# Disable Unused Thumbnail Sizes > Stop WordPress generating unused thumbnail sizes. Choose exactly which image sizes to disable, save disk space, and cut clutter on every upload. - Canonical URL: - Markdown URL: Category: Speed feature WordPress can create 10 or more image copies from a single upload - many of which no theme or plugin ever uses. ThumbPress shows every registered size and lets you switch off the ones you don't need. ## One Upload, a Dozen Files You Didn't Ask For Every image you add quietly multiplies across sizes your site may never display. ### Silent Thumbnail Sprawl Your theme and plugins each register their own image sizes, so a single upload can spawn 10 or more separate files - most of which are never actually shown. Impact: 10+ files generated per image ### Disk Space Bleed Multiply those extra copies across a whole media library and they add up to gigabytes of storage spent on thumbnails no page ever loads. Impact: Gigabytes wasted on unused sizes ### Bloated Backups and Slower Uploads More files per image means larger, slower backups and extra work on every single upload while WordPress generates sizes you'll never use. Impact: Heavier backups, slower uploads ## How Disabling Sizes Works See every size WordPress makes, then keep only the ones you use. ### Steps 1. **See** — ThumbPress lists every image size registered on your site - core, theme and plugin - in one clear view. 2. **Disable** — Untick the sizes you don't need and save, and WordPress stops generating them on future uploads. 3. **Clean up** — Pair it with Regenerate Thumbnails to rebuild your library and clear out the existing copies you just switched off. ### A Simple Way to Control Thumbnail Sizes Keep your media library cleaner by creating only the thumbnail sizes your site needs. #### Choose your sizes Turn on only the dimensions you actually use-from 150×150 thumbnails up to 2560×2560 scaled images-so every upload generates exactly what your theme needs, nothing more. ## Take Back Control of Your Sizes Keep the thumbnails you use, drop the ones you don't. - See every registered image size at a glance - Disable only the sizes you don't need - Stops those files generating on every upload - Reclaims disk space and trims backups - Filters the big-image scaling threshold too - Pairs with Regenerate Thumbnails to clean up ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How many image sizes does WordPress create per upload? It depends on your theme and plugins, which each register their own sizes on top of WordPress core - often 10 or more separate files from a single upload. ### How do I stop WordPress generating so many thumbnails? Open ThumbPress, review the full list of registered sizes, and switch off the ones you don't use. WordPress then skips them on every future upload. ### Will disabling sizes break my theme? Only disable sizes your theme and plugins don't display. ThumbPress shows every registered size so you can keep the ones in active use and safely turn off the rest. ### What about the images I've already uploaded? Disabling a size stops it being generated going forward. To remove the copies that already exist, run Regenerate Thumbnails, which rebuilds your library against the sizes you kept. ### Which sizes are safe to disable? Sizes no template or plugin references are safe to turn off. If you're unsure, disable one at a time and check your key pages, then regenerate once you're confident. ### Can I stop WordPress creating the -scaled version? Yes. The scaled copy WordPress makes for large uploads appears in the list alongside every other registered size, so you can switch it off like any of them. ### Do I lose the sizes I keep? No. Anything you leave enabled is generated exactly as before. Disabling is opt-out per size, so your theme keeps every dimension it actually renders. ### How much disk space does this actually save? It scales with your library. If a single upload currently spawns a dozen files and you cut that to four, you are removing roughly two thirds of the files created from every future upload. ### What happens if I re-enable a size later? New uploads start generating it again immediately. To create it for images you already have, run Regenerate Thumbnails once and the missing size is filled in across the library. ## Ready to Stop the Sprawl? Install ThumbPress free and stop generating image sizes you never use. ## About ThumbPress ThumbPress is a WordPress plugin for image optimization and thumbnail management, built by Codexpert. It runs on your own server: compression, WebP/AVIF conversion and cleanup all happen locally, with no third-party image API and no per-image credits. - All features: - Pricing: - Documentation: - Blog: - Support: - WordPress.org listing: