Frequently asked questions
Offloft offloads your WordPress media to cloud storage and checks every file in your bucket before your site uses it. These are the questions people ask most, about safety, performance, privacy, Pro and billing. Each answer has its own link you can share.
Basics
What does Offloft do?
Offloft offloads your WordPress media to cloud storage and serves it from there. It checks every file, and every size of every image, in your bucket before your site uses it. If anything goes wrong, it tells you in plain language.
Is it free?
Yes. The free plugin includes the full offload workflow, with no file limit and no trial period. Offloft Pro is an optional paid add-on with automatic setup, scheduled audits, repair, alerts and removal of local copies.
How is Offloft different from other offload plugins?
It checks every file in your bucket before your site uses it. You can recheck any time with the free plugin, or on a schedule with Pro. Problems show up on your dashboard, with a fix where one is possible.
Will Offloft lower my hosting bill?
It can, if your host charges for storage or you'd otherwise need a bigger plan for the room. Pro is what frees up the space, by removing local copies once every file is verified. The free plugin keeps local copies, so your disk use stays the same. If your plan's price doesn't depend on disk space, your bill won't change. Your storage provider bills you separately, so compare the two.
Does Offloft keep my media in sync?
Yes, one way, from WordPress to your bucket. New uploads offload automatically, a changed file is uploaded under a new name, and deleting a media item also removes its files from your bucket unless you turn that off. A Re-sync job can sync your library again at any time. Files you add directly to your bucket don't appear in WordPress.
Which storage providers does it support?
Cloudflare R2, Amazon S3, Wasabi, Backblaze B2, DigitalOcean Spaces, Akamai (Linode), Scaleway, Vultr, MinIO and any other S3-compatible storage. You bring your own bucket, and Offloft doesn't store your files anywhere else.
Do I need a CDN?
No. Offloft can serve files straight from your bucket's public address. If you want a CDN or your own domain, you can enter that address instead, and the delivery check confirms visitors can load files from it.
Safety
What happens if an upload fails?
The file stays on your server and your site keeps using it. Offloft retries with increasing waits. If it still can't upload, it raises an issue explaining what went wrong and how to fix it.
What happens when my storage provider is down?
Offloft notices, pauses uploads without using up their retries, and shows an issue. It checks again on its own and continues where it stopped once the provider is back.
Does Offloft change my database?
Not for normal offloading. Media URLs are changed as pages are shown, so turning Offloft off returns your site to its local files. Your posts and settings aren't search-and-replaced unless you run the optional Replace URLs tool, which has a preview and undo.
Are my local files deleted?
Not by the free plugin. Your local copies stay where they are. The Pro add-on can remove them, but only once every file of the item is verified in the cloud and a safety delay has passed.
What if I deactivate or delete the plugin?
Deactivating stops background work and keeps all your data, and your site serves media from your server again. If some files exist only in the cloud, Offloft warns you first and offers to bring them back. Deleting the plugin keeps its data, unless you chose in its settings to remove its data when it's deleted. Files in your bucket are never deleted on uninstall.
Can I go back?
Yes. "Bring everything back to my server" downloads every file again. Normal offloading doesn't change your database, so your pages go back to their local files. If you used the Replace URLs tool, undo it first.
Performance
Can I use it on a big library?
Yes. Work runs in the background in small batches, large files are uploaded in parts that resume after interruptions, and pages don't run an extra database query for each image.
Does it slow my site down?
Uploads and checks run in the background, not on page loads. Pages don't run an extra database query for each image.
Does it work with caching plugins?
Yes. URLs are changed as a page is built, so a page cache stores the page with its cloud addresses. After you turn offloading on or off, clear your page cache so saved pages pick up the change.
Privacy
Does Offloft see my files or keys?
No. Your media goes only to the bucket you connect, and your keys are stored encrypted in your own database. The free plugin sends nothing to us.
Does it track anything?
No. Offloft doesn't send any data to its makers or to any other service: no tracking, no analytics, no phone-home. It doesn't add cookies or collect visitors' personal data.
Where are my keys stored?
In your own WordPress database, encrypted. They are never sent to us, and REST API answers and system information never include them.
Pro and billing
Do I need Pro?
No. The free plugin offloads, verifies and serves your media without limits. Pro can set up your Cloudflare R2 or Amazon S3 storage for you, adds scheduled checks, repairs and alerts, and can remove local copies to free up hosting storage.
What does Pro add?
Automatic setup for Cloudflare R2 and Amazon S3, scheduled audits, automatic repair, alerts by email, Slack or webhook, safe removal of local copies, and email support from inside the plugin.
What happens when my license ends?
Your site keeps working and your images stay online. Audits, repairs, alerts and new removals pause until you renew.
How do refunds work?
Within 14 days, no questions asked.
What counts as a site?
Each WordPress install where you activate Pro. Local and staging sites, like localhost, don't count.
Developers
Does it work with WP-CLI?
Yes. Run wp offloft to see the commands: status, scan, offload, verify, restore, issues, fix, job and more.
Is there a REST API?
Yes, under the offloft/v1 namespace. See the developers page for every route.
Is it open source?
Yes. Offloft is licensed under GPL-2.0-or-later.
Your media, in your bucket, checked.
Install Offloft free. Setup takes five steps, and nothing moves until the connection test passes.