https://github.com/soderlind/virtual-media-folders
Organize your WordPress Media Library with virtual folders. No file moves, no broken URLs. Clean structure, faster workflows, happier editors.
https://github.com/soderlind/virtual-media-folders
drag-and-drop folders gutenberg media-library mediamanager organization taxonomy wordpress-plugin
Last synced: 25 days ago
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Organize your WordPress Media Library with virtual folders. No file moves, no broken URLs. Clean structure, faster workflows, happier editors.
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/soderlind/virtual-media-folders
- Owner: soderlind
- Created: 2025-11-29T20:44:10.000Z (3 months ago)
- Default Branch: main
- Last Pushed: 2026-01-05T03:26:50.000Z (about 1 month ago)
- Last Synced: 2026-01-14T13:59:48.858Z (about 1 month ago)
- Topics: drag-and-drop, folders, gutenberg, media-library, mediamanager, organization, taxonomy, wordpress-plugin
- Language: JavaScript
- Homepage: https://wordpress.org/plugins/virtual-media-folders/
- Size: 74.4 MB
- Stars: 8
- Watchers: 1
- Forks: 0
- Open Issues: 0
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- Changelog: CHANGELOG.md
- Funding: .github/FUNDING.yml
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README
# Virtual Media Folders
Virtual folder organization for the WordPress Media Library.
[](https://playground.wordpress.net/?blueprint-url=https://raw.githubusercontent.com/soderlind/virtual-media-folders/refs/heads/main/.wordpress-org/blueprints/blueprint.json)
>Way back in 2006 (almost 20 years ago!), I released [ImageManager 2.0](assets/imagemnager-2006.md), a popular WordPress plugin for image management and editing. Virtual Media Folders is my modern take on media organization for WordPress, built with React and modern tooling.
## Description
Virtual Media Folders brings folder organization to your WordPress Media Library. Organize your media files into hierarchical folders **without moving files on disk**—folders are virtual, so your URLs never change.
[](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bA4lf7ynz24)
*Click to watch demo video on YouTube*
### Features
- **Virtual Folders** – Create hierarchical folder structures to organize media
- **Drag & Drop** – Move media between folders with drag and drop
- **Sticky Sidebar** – Folder navigation stays visible while scrolling
- **Gutenberg Integration** – Filter media by folder in the block editor
- **Bulk Actions** – Move multiple media items at once
- **Keyboard Accessible** – Full keyboard navigation with screen reader support
- **Internationalized** – Translation ready (Norwegian Bokmål included)
### Free add-ons
- [**AI Organizer**](https://github.com/soderlind/vmfa-ai-organizer) – Uses vision-capable AI models to analyze actual image content and automatically organize your media library into virtual folders. This is add-on functionality requiring an API key from a supported AI service provider.
- [**Rules Engine**](https://github.com/soderlind/vmfa-rules-engine) – Rule-based automatic folder assignment for media uploads, based on metadata, file type, or other criteria.
## Requirements
- WordPress 6.8+
- PHP 8.3+
## Installation
### From GitHub
1. Download [\`virtual-media-folders.zip\`](https://github.com/soderlind/virtual-media-folders/releases/latest/download/virtual-media-folders.zip)
2. Go to **Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin**
3. Upload the zip file and activate
### From [WordPress.org](https://wordpress.org/plugins/virtual-media-folders/)
1. Go to **Plugins > Add New**
2. Search for "Virtual Media Folders"
3. Click **Install Now** and **Activate**
## Usage
### Organizing Media
1. Go to **Media > Library**
2. Click the folder icon to show the sidebar
3. Use **+** to create folders
4. Drag media onto folders to organize / Bulk select media and use the "Move to Folder" action
5. Click a folder to filter the view
### Settings
Go to **Media > Folder Settings** to configure:
| Setting | Description |
|---------|-------------|
| Show "All Media" | Display "All Media" option in sidebar |
| Show "Uncategorized" | Display folder for unassigned media |
| Jump to folder after move | Navigate to target folder after moving |
| Default folder for uploads | Auto-assign new uploads to a folder |
### Block Editor
When inserting media from a block:
1. Open the Media Library modal
2. Use the folder sidebar to filter
3. Select your media
## Documentation
- [Accessibility](docs/a11y.md) – Keyboard navigation and screen reader support
- [Development](docs/development.md) – Setup, API reference, hooks, and contributing
- [Add-on Development](docs/addon-development.md) – Guide to building add-on plugins
## License
Virtual Media Folders is free software licensed under the [GPL v2 or later](https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html).
Copyright 2025 Per Soderlind