Media files are not deleted in /uploads when deleted in Media

This thread is resolved. Here is a description of the problem and solution.

Problem:
You are managing a site where you frequently update PDF files and delete old ones. However, the old files remain in the /uploads directory and continue to be indexed by Google. You suspect this might be related to a WPML setting.
Solution:
We recommend ensuring that when you delete media files, you do so for all language versions. In your WordPress admin, switch the admin language to "All languages" in the top admin bar before deleting the files. This ensures that the media files are completely removed from all language versions, preventing them from being left in the /uploads directory and indexed by Google.

If this solution does not resolve your issue, or if it seems outdated or irrelevant to your specific case, we highly recommend checking related known issues at https://wpml.org/known-issues/, verifying the version of the permanent fix, and confirming that you have installed the latest versions of themes and plugins. Additionally, you can open a new support ticket for further assistance at WPML support forum.

This is the technical support forum for WPML - the multilingual WordPress plugin.

Everyone can read, but only WPML clients can post here. WPML team is replying on the forum 6 days per week, 22 hours per day.

Tagged: Not WPML issue

This topic contains 2 replies, has 0 voices.

Last updated by Andreas W. 2 weeks, 1 day ago.

Assisted by: Andreas W..

Author	Posts
April 11, 2025 at 4:40 am #16920873
johanL-19	Background of the issue: I manage the site elisefarm.se, where we add new menus as PDF files each week and delete the old ones. However, the old menus are still present in the /uploads directory, and Google continues to index these files (see image). I read an old post on Stack Overflow suggesting this might be due to a setting in WPML. Symptoms: Media files are not deleted in /uploads when deleted in Media, causing old menus to remain indexed by Google. Questions: How do I fix the issue of old media files not being deleted from /uploads? Is there a specific setting in WPML that could be causing this problem?
April 11, 2025 at 8:59 pm #16924461
Andreas W. WPML Supporter since 12/2018 Languages: English (English ) Spanish (Español ) German (Deutsch ) Timezone: America/Lima (GMT-05:00)	Hello, Let me try to recreate this issue on a new test site and I will then get back to you. Best regards Andreas
April 11, 2025 at 11:02 pm #16924772
Andreas W. WPML Supporter since 12/2018 Languages: English (English ) Spanish (Español ) German (Deutsch ) Timezone: America/Lima (GMT-05:00)	On my test, I needed to make sure to delete the media from all languages inside the media library. You can switch the admin language to "All languages" inside the top admin bar.