ShortPixel Image Optimizer – Optimize Images, Convert WebP & AVIF
🚀 The Ultimate Image Optimization Plugin for WordPress ⚡ Speed up your website with automatic image compression, WebP and AVIF conversion, and bulk optimization. Optimize images and PDFs, resize large uploads, and reduce file sizes with minimal setup. Smaller images help your pages load faster, giv
🚀 The Ultimate Image Optimization Plugin for WordPress
⚡ Speed up your website with automatic image compression, WebP and AVIF conversion, and bulk optimization. Optimize images and PDFs, resize large uploads, and reduce file sizes with minimal setup.
Smaller images help your pages load faster, giving visitors a smoother experience, supporting your website’s SEO, and helping turn more visits into conversions.
🆕 New! AI image renaming and assistant support
- AI-generated, SEO-friendly filenames – Say goodbye to generic filenames like “IMG00931.JPG”. Automatically generate descriptive, SEO-friendly filenames for new uploads or existing images not yet used in published content.
- Manual file renaming – Rename images directly from the Media Library, including their thumbnails, WebP/AVIF versions, and backups.
- Multisite network settings – Manage ShortPixel settings across your network from one place.
- WPML and WP Offload Media compatibility – File renaming supports WPML Media Translation and WP Offload Media, including images stored only in the cloud.
- AI assistants and MCP support – Connected AI assistants can optimize and restore images, run bulk jobs, generate or undo AI Image SEO data, check statistics and credits, and adjust settings through the WordPress Abilities API and WordPress MCP Adapter. Actions follow your WordPress user’s permissions. Read more .
The ShortPixel plugin is a lightweight, user-friendly, install-and-forget solution for image optimization. It is designed to work with any website type, whether it’s a small blog or a large WooCommerce-powered online store with tens of thousands of products.
🎬 Ready for a Quick DEMO of our Top Image Optimization Tool?
Test our plugin here . Run an instant image compression test on your site, or try out our image compressor and compress some images to test our optimization algorithms.
💡 Why is ShortPixel the best choice for image optimization or PDF compression?
🤖 AI image features
- AI Image Upscale (2x, 3x, 4x) – Upscale smaller images with high-quality AI upscaling, perfect for retina displays and crisp visuals.
- AI Background Removal – Instantly remove background from your images with one click, ideal for creating clean product photos. After the background is removed, your image can have a transparent background or be filled with a single solid color.
- AI Image Titles – In addition to ALT text, captions, and descriptions, generate smart image titles using AI for better SEO.
- Bulk Remove AI Data – Easily clear all AI-generated image SEO data in one go.
- Prefix/suffix for AI SEO data – Add custom text before or after AI-generated image SEO data to keep it consistent across your site
🔎 AI Image SEO features
- AI-powered image SEO – Automatically generate ALT text, captions, and image descriptions for all your images.
- SEO-friendly filenames – Let AI generate descriptive filenames for new uploads or images not yet used in published content, without breaking existing links.
- Bulk mode – Mass-generate and update details for all your images.
- Preview mode – Test and fine-tune AI results before applying new ALT texts and descriptions in bulk.
- Multilingual – Support for 100+ languages.
- WooCommerce – Seamless support for WooCommerce product images.
- Unlimited credits – AI-generate image titles, captions, and more with our Unlimited AI plan.
- Accessibility – Improve website accessibility by generating all the necessary metadata for each image.
🌍 Faster Websites for Global Audiences
Improve your website’s loading speed with ShortPixel’s built-in global Content Delivery Network (CDN). Deliver optimized WebP and AVIF images, along with CSS, JavaScript, and font files, from locations closer to your visitors. The result? Faster loading times, better website performance, and less strain on your server.
📸 Resize and Compress Images Without Losing Quality
Automatically resize large images and compress image files, saving you the work of editing each upload manually.
- Popular plugin with over 300,000 active installations – according to WordPress
- Compress JPG (and its variations: JPEG, JPEG 2000, JPEG XR), PNG, GIF (still or animated) images, and also PDF documents.
- Option to automatically convert PNG to JPG if that results in smaller images (ideal for large PNG pictures).
- CMYK to RGB conversion.
- Progressive JPEG is used whenever it leads to a smaller image.
