.

Active installs30K+10K+ tier
Downloads · 30d4.6K▲ +3.6% vs prev. 30d
Rating4.6/521 reviews
Health score61/100Fair
All-time downloads363KSince Oct 2014
Support resolved—No recent threads
RequiresWP 2.9PHP any
Overall rank#972of 69,566 plugins
Our verdict

Use with caution

Clean Image Filenames works, but test it on a staging site before relying on it in 2026. It runs on 30K+ sites, is rated 4.6/5 and was last updated 9 months ago, and scores 61/100 on our health check.

  • Proven at scale on 30K+ active sites
  • Loved by users — 4.6/5 from 21 reviews
  • Only tested up to WordPress 6.9 (latest is 7.1)

How does it stack up?

Side-by-side on installs, updates, ratings & support

Daily downloads

86173260Jun 29Aug 12Sep 26
Yesterday52
Daily average (1y)122
Peak day435Jan 30, 2026
Last 12 months44.5K

Download spikes usually follow a new release — each site that auto-updates counts as a download.

Rankings

Where Clean Image Filenames stands today
Overall popularity #972 of 69,566 WordPress.org plugins Top 1%
10K+ installs tier 182 of 210+
Next tier: 50K+ installs
Files #3 of 104 plugins → Images #14 of 903 plugins → Media #12 of 727 plugins → Sanitize #1 of 18 plugins → Upload #5 of 218 plugins →

WordPress.org search rankings

Live position in the plugin search, top 100
KeywordPositionCompeting pluginsCategory
files >100 10,000 Best files plugins →
images >100 10,000 Best images plugins →
media >100 10,000 Best media plugins →
sanitize #7 1,430 Best sanitize plugins →
upload >100 10,000 Best upload plugins →

Version adoption

Share of active sites per release.

  • 1.576.6%
  • 1.411.3%
  • 1.37.2%
  • Other4.8%

Rating breakdown

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.6 from 21 reviews

  • 5★85.7%
  • 4★4.8%
  • 3★0.00%
  • 2★0.00%
  • 1★9.5%

About Clean Image Filenames

From the official readme · v1.5

Description

This plugin automatically converts language accent characters in filenames when uploading to the media library. Characters are converted into browser and server friendly, non-accent characters.

Features

  • Converts accent characters to non-accent, latin equivalents in Swedish, Danish, German, and more.
  • Removes special characters like exclamation marks, periods, hashtags, and more.
  • Lets you choose if you want to convert only image files, or all file types.
  • Makes site and server migrations easier thanks to non-accent character filenames.
  • Provides filter hook for developers who want to specify which file types to convert.

Examples

  • Räksmörgås.jpg → raksmorgas.jpg
  • Æblegrød_FTW!.gif → aeblegrod-ftw.gif
  • Château de Ferrières.png → chateau-de-ferrieres.png

Worth noting

The plugin only converts filenames when the files are being uploaded. It can not convert existing files.

Filter for developers

This filter provides developers a way to specify which file types the plugin should convert. This filter overrides the plugin settings on the media settings page. For a complete list of mime types, see Wikipedia.

The following example will convert PDF, JPEG and PNG files only:

function my_clean_image_filenames_mime_types() {
    $mime_types = array(
        'application/pdf',
        'image/jpeg',
        'image/png',
    );
    return $mime_types;
}
add_filter( 'clean_image_filenames_mime_types', 'my_clean_image_filenames_mime_types' );

Installation

  1. Search for Clean Image Filenames in the plugins directory.
  2. Install and activate the plugin.

or

  1. Download and unzip the plugin and upload the clean-image-filenames directory to your /plugins/ directory.
  2. Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ menu in WordPress.

Frequently asked questions

Can this plugin convert filenames of existing files in the media library?

No, this plugin only cleans the filenames of files when they are being uploaded to the media library.

Changelog

This version adds plugin uninstall script that deletes plugin settings if you were to delete the plugin.

1.5

  • Add support for WebP and AVIF image formats. Thanks to @vinkla for the pull request.

1.4

  • Add support for cleaning filenames when sideloaded (usually when uploaded programmatically) using the wp_handle_sideload_prefilter hook.

1.3

  • Rewrite cleaning function to better handle specific characters.
  • Make sure code is compliant with WordPress Coding Standards.

1.2.1

  • Enable plugin to be translated/internationalization.

1.2

  • Set original, un-cleaned filename as attachment title.

