I vividly remember the anxiety of receiving that initial ‘Disk Quota Exceeded’ notification from our web hosting provider. We believed our modest blog couldn’t possibly consume that much storage.
We soon discovered that the issue wasn’t our blog posts, but rather the numerous hidden files that WordPress automatically generates. This unseen clutter can significantly slow down your site or even cause unexpected crashes.
After resolving this issue on hundreds of our own websites, we created a straightforward checklist to recover that wasted storage. These are the same steps we implement to keep our websites efficient and fast.
In this guide, we will guide you through each step to tidy up your site. Let’s uncover how much storage you can reclaim.
Why is it Important to Free Up Disk Space and Reduce Inode Usage?
Every WordPress hosting plan has two essential limits: disk space and inodes. Understanding these limits is crucial for maintaining a healthy website.
Disk space is simple to understand—it’s the total storage available for your files. Inodes, however, are less obvious but equally significant.
Consider an inode as a label in a filing cabinet that contains information about each file and folder, such as its size, location, and permissions. Every single file on your server consumes one inode, regardless of its size.
When you’re just starting out, the resource limits may seem ample. However, WordPress sites can be surprisingly resource-intensive. We’ve observed small blogs reach inode limits with as few as 50,000 files, while others can fill up disk space with just a few hundred images.
Once you reach either limit, your site may begin to experience frustrating issues:
- Email functionality ceases– You won’t be able to send or receive new emails
- Media uploads are unsuccessful– You won’t be able to add new images or files
- Content updates fail– Posts and pages may not save correctly
- Plugin updates do not succeed– WordPress is unable to download or install updates
- Your site may crash– In extreme cases, your entire website could go offline
Even more concerning, these problems can arise unexpectedly. One day your site operates smoothly, and the next day you might find yourself locked out of your dashboard because WordPress cannot create temporary files.
The positive aspect? Most WordPress sites squander 30-50% of their allocated resources on unnecessary files. By removing these files, you can not only avoid hitting hosting limits but also experience faster load times and improved performance.
Let’s begin by assessing your current disk space and inode usage so you have a clear understanding of your situation.
How to Monitor Disk Space in WordPress
You can easily check your WordPress disk space by accessing your hosting provider’s cPanel.
All web hosting companies provide information on disk usage, file usage, the number of email accounts, and more.
For instance, if you’re using Bluehost, log into your account and navigate to the ‘Websites’ tab on the left panel. Then, click on the ‘Settings’ option for your specific website.
Next, go to the ‘Advanced’ tab located in the top menu.
Scroll down to find the cPanel option, and click the ‘Manage’ button to access it.
You will then see various options available in the cPanel.
For example, you can use the file manager, check disk usage, manage FTP connections, and access phpMyAdmin settings.
Now, let’s explore 8 simple methods to free up disk space and decrease inode usage in WordPress:
- Utilize Image Optimization Tools to Reduce File Sizes
- Prevent WordPress from Automatically Generating Image Sizes
- Avoid Uploading Videos Directly to WordPress
- Organize and Clean Your WordPress Media Library
- Uninstall Inactive WordPress Plugins and Themes
- Delete Unused Draft Blog Posts and Pages
- Clear Your Mailbox and Remove Unused Email Accounts
- Clear Cache and Remove Old Backup Files in WordPress
- Common Questions About Freeing Up Disk Space
- Further Resources and Recommended Actions
1. Utilize Image Optimization Tools to Decrease File Size
One effective method to conserve disk space is by optimizing your images. Various tools can help reduce image size while maintaining quality. Additionally, you can adjust the file format (PNG, JPEG, GIF) and dimensions, which can lead to size reductions of up to 80%.
This not only helps to reduce inode usage but also enhances your website’s loading speed. Furthermore, it results in quicker backups and improved SEO performance.
Image optimization tools employ compression techniques to minimize the file size of images. You can utilize photo editing software like Adobe Photoshop or Affinity, or online tools such as TinyPNG or JPEGmini.
There are also various WordPress plugins available that automatically compress images upon upload.
For more information, please refer to our guide on optimizing images for web performance without sacrificing quality.
2. Stop WordPress from Creating Multiple Image Sizes
Did you know that WordPress generates several versions of an image each time you upload it to your site?
WordPress automatically creates various image sizes, including thumbnail, medium, large, and the original image.
These image sizes consume disk space and inodes on your website. Additionally, the backup size of your site will increase due to multiple versions of a single image.
A straightforward way to stop WordPress from creating multiple image sizes is to use the Stop Generating Unnecessary Thumbnails plugin. This free plugin allows you to disable unwanted image sizes.
For more information, check out our guide on preventing WordPress from generating unnecessary image sizes.
Remember that your theme may require specific image sizes for different sections of your site, such as thumbnails on your main blog page. A good plugin will show you all registered image sizes, enabling you to selectively disable only those you don’t need.
3. Avoid Uploading Videos to WordPress
Another effective way to save disk space and reduce inode usage is to refrain from uploading videos directly to WordPress.
Uploading videos directly to your site consumes more bandwidth and disk space. High-quality videos require even more resources. Additionally, you may need various plugins to manage and display videos, further increasing disk space usage.
A more effective solution is to upload your videos to platforms like YouTube or Vimeo and then embed them on your website. This approach will help you conserve disk space and reduce bandwidth usage.
Additionally, your videos will gain more visibility since YouTube is the second largest search engine and one of the most visited websites globally.
For detailed instructions, you can refer to our guide on how to easily embed videos in your WordPress blog posts.
