How to hide webp and avif files in Media Library

Hi @pindiespace,

A default installation of WordPress is not showing the .webp and .avif files. Here’s an example from a test site: https://i.imgur.com/XNtql2S.png. What the arrow points to is an image I just optimized with WebP + AVIF, and they do not show in the Media Library.

My guess is that you have some plugin that works on the Media Library and it’s affecting the way files are displayed (or what files are displayed).

Could you please check this out with your trusted developer?

Thanks!

OK, will check. I did the same test with my barebones localhost wordpress, and got the same result. Must be subtle, since I don’t have any obvious media library plugins. Will report back when I find the offending plugin.

There is a use case for adding a filter “filter out next-gen” files. In some cases, users will want to upload their own webp and avif files, while others may want to hide them and only show the file type they typically upload (e.g. jpg, gif). You can do that with the filter “show optimized” with ShortPixel – it excludes visible .webp and .avif now, but the name of the filter could be clearer.

The other issue – if you have ShortPixel, and select “optimized” as your filter in the Media Library, the .webp and .avif files disappear. A user might misunderstand that as ShortPixel failing to create these files.

Thank you, pindiespace.

Like I said, from our side we can’t reproduce that issue. Here’s a freshly installed WordPress, with nothing in it other than 1 single image I just uploaded and optimized (and WebP and AVIF created): https://i.imgur.com/rWRKGYN.png.

If you can let us know step by step how we can manage to see those, that would help us.

Thank you,

Sorry, I wasn’t clear. I understand it is a problem with my installation – I did the same thin with a default WordPress copy. I’m trying to track it down – must be something an old plugin did to the site (up since 2011). I tried disabling all plugins – same thing.

I’ll let you know if I figure out the problem in my media library.

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My other point is UX/UI, specifically the labels ShortPixel is using for the filters it adds to the Media Library…

Let’s say you have ShortPixel installed. You currently, go to the Media Library and select the “Optimized” filter put there by ShortPixel. Right now, it just hide unoptimized files and shows optimized ones.

But in the future, the Media Library might automatically show .webp and .avif files by default, as they become standard formats.

In that case, selecting the “optimized” filter put in by ShortPixel filter would hide .webp and .avif files.

And, if you applied the “not optimized” filter in the future, it would show all the .webp and .avif files, along with un-optimized jpg, gif, png files.

Users would ask “is the .webp optimized itself?”

The change is that ShortPixel isn’t just creating optimized versions of the same files – it is creating completely new files.

In other words, my broken Media Library’s behavior might be the standard in the future, if WordPress starts allowing .webp and .avif files to be uploaded by default.

It’s a interface issue. There may be a better way to name the filters that ShortPixel adds to the Media Library, or indicate what’s optimized.

Hi pindiespace,

I see, thanks for explaining the UX/UI matter. We will definitely keep it mind for future WordPress and ShortPixel updates ??

Thanks again for your support!