Uploading new media with sensible titles is one job. Cleaning up the files already in your WordPress Media Library is another. If older uploads still have titles such as coastal_walk-uk-2026, you can apply a consistent set of formatting rules without renaming the underlying files.
This tutorial uses SEO Media Manager Pro for existing-library processing. The Free edition applies formatting to new uploads and includes the same live preview, case controls and protected uppercase words. It does not batch-process existing attachments.
Decide what you want to change
Start with a concrete example. For coastal_walk-uk-2026.jpg, replacing hyphens and underscores with spaces, capitalising every word and protecting UK produces Coastal Walk UK 2026 when number removal is switched off.
The title is a WordPress attachment field. Changing it does not rename the uploaded file or change its file URL. You can also copy the result to alternative text, captions and descriptions, but those fields do different jobs. A tidier title is not automatically a useful image description.
Keep caption and description copying off unless the generated text is genuinely what you want in those fields. If an image already has carefully written alternative text, do not include it in a batch that will replace that text. Version 1.3.0 writes the selected fields; it does not offer a “fill missing fields only” mode.
Back up the metadata before a batch
Take a database backup and make sure you know how to restore it. The original media files stay unchanged, but attachment titles, captions, descriptions and alternative text are stored in the database. Keeping the files alone is not a backup of those fields.
Start with a small selection that represents your library. Include a straightforward filename, one with a date or number, and one with an abbreviation you want to keep uppercase. If you use accented or non-Latin text, include that too.
Set the formatting rules and check the preview
- Open SEO Media Manager → Settings → Formatting rules.
- Choose the cleanup rules you need. For the example above, enable hyphen and underscore replacement. In Pro, leave number removal off to retain
2026. - Choose lowercase followed by capitalising every word. Add
UKto the protected uppercase words. - Choose which additional metadata fields should receive the result. The title itself is always updated.
- Edit the example filename in the live preview. Check the result, then save the formatting rules.
The preview follows unsaved rule changes, so it helps you catch an unwanted transformation before saving. It does not change an attachment. Existing-library jobs use the original filename without its extension as their starting text, even if you choose the WordPress-title source for new uploads.
Process a selection first
- Open the Batch processing tab in Pro.
- Choose Custom selection and select your sample attachments.
- Choose the file-type filter you need, or leave it set to all media types.
- Start background processing and review the saved summary and recent results.
- Open the processed attachments in the Media Library. Check their actual stored titles and any fields you selected.
A filter narrows the selection; it does not make an attachment editable if it was not selected. Images, SVG, PDF, documents, audio and video are separate filter choices. Do not assume that an image job includes SVG: choose the SVG filter for that group.
Once the sample is right, you can process a larger selection or choose the complete library. Each job captures the rules and its library boundary when it starts. Saving different rules afterwards does not change that running job, and later uploads are outside its captured boundary.
What happens after you close the screen
SEO Media Manager Pro uses Action Scheduler to run saved work in bounded groups of up to 20 attachments. Progress is stored between workers rather than being held in an open browser tab. You can leave the screen and return to the job summary later.
The server still needs to run scheduled WordPress work. If WP-Cron is disabled, arrange a working server cron runner. If a job is not progressing, check scheduling rather than repeatedly starting new jobs. Cancellation takes effect after the current worker finishes; it does not undo items that were already changed.
Check the result where the image is used
The attachment record and an image already inserted into a post are not the same thing. Existing post content can retain its own image attributes. This workflow updates Media Library metadata, not every embedded image across your site. Check important pages separately.
Try the live Free and Pro workflow examples, or follow the SEO Media Manager guide for the controls. If you only need consistent future uploads, start with Free. For the existing backlog, compare the Pro plans.