The Media Library Is Empty but the Files Are on the Server

Media is stored in two places: the files in wp-content/uploads and an attachment row in the database for each. The library lists the database rows. If those are gone and the files remain, the library is empty and the files are still perfectly intact.

1. Confirm what you have

# files present?
find wp-content/uploads -type f | wc -l

# attachment rows present?
wp post list --post_type=attachment --format=count

Four possible combinations, and they are different problems:

Files	Rows	Problem
Many	Many	Not data loss — a filter, permission or JavaScript issue
Many	Zero	Database rows lost — rebuildable
Zero	Many	Files lost — restore from backup
Zero	Zero	Both lost — restore from backup

2. If both exist, it is not data loss

Check these before assuming anything is gone:

• Switch the library between grid and list view. A JavaScript error breaks grid view and leaves list view working.
• Open the browser console on the media page — an error there is the answer.
• Check whether a filter is set to a date or type with no results.
• Confirm your user role can see other users’ media. Authors see only their own.
• Disable plugins; media-organising plugins can hide items.

3. Rebuilding lost attachment rows

If the files are there and the rows are not, an “add from server” or media-import plugin can scan the uploads directory and recreate an attachment row for each file.

What you recover and what you do not:

Recovered	Not recovered
The file itself	Alt text
A new attachment ID	Captions and descriptions
Thumbnail sizes, after regeneration	The original upload date
Visibility in the library	Attachment-to-post links

The new attachment IDs will differ from the originals, which is why images embedded in posts by ID will not automatically reconnect. Images embedded by URL will still display, because the file path is unchanged.

4. Regenerate the sizes

wp media regenerate --yes

Check your disk and inode headroom first — this creates several files per image.

5. Why the rows disappear

• A partial database restore that missed the attachment rows.
• A migration where only some tables transferred.
• A cleanup plugin that deleted “orphaned” attachments too aggressively.
• A failed bulk delete.
• Table corruption, which wp db repair may resolve.

6. If the files are gone too

Then it is a restore. Uploads are usually backed up separately from the database because they are large and rarely change — check whether your backup covers both, which is exactly the thing the quarterly restore drill is for.

Common questions

Will embedded images still display?

If they were embedded with a URL, yes — the file path has not changed. If they were embedded by attachment ID, no.

Can I avoid this?

Back up the database and uploads together, and test a restore quarterly.

Is there a built-in rebuild?

No. WordPress has no command for scanning uploads and recreating attachment rows, which is why a plugin is needed.