PixelVault – Media Library Folders & Asset Manager for WordPress Plugin Directory

📁 PixelVault is the free way to organize your WordPress media library with unlimited, drag-and-drop media folders, and now to present those folders as a downloadable Document Library on the front end. Sort images, videos, PDFs, audio, and documents into nested, colour-coded folders right inside the Media Library, then publish any folder as a browsable asset manager for your visitors.

Stop scrolling through hundreds of unsorted attachments. PixelVault lets you categorize media into folders and subfolders, filter instantly, and find any file in seconds — a proper file manager for your WordPress media.

Folders are virtual — physical files never move, no URLs change, nothing breaks, and standard WordPress export/import keeps working without any special steps.

🆕 Document Library block (new in 1.2.0) Turn any media folder into a browsable, downloadable document library on the front end, no page builder required. The PixelVault Document Library Gutenberg block renders a folder as an accessible file browser with a sidebar folder tree, breadcrumb navigation, in-library search, pagination, and per-file downloads.

🗂️ Folder tree and breadcrumb: visitors browse nested folders without page reloads

🔍 Search and pagination: find files fast inside large folders

⬇️ Per-file download plus Download-all ZIP: grab one file or the whole folder in a click

🎨 Three design presets (Cards, Compact, Minimal), with an accent colour and a framed option

♿ Accessibility-first: full keyboard navigation (WAI-ARIA tree pattern), screen-reader friendly

📱 Fully responsive: grid and list layouts adapt to mobile

🔒 Respects folder visibility: restricted folders stay hidden from guests

Perfect for knowledge bases, press kits, resource centres, download portals, and product documentation.

✨ Core Features

📂 Unlimited nested folders and subfolders — no depth limit, no folder count limit

🔗 Assign files to multiple folders — one file can appear in as many folders as you like

🎨 Folder colour coding — colour-label folders for instant visual orientation

🖱️ Drag-and-drop sidebar — reorder folders, move files, and create subfolders by dragging

⚡ Auto-assign uploads — new files go straight into whichever folder is selected

🔍 Search and sort — find folders instantly; sort manually, by name, or by file count

⌨️ Keyboard shortcut — press “n” to create a new folder

🖲️ Right-click context menu — Rename, Delete, Lock, Create subfolders, Copy gallery shortcode, Import ZIP to folder, Download all files

🌐 RTL language support — full right-to-left layout

🛠️ Organisation and Productivity Tools 📦 ZIP File Import

Right-click any folder and choose “Import ZIP to folder”. Upload a .zip archive and PixelVault extracts and assigns every image, video, audio file, and PDF directly into that folder.

🗺️ Media Usage Map

Right-click any image and choose “Where is this used?” to see every post, page, or custom post type that references the file — useful before replacing or deleting files.

⬇️ Bulk Download as ZIP

Right-click any folder to download all its files as a ZIP archive.

🔒 Folder Locking

Lock any folder to prevent accidental renaming, deletion, moving, or file reassignment. Locked folders display a padlock badge.

📊 Storage Analytics

Full storage overview with total size, average file size, file-type breakdown chart, top-10 largest files, and per-folder size distribution. Available under Settings → Analytics and as a WordPress Dashboard widget.

✏️ Bulk Alt Text Editor

Batch-edit alt text on all images that are missing it — useful for accessibility and image SEO. Edit multiple files at once without opening each one individually.

🔄 Media Replace

Swap any file in place, keeping the same URL and attachment ID. All existing references on posts and pages continue to work automatically.

🎯 Smart Filters

Dynamic built-in views that update automatically: Missing Alt Text, Unused Files, Recent Uploads, and Large Files.

🗂️ Auto-Categorise Existing Media

Bulk-organise your existing media library in one click via the import icon at the bottom of the folder panel. Choose a rule:

📅 By Year — creates a folder per year (e.g. 2023, 2024).

🗓️ By Month — creates a folder per month (e.g. January 2024, February 2024).

🏷️ By File Type — creates Images, Videos, Audio, PDFs, Documents, and Spreadsheets folders.

Choose Unassigned only to leave already-organised files untouched, or All files to reassign everything. PixelVault previews the result before making any changes.

🚚 Import from Other Plugins

One-click migration from FileBird, Real Media Library, WP Media Folder, and Enhanced Media Library. Folder hierarchy and all file assignments are copied automatically. Go to Settings → Tools → Import from Another Plugin. The original plugin’s data is never modified.

💾 Export and Import

Back up your entire folder structure as a JSON file and restore it on any WordPress site — no SQL required.

🔐 Role Permissions

Granular folder access per WordPress user role: control who can create, edit, and delete folders independently.

🧩 Gutenberg, Elementor, and Divi

📚 PixelVault Document Library block — publish a folder as an accessible, downloadable file library with a folder tree, search, pagination, and Download-all ZIP

🖼️ PixelVault Gallery block — insert a folder’s contents as a responsive gallery with lightbox directly in the block editor

📝 [pixelvault_gallery] shortcode — classic editor, widgets, and theme template support

🎛️ Elementor — folder panel works inside the Elementor media modal

🏗️ Divi — folder panel works in the Divi backend builder and the Divi Front End Builder

🌍 Universal compatibility — PixelVault hooks into WordPress’s native media modal, so it works with any theme or page builder

🏛️ Architecture: Virtual Taxonomy PixelVault stores folder assignments in WordPress’s native taxonomy tables (wp_term_relationships). Physical files stay exactly where they are. Deleting a folder never deletes files.

👩‍💻 For Developers Full REST API and documented action/filter hooks.

🔌 REST API — Full CRUD at /wp-json/rayetun-medianest/v1/folders. Authenticate with X-WP-Nonce.

⚙️ Action hooks (selection):

rayetun_medianest_folder_created( $term_id, $folder_id, $args )

rayetun_medianest_folder_renamed( $term_id, $new_name )

rayetun_medianest_folder_moved( $term_id, $new_parent, $old_parent )

rayetun_medianest_folder_deleted( $term_id, $folder_object )

rayetun_medianest_folders_reordered( $ordered_term_ids )

rayetun_medianest_attachment_assigned( $attachment_id, $term_ids, $context )

🔧 Filter hooks (selection):

rayetun_medianest_get_folders( $folders, $post_type ) — modify the folder list

rayetun_medianest_auto_assign_target( $term_id, $attachment_id ) — override the upload target folder

rayetun_medianest_smart_folders( $defs ) — register custom dynamic folders

JavaScript hooks (via @wordpress/hooks) let you add items to the folder/image context menus and the bulk-action bar.

A full list of PHP and JavaScript hooks with examples ships in HOOKS.md inside the plugin.