🌟 Lossy and Lossless image compression
Both Lossy and Lossless image compression are available for the most common image types (JPG, PNG, GIF, WebP, and AVIF) plus PDF files. We also offer Glossy JPEG compression, a high-quality lossy optimization algorithm designed especially for photographers and websites featuring high-quality product pictures. Optimized images improve website performance and user experience, help achieve better PageSpeed Insights and GTmetrix scores, and may even increase conversions. Choose Lossless for pixel-perfect image quality, Glossy for an excellent balance between quality and compression, or Lossy for maximum file size reductions.
🔄 Convert Images to WebP and AVIF
ShortPixel includes both a WebP converter and an AVIF converter, with options for generating and delivering the converted files.
- Option to automatically convert JPEG, PNG, or GIF to WebP and AVIF for better performance and improved Google ranking.
- Automatically optimize your existing WebP files with ShortPixel’s SmartCompress algorithm.
- Animated GIFs can be automatically converted to much smaller animated WebP or AVIF files.
- Option to include next-gen images (WebP and AVIF) in front-end pages with a single click using the tag.
📦 Bulk Image Optimization and Background Image Processing
Use the bulk image optimizer for bulk image compression and bulk image optimization. You can bulk compress images in a single workflow.
- With ‘Background mode,’ images can be optimized without needing to keep a browser tab open.
- Easily add recurring cron jobs for background optimization, ideal for sites where users upload images via the front end.
- Bulk-optimize all images in the Media Library or any gallery with a single click. Use this media optimizer to optimize Media Library images without processing each file manually.
- Filter and select images in bulk using date-based criteria, giving you precise control over what gets optimized and when.
- Full WP-CLI support for background processing, especially useful for large Media Libraries.
🔥 Performance and Automatic Image Optimization
ShortPixel uses minimal resources and works well with any shared, cloud, VPS, or dedicated web hosting. It can optimize any image on your website, including those not listed in the Media Library, such as images in galleries or those added directly via FTP. All optimization is performed using ShortPixel’s Image Optimization Cloud, so your hosting resources remain unaffected. Automatic image optimization lets you optimize images on upload.
- Automatic scan of Custom media folders for new images using cron jobs.
- Skip already optimized images to avoid redundant processing.
🎨 Compatibility with Popular Themes, Page Builders, and Media Library Plugins
- Works great for eCommerce websites using WooCommerce and other plugins. WooCommerce image optimization helps reduce the file sizes of your product photos.
- Compatible with NextGEN Gallery, Modula, Foo Gallery, and other galleries or sliders.
- Fully compatible with WP Retina 2x, including automatic compression of retina images.
- Works seamlessly with WordPress multisite installs (sub-folders or sub-domains) using a single API key, with settings that can be managed at network level.
- Fully compatible with WPML and WPML Media Translation, including file renaming.
- Fully compatible with WP Offload Media plugin, including file renaming.
- Supports both HTTPS and HTTP websites.
- Compatible with virtually all hosting providers.
- Integrates with Gravity Forms’ post_image field type to optimize images upon upload.
- Works with watermarking plugins.
- Integrates directly with Cloudflare via a Cloudflare Token, automatically synchronizing updates with Cloudflare cache.
- HEIC file support With ShortPixel, you can add images in Apple’s HEIC format directly from your iPhone. They will be automatically converted to JPG and optimized according to your settings. Easy! Read more .
🔧 Advanced Image Optimization Features
- Smart Cropping: Generate subject-centered thumbnails using AI, ideal for eCommerce websites.
- Optimize thumbnails and featured images, with options to exclude individual thumbnails from optimization.
- Advanced exclusion options (exclude images based on filename, path, size, or complex regex).
- Exclude images from optimization based on their file size, perfect for skipping very small images or large images that photographers need to keep in their original, full format.
- Ability to optimize any image, including those in NextGEN Gallery and other image galleries or sliders.
- Option to scale images down, with two automatic resizing options for large images (applicable to featured images). Optimize image dimensions before serving large uploads.
- Option to deactivate auto-optimization of images on upload.
- Keep or remove EXIF data from images, which is especially useful for photographers or for enhanced privacy. Combine photo optimization with the metadata settings that suit your photography workflow.
- Easily test lossy, glossy, or lossless versions of images with a single click in the Media Library.
- 100MB file size limit
🛡️ Backup and Safety
- Safe to test and use: original images are backed up locally and can be restored with a single click (either individually or in bulk).
- Smart Backups: Save disk space by backing up only the main image. When restoring, thumbnails are automatically regenerated based on current settings.
- Automatic Backup Cleanup: Set rules to automatically delete old backups after a chosen period.
- No credits are used for images optimized by less than 5%
- Save & Restore option for all settings – ideal for agencies and users managing multiple websites.
