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RD3 Post Image Cleanup

Find exact duplicate images used in WordPress posts (post type only) via SHA-256, replace references with a master image, and move duplicate files to uploads/duplicate-images/. Never deletes files.

by RD3 · github.com/tlr87/rd3-post-image-cleanup · website

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Install

No release zip yet. The repository archive installs, but the folder name will carry the branch suffix and updates will not flow:

wp plugin install https://github.com/tlr87/rd3-post-image-cleanup/archive/refs/heads/main.zip

Readme github.com/tlr87/rd3-post-image-cleanup ↗

Find exact duplicate images used in WordPress posts (post type only) via SHA-256, replace references with a master, and move duplicate files. Never deletes files.

Description

RD3 Post Image Cleanup is designed for sites that imported Facebook posts or otherwise accumulated many duplicate images attached to posts.

Scope (strict):

Only the post post type
Does not touch pages, custom post types, themes, plugins, logos, WooCommerce, or media not associated with a post

Stage 1 — Scan (read-only)

Scans posts for images in content (Gutenberg blocks + classic HTML) and featured images
Resolves to original attachment files (ignores intermediate sizes as separate originals)
Computes SHA-256 of each original file
Groups exact duplicates
Proposes a deterministic master (oldest upload date, then lowest attachment ID)
Produces a detailed admin report under Tools → RD3 Post Image Cleanup

Stage 2 — Cleanup

Replaces duplicate references in post_content (blocks + HTML: src, srcset, href, wp-image-ID) with the master
Size-aware: prefers an appropriate WordPress-generated size when the original markup used a smaller size
Updates featured images to the master attachment ID
Verifies each post no longer references the duplicate
Moves the complete duplicate image set (original + all derivatives) to uploads/duplicate-images/ preserving year/month structure
Never deletes files
Logs every action

Installation

Copy the rd3-post-image-cleanup folder into wp-content/plugins/
Activate the plugin in WordPress admin
Go to Tools → RD3 Post Image Cleanup
Click "Scan Posts", review the report, then "Run Cleanup" if appropriate

Frequently Asked Questions

Does it delete anything?

No. Duplicates are moved to wp-content/uploads/duplicate-images/ and remain recoverable.

Does it work on pages?

No. Only the post post type.

How are duplicates detected?

SHA-256 hash of the original image file. Filenames and intermediate sizes are ignored for identity.