1.1.1

  • Added uninstall script that deletes plugin settings when the plugin is uninstalled.

Full changelog on WordPress.org →

Screenshots

Easily choose between cleaning the filenames of all file types or images only.
Easily choose between cleaning the filenames of all file types or images only.

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.

Active installs badge Rating badge Health score badge

Best Clean Image Filenames alternatives

All files plugins →
Alternatives
Rank Plugin Active installs Rating Updated Health
1 Media Cleaner: Clean your WordPress! Media Cleaner: Clean your WordPress! Clean your WordPress! Eliminate unused and broken media files. For a faster, and better… by Jordy Meow 90K+ ★★★★★★★★★★ 4.6 (775) 23 hours ago 88
2 File Upload Types by WPForms File Upload Types by WPForms Easily allow WordPress to accept and upload any file type extension or MIME type, including… by Syed Balkhi 40K+ ★★★★★★★★★★ 4 (20) 5 days ago 81
4 File Manager File Manager Manage WordPress files and folders from your dashboard with a built-in code editor: upload… by Bit Apps 10K+ ★★★★★★★★★★ 4.3 (202) 4 weeks ago 76
5 Bulk Media Register Bulk Media Register Bulk register files on the server to the Media Library. by Katsushi Kawamori 8K+ ★★★★★★★★★★ 4.5 (22) 1 month ago 72
6 Download Attachments Download Attachments Download Attachments is a new approach to managing downloads in WordPress. It allows you to… by dFactory 8K+ ★★★★★★★★★★ 4.5 (46) 4 months ago 76
7 Custom Upload Dir Custom Upload Dir Keeps your uploaded files organized in smart folder structures. by ulfben 5K+ ★★★★★★★★★★ 4.4 (25) 4 years ago 43
8 Media Library Downloader Media Library Downloader Professional media download solution with bulk operations, smart management, and… by M.Code 5K+ ★★★★★★★★★★ 4.8 (8) 2 months ago 63
9 WP-DownloadManager WP-DownloadManager Adds a simple download manager to your WordPress blog. by Lester Chan 3K+ ★★★★★★★★★★ 4 (37) 1 month ago 76
10 WP Synchro – The Ultimate WordPress Migration Tool WP Synchro – The Ultimate WordPress Migration Tool WordPress migration plugin to easily migrate, clone, backup, and synchronize your WordPress… by WP Synchro 2K+ ★★★★★★★★★★ 5 (30) 3 weeks ago 88
11 Media File Sizes Media File Sizes Easily see how much disk space (in KB, MB, & a percentage of your quota) each of your… by Jason LeMahieu (MadtownLems) 1K+ ★★★★★★★★★★ 4.1 (15) 6 years ago 35

FAQ

Clean Image Filenames: quick answers

Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.

Live data from WordPress.org · checked Sep 27, 2026

Is Clean Image Filenames free?

Yes. Clean Image Filenames is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.

Is Clean Image Filenames safe to use in 2026?

Clean Image Filenames works, but test it on a staging site before relying on it in 2026. It runs on 30K+ sites, is rated 4.6/5 and was last updated 9 months ago, and scores 61/100 on our health check.

How many websites use Clean Image Filenames?

Clean Image Filenames is active on 30K+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 362,988 times since it launched in October 2014. It was downloaded 4,633 times in the last 30 days.

Does Clean Image Filenames work with WordPress 7.1?

Clean Image Filenames is officially tested up to WordPress 6.9.9, while the latest release is 7.1.2. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.

When was Clean Image Filenames last updated?

The latest version, 1.5, was released on January 14, 2026 (9 months ago).

Who makes Clean Image Filenames?

Clean Image Filenames is developed and maintained by Upperdog.

What are the best alternatives to Clean Image Filenames?

The most popular alternatives to Clean Image Filenames are Media Cleaner: Clean your W… (90K+ installs), File Upload Types by WPForms (40K+ installs) and File Manager (10K+ 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
Sarah is here to help!
Hi there! 👋 Need help finding what you're looking for?
Sarah
Sarah
Online & Ready to Help
Hi there! 👋 Need help finding what you're looking for?

We'll use this to continue our conversation

Just now ✓ Verified

Join 500+ SEO Pros Scaling Their Strategy

Get exclusive programmatic SEO tactics, AI content workflows, and the latest PageForge updates delivered straight to your inbox. Stay ahead of the algorithm.

We care about your data in our privacy policy.