Written by Admin on 2025-05-06

Downloading Media Library from WordPress via FTP

WordPress is a popular content management system (CMS) utilized by millions of websites worldwide. It contains a media library where users can easily upload, store, and manage multimedia files such as images, videos, and audio files. However, there may be instances where you would need to download the media library of your WordPress site to your local computer. For example, if you want to backup your images or if you want to transfer your media library to another site, you might need to download all the files.

The good news is that it is possible to download your WordPress media library via FTP (File Transfer Protocol). FTP is a standard protocol used to transfer files between a client and a server over the internet. Here is a simple guide on how to download your media library from WordPress using FTP:

Step 1

The first step is to connect to your website using an FTP client. An FTP client is a software application that allows you to transfer files between your local computer and your website's server. Examples of popular FTP clients include FileZilla, Cyberduck, and WinSCP. You will need to enter your website's FTP credentials in order to connect. You can obtain this information from your web host.

Step 2

Once connected, navigate to the "wp-content" folder in your WordPress installation. This folder contains the "uploads" folder where your media files are stored. Find and open the "uploads" folder.

Step 3

Inside the "uploads" folder, you will find various folders organized by date. These folders contain the media files uploaded to your WordPress site. Identify the date range that you want to download and open the corresponding folder.

Step 4

Select all the files and folders within the date range folder. You can do this by either selecting them one by one or by pressing "Ctrl+A" (Windows) or "Cmd+A" (Mac) to select all of them.

Step 5

Once all the files and folders are selected, right-click and choose the "Download" option. This will initiate the download process and save all the files to your local computer.

And that's it! You have successfully downloaded your media library from WordPress using FTP. It's important to note that this method only downloads the media files and not any associated metadata such as captions or descriptions. Therefore, if you need to backup or transfer your entire WordPress site, it's best to use a more comprehensive backup solution.