- Decide whether AI bots can use your images for m
Screenshots & previews.
Let’s get the ShortPixel plugin running on your WordPress website:
- 01Sign up using your email at https://shortpixel.com/wp-apikey .
- 02You will receive your personal API key in a confirmation email, to the address you provided.
- 03Upload the ShortPixel plugin to the /wp-content/plugins/ directory
- 04Use your unique API key to activate the ShortPixel plugin in the ‘Plugins’ menu in WordPress.
- 05Uploaded images can be automatically optimized in the Media Library.
- 06Done!
Frequently asked questions.
How does ShortPixel compare to other image optimisation plugins (e.g Smush, Imagify, TinyPNG, Kraken, EWWW, Optimole)?
ShortPixel consistently has better compression rates along with more features, backup support and has very affordable one-time or monthly plans. Here are a couple of independent reviews: AuthorityHacker – “ShortPixel is our tool of choice, simply because it’s pretty much automated – we just let it do its thing.” ( read full review ) WP Modula – “One of the reasons I’m personally a huge fan of ShortPixel is the built-in support for next-gen image formats like WebP.” ( read full review )
Can I use the same API Key on multiple web sites?
Yes, you can. As long as you have available credits, you can use a single API Key on as many websites as you wish!
What plan is better for me? What do you recommend?
Everyone has different needs, but generally, we recommend getting a One-Time plan to optimize your whole Media Library and then get a Monthly plan to optimize your future uploads. To learn more, have a look at this comparison
How many thumbnails do I have, and which plan should I choose?
To know how many thumbnails you have, just install the plugin and go to Media > Bulk ShortPixel. The plugin will tell you how many thumbnails you’ve got. Based on this, have a look at our plans
Can I upgrade/downgrade easily my plan?
Of course. You can upgrade or downgrade your plans in a couple of clicks from your account on shortpixel.com.
Can I test/use the plugin for free?
Yes, you can. We offer 100 free image optimization credits each month. Exceeding the monthly free quota will pause the optimization process till the quota is reset or extended by buying one of our plans.
Can I optimize images that aren’t in Media Library?
Absolutely. You can actually optimize any image you have on your site regardless of its place. You just need to add – in the Advanced section of the ShortPixel Settings – the folders where the images you want to optimize are located and ShortPixel will work its magic and do the rest.
Can I optimize images that are both past and new?
Sure! You can optimize all your past/current images and photos using our “Bulk ShortPixel” page in your Media with a single click.
A credit = an optimized image?
Yes, that is correct. But please note that usually, an image in Media Library has 5 or more associated thumbs. Each optimized thumbnail requires a credit. In the rare cases when ShortPixel does not optimise the image (lossy) with at least 5%, the credit will not be consumed, though.
Can I restore my images? What happens with the originals?
If you choose the “Image backup” option in Settings/ShortPixel then the original version of any optimized image or PDF will be saved in the backup folder. The original image is needed if you want to restore an image or if you want to convert an image from lossy/glossy to lossless or vice-versa.
What types of formats can be optimized?
ShortPixel optimises JPEG (JPG, JPEG, JPEG 2000, JPEG XR), PNG, GIF (animated and still), and PDF type of files.
Do you have one-time plans?
Yes we do. The credits that come with our one-time plans never expire. Yummy! 🙂
What happens to my existing images?
Your existing images are replaced with the optimized ones. If you choose the backup option then the originals will be saved in a separate folder so you can restore them should you ever need/want to do that.
How does the plugin work?
Our lightweight plugin sends the original images to our Image Optimization Cloud where they are compressed. ShortPixel then downloads the optimized images and the unoptimized originals are replaced with the optimised versions.
Do you optimize images in the cloud?
Yes, all the images processed by ShortPixel are optimized in the Cloud. This takes the load off of your server and allows us to produce the best results.
What payment methods are accepted?
We accept payments via card (Mastercard, Visa, Maestro, American Express, Discover, Diners Club, JCB, UnionPay), PayPal, and Apple Pay.
How do I activate the API key on a multisite?
You have to activate the plugin in the network admin and then activate it manually on each individual site in the multisite. Once you have done that, the Settings menu appears and you can add the API key for each individual site. As an alternative, you can edit wp-config.php and add this line:
define('SHORTPIXEL_API_KEY', 'APIKEY');
where APIKEY is the API Key received upon sign up. If configured that way, the API key will be used for all the sites of the multisite but will only be visible on the main site’s Settings page, being hidden for the rest of the sites.
