Safe Media Delete and Quarantine

by CadNative

Find unused media and hold it in quarantine for a retention window instead of deleting it immediately. Files are removed only if they are still unused when the window expires.

Expected release: October 2026

Compatible with:

Self-hosted

Includes:

All updates

During the subscription all released updates are included for free

Support from the Extension Partner

In case you have any problems with your extension you can always ask the Extension Partner for help.

Description

Highlights

A retention window you can undo, not an immediate delete
Re-checks that media is still unused before it deletes anything
Restores files that came back into use instead of deleting them
Separate view, manage and delete permissions
No external services, no telemetry, no data leaves your shop

Features

Scans with the same detection Shopware's own media:delete-unused uses
Honours UnusedMediaSearchEvent, so other extensions can protect their files
Quarantines into a Pending deletion folder with a purge date
Quarantined files keep their URL, thumbnails and storefront rendering
Configurable retention window, 30 days by default

Configurable scan grace period for recent uploads, 20 days by default
Daily scheduled task purges only what is past its date and still unused
Anything back in use is restored to its original folder, with the reason kept
One-click restore per item during the window
ACL roles for viewer, editor and deleter
Console commands for quarantine and purge, with dry-run and limit options
Uninstalling restores every quarantined file before removing the plugin's table

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About the Extension

Deleting unused media in Shopware is a one-way door. This extension adds a door you can walk back

through.

Unused media is moved to a Pending deletion folder and given a purge date. When that date arrives, a

daily task deletes it — but only if it is still unused at that moment. Anything that has been used

again in the meantime is moved back to its original folder instead of being deleted.

Quarantined files keep working the whole time. They stay at the same URL, keep their thumbnails and

still render on the storefront, so a mistake is visible and cheap to undo rather than permanent.

## What it does

- Scan for media that nothing references, using the same detection Shopware's own

media:delete-unused uses, and honouring UnusedMediaSearchEvent so other extensions can protect

their own files.

- Quarantine with a configurable retention window, 30 days by default.

- Re-check before deleting. An image quarantined a month ago may have been assigned to a product

yesterday; it is restored, not deleted.

- Restore any item during the window, with one click, back to the folder it came from.

- Permissions split three ways — view, manage, delete — so you can let someone see what is queued

for deletion without letting them delete it.

- Command line too: cadnative:media:quarantine-unused and cadnative:media:purge-due, for operators

who prefer cron to the Shopware scheduler.

## What Shopware already does

Worth being straight about: bin/console media:delete-unused already finds and deletes unused media,

already defaults to a 20-day grace period on recent uploads, and already has a dry-run. If that

works for you, you may not need this. What core does not have is a reversible window after

flagging, and a re-check before the delete actually happens.

## Good to know

- Tagged media is never treated as unused. Shopware counts a media tag as a reference, so a file

with any tag is skipped — by this extension and by Shopware's own media:delete-unused alike. Some

extensions tag every file they import, so if a scan comes back empty, check for tags first.

- Running media:delete-unused yourself still deletes quarantined files immediately. This extension

deliberately does not interfere with core's own command — that is treated as your explicit

intent.

- Shopware removes the physical files asynchronously, so disk space is reclaimed when a message

queue worker runs. This is normal Shopware behaviour and applies to media:delete-unused as well.

- Uninstalling restores every quarantined file to its original folder first. It never deletes your

media on uninstall.

## Your data stays yours

No external service, no account, no telemetry. Everything happens inside your own shop.

Deleting unused media in Shopware is a one-way door. This extension adds a door you can walk back

through.

Unused media is moved to a Pending deletion folder and given a purge date. When that date arrives, a

daily task deletes it — but only if it is still unused at that moment. Anything that has been used

again in the meantime is moved back to its original folder instead of being deleted.

Quarantined files keep working the whole time. They stay at the same URL, keep their thumbnails and

still render on the storefront, so a mistake is visible and cheap to undo rather than permanent.

## What it does

- Scan for media that nothing references, using the same detection Shopware's own

media:delete-unused uses, and honouring UnusedMediaSearchEvent so other extensions can protect

their own files.

- Quarantine with a configurable retention window, 30 days by default.

- Re-check before deleting. An image quarantined a month ago may have been assigned to a product

yesterday; it is restored, not deleted.

- Restore any item during the window, with one click, back to the folder it came from.

- Permissions split three ways — view, manage, delete — so you can let someone see what is queued

for deletion without letting them delete it.

- Command line too: cadnative:media:quarantine-unused and cadnative:media:purge-due, for operators

who prefer cron to the Shopware scheduler.

## What Shopware already does

Worth being straight about: bin/console media:delete-unused already finds and deletes unused media,

already defaults to a 20-day grace period on recent uploads, and already has a dry-run. If that

works for you, you may not need this. What core does not have is a reversible window after

flagging, and a re-check before the delete actually happens.

## Good to know

- Tagged media is never treated as unused. Shopware counts a media tag as a reference, so a file

with any tag is skipped — by this extension and by Shopware's own media:delete-unused alike. Some

extensions tag every file they import, so if a scan comes back empty, check for tags first.

- Running media:delete-unused yourself still deletes quarantined files immediately. This extension

deliberately does not interfere with core's own command — that is treated as your explicit

intent.

- Shopware removes the physical files asynchronously, so disk space is reclaimed when a message

queue worker runs. This is normal Shopware behaviour and applies to media:delete-unused as well.

- Uninstalling restores every quarantined file to its original folder first. It never deletes your

media on uninstall.

## Your data stays yours

No external service, no account, no telemetry. Everything happens inside your own shop.

Details

Available: English, German
Latest update: 1 October 2026
Version: 1.2.0
Category: Administration

About the Extension Partner

CadNative

See all extensions

Partner Status

Shopware
Extension Partner

Details

Partner since: 2021
Extensions: 1

Support

Based in: India
Speaks: German, English, Dutch, Hindi
Response time: Very quickly

## After installing

Nothing is required to make the extension safe to leave alone: it scans nothing and deletes nothing

until you ask it to. The scheduled task only ever purges items you have explicitly quarantined, and

only after their retention window has expired.

## 1. Check the settings

Extensions > My extensions > Safe Media Delete > Configure (three-dot menu).

- Retention window (days), default 30. How long quarantined media is kept before it is deleted. It

is deleted only if it is still unused when the window expires.

- Ignore media uploaded in the last (days), default 20. Recently uploaded media is skipped when

scanning, because it is often not assigned yet. This matches the default of Shopware's own

media:delete-unused command.

## 2. Open the module

Content > Safe media delete. Three tabs:

- Overview — how many items are in quarantine, how many fall due within seven days, how many were

rescued, and the configured retention window.

- In quarantine — every quarantined item with its purge date and the days remaining, plus a restore

action per item.

- Unused media — the scan. Scanning lists what nothing references and changes nothing at all.

## 3. Scan, then quarantine

Run a scan from the Unused media tab and look at the result before acting on it. Quarantining moves

the matching files into a Pending deletion folder and stamps each with a purge date. The files keep

their URL and thumbnails and still render on the storefront, so nothing breaks while they wait.

## 4. Restore anything that should stay

Anything in the quarantine list can be restored to its original folder with one click, at any point

during the window.

## 5. Let the purge run, or run it yourself

A daily scheduled task deletes items whose date has passed — and only those still unused at that

moment. Anything back in use is restored instead, and the record is kept with the reason.

"Run purge now" on the Overview tab does the same immediately. It asks for confirmation and names

how many files would go, because it is the only irreversible action in the plugin. Quarantine and

restore stay one click.

## Permissions

Three ACL roles under Content, so visibility into what is queued for deletion can be granted

without granting the ability to delete:

- viewer — see the overview, run a scan, read the quarantine list

- editor — quarantine and restore

- deleter — run a purge

## Command line

bin/console cadnative:media:quarantine-unused --dry-run

bin/console cadnative:media:quarantine-unused

bin/console cadnative:media:purge-due

--limit, --grace-period-days and --retention-days are available on the quarantine command.

## Things worth knowing

- Tagged media is never reported as unused. Shopware counts a media tag as a reference, so a file

with any tag is invisible to this extension and to media:delete-unused alike. If a scan comes back

empty on a library you expected results from, check for tags first.

- Physical files are deleted asynchronously. Shopware queues the removal, so disk space is reclaimed

when a message queue worker runs (bin/console messenger:consume async).

- media:delete-unused still works normally, including on quarantined files. This extension does not

interfere with core's command; running it while items are in quarantine deletes them immediately.

- Uninstalling restores, it never deletes. Uninstalling without "keep user data" moves every

quarantined item back to its original folder before dropping the plugin's table. The empty

Pending deletion folder is left behind; remove it by hand if you want it gone.

How is this different from bin/console media:delete-unused?

Core finds unused media and deletes it on the spot. This extension puts it in quarantine with a purge date first, re-checks that it is still unused when the date arrives, and restores anything that came back into use. Discovery itself is core's own.

Do quarantined files stop working?

No. Quarantine is a folder change only. The file keeps its URL, its thumbnails and its private flag, so a quarantined image assigned to a product still renders on the storefront.

A scan found nothing, but I know there is unused media. Why?

Almost always tags. Shopware counts a media tag as a reference, so a tagged file is never reported as unused — by this extension or by media:delete-unused. Some extensions tag every file they import.

Does uninstalling delete my quarantined media?

No. Uninstalling without "keep user data" restores every quarantined item to its original folder before dropping the plugin's table. It never deletes media.

Disk space did not go down after a purge. Is it broken?

No. Shopware removes physical files asynchronously, so space is reclaimed when a message queue worker runs. This is core behaviour and applies to media:delete-unused too.

Can I let someone review what is queued without letting them delete it?

Yes. The viewer role can see the overview, run a scan and read the quarantine list; quarantine and restore need editor; running a purge needs deleter.