4. Optimize Your WordPress Media Library
Cleaning up your WordPress media library is an excellent strategy to free up disk space and minimize inode usage.
If you have unused media files, duplicate images, or images that are not the correct size, you can delete them to reclaim space.
Typically, you can navigate toMedia » Libraryin the WordPress dashboard and select the image you wish to delete. Once the image details are displayed, simply click on the ‘Delete permanently’ option.
However, this manual process can be time-consuming, and locating unused media files can be challenging.
An effective method is to utilize WordPress plugins designed to clean up your media library. For instance, Media Cleaner is a free plugin that scans your website for unused media files in the library and on posts/pages. You can then choose which files to keep and which to delete.
For further information, please refer to our comprehensive guide on cleaning up your WordPress media library.
5. Uninstall Inactive WordPress Plugins and Themes
Do you have any inactive WordPress plugins and themes that are not currently in use?
Inactive WordPress themes and plugins consume inodes and occupy valuable disk space. It’s advisable to remove these unused plugins and themes to free up disk space and lower inode usage.
Keep in mind that simply deactivating a plugin or theme does not eliminate its files from your server. You must click the ‘Delete’ button to truly free up the disk space and inodes they are using.
To uninstall plugins, navigate to Plugins » Installed Plugins in your WordPress admin panel. Then, click the ‘Delete’ button for any plugin that is not in use.
You can also remove inactive WordPress themes in a similar manner.
First, go to Appearance » Themes in your WordPress dashboard.
Click on the theme you wish to delete.
A new popup window will appear displaying the details of your WordPress theme. Click the ‘Delete’ button located at the bottom right corner.
6. Remove Unused Draft Blog Posts and Pages
Similar to inactive themes and plugins, deleting draft blog posts and pages can help you reclaim disk space and lower inode usage in WordPress.
These drafts occupy unnecessary storage, and eliminating them can enhance your website’s performance.
Navigate toPosts » All Postsin your WordPress admin dashboard. Then, click the ‘Trash’ button beneath any draft blog post.
You can also apply this process to draft pages on your site.
WordPress offers an option to bulk delete posts and pages. For further information, please refer to our guide on bulk deleting WordPress posts.
7. Clear Your Mailbox and Remove Unused Email Accounts
This advice is relevant if your email accounts are hosted on the same server as your website, which is typical for many shared hosting plans.
If you have email accounts associated with your hosting service, they also consume disk space and use inodes on your site.
To decrease inode usage and free up disk space, review your emails and remove any unwanted messages. This includes spam and outdated emails that you no longer need.
If you have multiple email accounts linked to your WordPress hosting, consider deleting accounts for users who are no longer active. You can manage your mailbox and various email accounts through the cPanel provided by your hosting service.
8. Clear Cache and Remove Old Backup Files in WordPress
Cache plugins are incredibly beneficial for enhancing the speed of your WordPress website and improving user experience.
However, if not managed properly, these plugins can create an excessive number of cache files, which will consume inodes on your WordPress site. Therefore, it is advisable to regularly clear the WordPress cache to minimize inode usage.
Most WordPress hosting providers and caching plugins include a built-in feature to clear the cache.
For instance, Bluehost allows you to clear your cache directly from the WordPress admin dashboard. Simply click on the ‘Caching’ option in the toolbar and select ‘Purge All’ to clear the cache.
In addition, if you are utilizing security and backup plugins for WordPress, removing outdated security reports and backups can greatly enhance your inode usage and alleviate disk space concerns.
For example, if you are using Duplicator for backups, you can check your existing backups and delete the older ones directly from your WordPress dashboard.
Simply navigate to the Duplicator Pro » Packages page, choose your outdated backup, and then select Delete from the Bulk Action dropdown menu.
You can start with the free version of Duplicator, and we highly recommend exploring the Pro features as well.
Frequently Asked Questions About Freeing Up Disk Space
We frequently receive inquiries regarding the management of WordPress storage. Here are answers to some of the most common questions we encounter.
1. What is an inode in WordPress?
An inode is a data structure on your hosting server that holds information about every file and folder. Each file, regardless of its size, consumes one inode. It’s possible to exhaust your inodes even if you still have available disk space, which can lead to errors or potentially crash your site.
2. How much disk space does a WordPress site actually require?
A new WordPress installation typically requires less than 1GB of storage. However, when you add themes, plugins, images, and backups, a small business website can easily need between 5GB and 10GB. Larger eCommerce or media-rich websites may require 25GB or more.
3. Will removing unused plugins and themes affect my website?
It is safe to remove inactive plugins and themes since WordPress only utilizes those that are currently active. This is an effective way to free up storage space and reduce inode usage, but we always advise taking a complete backup of your site beforehand, just to be safe.
4. How frequently should I clean up my WordPress files?
Cleaning up your WordPress files every 3 to 6 months is a beneficial practice. This should include deleting old backups, removing unused media files, and getting rid of outdated drafts. Regular maintenance helps avoid storage issues and ensures your site operates smoothly.
Additional Resources and Next Steps
Now that you know how to optimize your site’s storage, you may find these additional guides useful for maintaining your site’s performance and ensuring it runs efficiently.
- The Ultimate Guide to Enhancing WordPress Speed & Performance – Discover more expert strategies for improving your website’s loading speed for both visitors and search engines.
- Comparison of the Best WordPress Backup Plugins – Selecting the ideal backup plugin is essential. Explore our comparison to find the top tools for safeguarding your website.
- A Guide to Properly Uninstalling a WordPress Plugin – Discover the correct method to remove plugins, ensuring that no leftover files or database tables remain.
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