I am not the only one working on the WordPress Dashboard. How can I hide my API key?
There is a simple way to hide the API key, all you need to do is to add these two lines in your wp-config.php:
define('SHORTPIXEL_API_KEY', '<<your api key here>>'); define('SHORTPIXEL_HIDE_API_KEY', true);
How much is a credit?
A credit is used each time ShortPixel optimizes an image or thumbnail by at least 5%. If we’re not able to optimize an image or thumbnail by at least 5% then no credit will be used 🙂 Please also note that usually images in your Media Library have 3-5 thumbs associated and a credit will be used for each featured image or associated thumbnail that is optimized.
Why shall I use a WordPress plugin and not an offline tool?
Because ShortPixel algorithms were perfected while optimizing over 3.5 billion real-life images. ShortPixel not only offers the best compression for JPEG, PNG, GIF, and PDF files but it also saves you a lot of time. You just install it on your site and then ShortPixel will take care that all the images on your site are immediately optimized after upload.
Does optimizing images affect my ALT tags?
Image compression does not change your ALT text. If you enable AI Image SEO, ShortPixel can also generate image metadata according to your selected settings.
If I stop using ShortPixel will my images remain optimized?
Absolutely! Once optimized, the images will remain optimized unless you explicitly choose to restore them. But why would you do that? 🙂
Do I have to pay monthly or one time?
We have both options available. One-time credits never expire and are a bit more expensive. Check out our prices here
When can I cancel a monthly plan?
Whenever you want. The credits you still have available for the current billing period will still be available until the end of the billing period. At the end of it, you won’t be billed again and the plan will be reset to the free plan.
When do credits expire?
Monthly credits expire after 30 days while one-time credits never expire.
Do you have an API?
Yes, we have several APIs and tools. You can learn more about it here: https://shortpixel.com/api-tools
Can I use the ShortPixel WP plugin on a localhost installation?
Unfortunately not 🙁 But you can use either our command line tool or our web tool https://shortpixel.com/web-tool-docs https://shortpixel.com/cli-docs
How does resizing work?
If you choose the option to resize images on your site, then the featured image can be resized to a predefined size while keeping its aspect and proportions intact. The associated thumbs won’t be resized. Using this option you can safely upload original images safely without needing to apply any pre-processing to make them smaller.
Will ShortPixel work if my website is using CloudFlare?
Absolutely! Sometimes you’ll need to make sure you whitelist some IPs, just contact us and we’ll assist you with that.
Where do I report security bugs found in this plugin?
Please report security bugs found in the source code of the ShortPixel Image Optimizer plugin through the Patchstack Vulnerability Disclosure Program . The Patchstack team will assist you with verification, CVE assignment, and notify the developers of this plugin.
Does the plugin use any external services
This plugin integrates with Chatbase ( https://www.chatbase.co ) to provide AI-powered chat support directly within the plugin interface. This integration allows plugin users to ask questions and receive automated assistance. The only data collected is the Country(no city and no exact location) and the message itself.
Chatbase ToS .
I’m stuck. What do I do?
The ShortPixel team is here to help. Contact us !
How do I compress images without losing quality in WordPress?
Select Lossless compression in ShortPixel’s settings to reduce file sizes without changing image quality. You can apply it to existing images in bulk and automatically compress new uploads. The reduction in file size depends on the original image.
What is image optimization?
Image optimization is reducing the file size of images without compromising their quality, to improve website performance. This can be done using tools like ShortPixel, which compresses images, converts them to more efficient formats like WebP, and ensures they are properly sized for faster loading times. Optimized images help improve website speed, enhance user experience, and boost SEO rankings by reducing page load time and bandwidth usage.
How to optimize a WordPress image?
Install ShortPixel, connect your API key, and choose your compression settings. Run Bulk ShortPixel to optimize existing images, or enable automatic optimization for new uploads. You can also generate WebP and AVIF versions and resize large images.
How do I optimize images for SEO?
To SEO optimize images in wordpress, use the ShortPixel plugin to compress and convert them without losing quality, reducing load times—a key SEO factor. Add descriptive file names and alt text with relevant keywords to help search engines understand your images. Additionally, resize images to appropriate dimensions and consider converting them to WebP for faster performance. ShortPixel makes this entire process easy, helping improve both your SEO rankings and site speed.
How do you optimize images for performance?
To optimize images for performance in WordPress, use the ShortPixel plugin to compress images without sacrificing quality, reducing file sizes for faster load times. Conve
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