How to Delete Unused Files in Wix Without Breaking Your Website
- Teacher Nine
- 1 day ago
- 6 min read
How to Delete Unused Files in Wix Without Deleting Files Your Website Is Using
If you've had a Wix website for a long time, there's a good chance your storage contains files you haven't thought about in years.
I've used Wix for many years and have built more than one website on the platform. During that time, I've uploaded images, music, videos, documents, digital products, blog graphics and all kinds of other files. Eventually, some of those files stop serving a purpose.
The problem is that once you've accumulated years of media, deleting it can feel risky.
Which files are old?
Which ones are still being used somewhere on the website?
And how are you supposed to clean out hundreds of files without opening every page on your site to figure it out?
That uncertainty kept me from doing a serious Wix storage cleanup for years. I assumed I'd have to manually determine which files were safe to delete.
Fortunately, Wix has a much easier way to handle this through Manage Storage.
Not only can you filter, sort and bulk delete old files, but Wix can also warn you when files you're attempting to permanently delete are currently being used on your website. I tested this myself while cleaning years of old files from my own Wix account.
Here's how it works.
How to Delete Unused Files in Wix
If you just want to clean up your Wix storage without accidentally removing files currently being used on your site, this is the basic process:
Open your Wix Dashboard.
Go to Settings.
Select Manage Storage.
Use the file-type options to filter your files by Images, Audio, Docs, Videos, Zip or Other.
Use the sorting and filtering options to narrow down the files you want to inspect. You can also sort using information such as file name, size and last modified date.
Select the old files you want to remove. If you're working through a large library, do this in manageable batches.
If you want copies before deleting anything, select the files and download them first.
Choose Permanently Delete when you're ready to remove the selected files.
Wix will display a confirmation explaining that permanently deleted files cannot be recovered. Check Yes, I want to delete files and continue.
If any of those files are currently being used on your website, Wix will give you another warning before completing the deletion.
Choose Keep Files if you don't want to remove the files Wix has identified as currently being used.
Continue cleaning additional batches as needed.
That's it.
The important part is that you don't have to rely entirely on your memory to determine whether every old image, audio file or document is still being used somewhere on your website.
Will Wix Tell You If a File Is Being Used on Your Website?
Yes.
This was the part I wanted to see for myself before trusting the process.
When I first started cleaning my storage, I selected batches of very old files that I was confident weren't being used anymore. Wix deleted those without giving me the additional in-use warning.
Eventually, I selected a batch containing files that were being used.
After the initial permanent-deletion confirmation, Wix displayed another screen telling me that files I was attempting to delete were currently being used on my site.
This is your opportunity to stop.
If you choose Keep Files, Wix leaves those files alone.
Can Wix Automatically Find All of Your Unused Files?
Not exactly.
Wix gives you several tools that make finding likely unused files much easier, but Manage Storage isn't simply an "Unused Files" folder that magically identifies everything you can safely erase.
Instead, you can narrow down your library using things like file type, file name, size and modification date.
For me, date was especially useful.
My current website evolved from a website I originally created years ago. That meant I could look at very old uploads and immediately recognize images, music and other assets belonging to projects that haven't existed on the current version of the site for years.
If you've redesigned your site several times, changed businesses, stopped selling old products or simply accumulated years of uploads, sorting your storage this way can make the cleanup much less intimidating.
Then Wix's in-use warning gives you another layer of protection before you permanently remove something that's still active.
Should You Download Wix Files Before Deleting Them?
If there's any possibility that you may want the original file later, I would.
That's exactly what I did with old audio files.
I knew I wasn't actively selling or using those files on my current website anymore, but some represented old music and projects that I still wanted archived. Instead of keeping them indefinitely in my Wix storage, I downloaded copies to my computer first and then removed the Wix copies.
Wix allows you to download multiple files at once, so you don't necessarily have to save everything individually.
Does Moving Wix Files to Trash Free Up Storage?
Not yet.
Moving a file to Trash is useful when you're not ready to permanently erase it because Wix allows trashed files to be restored.
However, files in Trash still count toward your Wix storage usage.
If your actual goal is to reclaim storage space, the files eventually have to be permanently deleted. Once permanently deleted, they cannot be restored, so this is where you want to pay attention to Wix's warnings.
What Happens If You Delete a Wix File That Is Still in Use?
This is exactly why the warning matters.
A media file doesn't become independent of Wix storage simply because you've already placed it on a page. If you permanently delete a file that's being displayed on your live website, it can also disappear from the site.
So don't treat the Manage Storage cleanup like emptying an ordinary downloads folder on your computer.
When Wix tells you that selected files are currently being used, pay attention.
If you don't know where those files are being used and don't intentionally want to remove them from the live website, keep them.
How Do You Check Your Wix Storage Space?
Go to:
Wix Dashboard → Settings → Manage Storage
At the top of the Manage Storage page, Wix displays your current storage usage and breaks down the space being consumed by different types of files.
This is worth checking before you start deleting anything.
You may discover that storage isn't actually a problem yet.
That's what happened to me. I still had plenty of available storage, but after years of running websites on Wix, I had accumulated old media that simply didn't need to live there anymore.
I'd rather occasionally clean that library now than wait until I'm approaching my storage limit and suddenly have to sort through years of digital bones trying to decide what can go.
What Is the Wix Free Plan Storage Limit?
Wix currently lists 500 MB of storage for free Wix sites.
If your site exceeds the available storage after a plan change, Wix says the existing site can continue operating, but you won't be able to continue uploading additional media until you remove files or move to a plan with more storage.
Paid plans can include considerably more storage, depending on the plan.
Because Wix plans and their storage allowances can change, check your own Manage Storage page and current plan information rather than relying on an old storage-limit chart you find online.
Why Use Manage Storage Instead of Only the Wix Media Manager?
For a serious storage cleanup, Manage Storage is the better place to start.
Wix notes that some apps maintain files that don't appear in the regular Media Manager. Those files can still appear through Manage Storage, giving you a more complete picture of what is actually consuming your site's storage.
That makes it particularly useful if you've had your Wix site for years, installed different apps, sold digital products or gone through several versions of the website.
Cleaning Wix Storage Is Easier Than It Looks
I put this job off much longer than I needed to because I thought cleaning years of Wix files meant manually figuring out where every image, song, video and document appeared on my website.
It doesn't.
Manage Storage gives you enough sorting and filtering tools to make old files much easier to find, lets you work through files in batches, and most importantly, gives you a warning when you're about to permanently delete files Wix recognizes as being used on your site.
You should still pay attention to what you're deleting, and I recommend downloading anything you may want to keep before permanently removing it.
But if your Wix storage has turned into a digital attic after years of uploads, you don't have to keep walking past the door because you're afraid to touch anything.
Turns out, cleaning the attic is a lot easier when Wix tells you which boxes are still being used downstairs.
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