Uploading Images

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  simplyaust20 · Member · Jun 6, 2022 at 5:04 am

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  If I upload the same image wordpress creates a second image with -1 -2 and so on. Is there a way for wordpress to either overwrite the image with the same file name or not create more images as this just keeps creating more images that are useless

  WP.com: Yes
  Correct account: Yes

  The blog I need help with is: (visible only to logged in users)

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  kokkieh · Staff · Jun 6, 2022 at 8:58 am

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  Hi there,

  WordPress works this way, because the software has no way to know that it’s the same image you’re uploading a second time – that would require image recognition and analysis software which simply doesn’t exist in WordPress.

  So it assumes it’s a different image that just happens to have the same filename, and appends a number to the filename as two different files cannot share the same name if they’re stored in the same folder, same as files on your computer’s hard drive.

  Overwriting an image, i.e. replacing an image without creating a new image file permalink, isn’t possible on WordPress.com. Even if you completely delete an image, the same permalink won’t be re-used, so any new file you upload with the same filename as the deleted one would still get a number appended to the permalink.

  May I ask why you’re uploading an image again is it’s already available in the media library? If you want to re-use the same image in a different post, you can just select the one already in the library, instead of uploading it again.

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  simplyaust20 · Member · Jun 6, 2022 at 9:52 am

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  Thank you for your reply……

  Wordpress has a really poor file management system it seems. Do not need image recognition to match or anything special to identify a file name….all file systems will ask would you like to overwrite the current file if names the same but wordpress seems to miss this fundamental operation??…
  I have 10000’s of images to manage and updates that occur and do not check if a file exists or not….as it should either a) overwrite or b) not overwrite if a file exists….why did wordpress in its wisdom decide to keep a file that already exists and then goes to the trouble of renaming and adding junk to the site sever….I am lost with why? If for example I use filezilla it will manage the files and ask if I wish to overwrite the file name or skip like every other file system that I know except WordPress???? so frustrating why its missing this basic function…or am I missing something here

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  simplyaust20 · Member · Jun 6, 2022 at 9:56 am

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  I see that wordpress has a fundamental issue where due to the permalink which makes file management really poor. I have used other website platforms and all management files either let you delete files and they are permanently gone, upload and upload and will not duplicate just either overwrite or skip….seems logical to me.