Removing the optimizer breaks site images
Deactivating or removing the image optimiser makes site images break or disappear and leaves orphaned files to repair by hand.
1 public report · first reported 12 May 2026 · last reported 12 May 2026
What's going wrong
Site owners report that when they deactivate the image optimiser, images on their site stop displaying, because the plugin serves optimised images through its own CDN and the originals are not restored in place. When they remove the plugin entirely, orphaned image files are left behind and must be found and fixed manually. One owner described the whole site looking broken after switching the plugin off. Nothing warns people before they deactivate, and nothing offers to restore the original files first. There is an opening for a tool that reverses optimisation cleanly, restores originals, and checks links before deactivation.
AI-assisted: written with the help of AI from the reports.
Products affected
ShortPixel Image Optimizer – Optimize Images, Convert WebP & AVIF.
Related problems
Who has this problem
1 business found.
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