As you publish content on your WordPress website, you’re adding images to your Media Library. Over time, your Media Library will grow in size to hundreds, if not thousands of images.
What happens when you want to search for that image of the WordCamp Denver conference you attended last year?
Or the screenshot of a particularly challenging accessibility issue in an application?
With a default WordPress installation, searching in the Media Library isn’t easy.
Especially when you don’t remember the title for the image you uploaded last year. Or three years ago.
The default WordPress search features for the Media Library are limited in functionality.
That’s when having a plugin that improves search and organization of your Media Library can make life easier.
Media Library Assistant
If you want improved Media Library search as well as better organization through taxonomies, the Media Library Assistant plugin provides a range of features for you.
From shortcodes for displaying, sorting, and ordering your images to my favorite feature, an enhanced search function, once you’ve installed Media Library Assistant, you’ll wonder how you ever used the Media Library without it.
The Media Library Assistant plugin offers:
- Category and tag taxonomies
- Filter your search with and/or operators by image name/slug, alternative text, description, and caption
- Integration with Photonic Gallery, Jetpack, and other plugins,
- Bulk editing of categories and tags
- Content templates
- 25 hooks for cloud customization from your theme or plugin code
The plugin is free and has a five-star rating in the WordPress plugin repository.
Why I Like It
While I’ve only started using the taxonomies in Media Library Assistant, I use it daily for searching in the Media Library.
With over 1,700 blog posts published on this site, I often reuse images in the Media Library for my blog posts. With Media Library Assistant installed, I can quickly find images to add to my posts.
In addition, the support is excellent.
David Lingren is the developer of the plugin and quickly replies to questions/comments in the forum. Often within a couple hours.
I’ve read questions from users in the support forum that become features in the next release of the plugin.
How the Plugin Works
Once the plugin is installed, you’ll find new options added to Media Library images as well as the Media Library itself.
When you add a new image to the Media Library, you’ll find additional options to add IPTC and EXIF metadata, as well as category or tag to the image.
When you’re searching the Media Library for an image to add to your post, you can select any number of filters for your search, along with the and/or operators.
You can also select the Category or Terms search to search for the categories/terms you’ve added to your images.
Summary
The Media Library Assistant plugin is one of my go-to plugins I install on all my sites. It makes it so much easier to manage and search within the Media Library.
It’s a powerful plugin; one where I haven’t explored all the capabilities. But I plan to in the future!
Have you used the Media Library Assistant plugin? If yes, tell me what features you like best in the comments.
Thanks, Deborah. I’m sure I’ve tried this plugin out before but didn’t realise how useful it was.
I guess you only get the full value if you keep remembering to categorise or tag your images. I could imagine clients might forget after a while.
Hi Claire,
You’re welcome. I’ve used it mostly for its search features, but it has so many other capabilities. You’re right, a client might forget to add the category or tag. But if you show them an example of what can be done with images when they tags and categories are included, I think clients will be excited.