Problem: The client is managing media settings in WPML and noticed that the 'duplicate media' feature seemed enabled despite their intention to have it disabled. They observed that after deleting images in the English version of their site, these images remained in the Spanish version. They were unsure if this was due to a local cache issue and asked about safely disabling media translation options and handling duplicate images without breaking the site. Solution: We explained that WPML does not automatically translate media files; it only duplicates them in the database for synchronization purposes when the Media Translation plugin is active. To stop this duplication, the client can disable the media duplication options in WPML by navigating to WPML>>Settings>>Media Translation. For more details, they can refer to our documentation here: Media Translation Guide. Furthermore, disabling the duplication options will only affect newly uploaded media; it will not remove existing entries in secondary languages. There is no automatic option to delete media files from secondary languages once they are created. However, the client can follow a workaround suggested in another support ticket after ensuring a full site backup. This workaround can help in manually removing media files from secondary languages. More details can be found here: Forum Post on Cleaning Media Translation.
If this solution does not apply to your situation, or if it seems outdated, we highly recommend checking related known issues at https://wpml.org/known-issues/, verifying the version of the permanent fix, and confirming that you have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. If further assistance is needed, please open a new support ticket at WPML Support Forum.
