How do I restore my original images?

2 min read · Last updated June 2026

Use Restore original on an image in your Media Library to put its original file back from its backup. Restoring also removes the WebP and AVIF versions made from it, returning the image to exactly how it was before SlashImage touched it.

Prerequisites

A backup of the original still exists. Restoring copies the original back from its backup, so without a backup there is nothing to restore. See Where are my image backups stored?.

Restore one image

Open your Media Library in list view and find the image.
Click Restore original in the row actions (it is also on the attachment edit screen).
The original file is put back and its WebP and AVIF versions are removed.

Restore selected images

Open your Media Library in list view and tick the checkbox next to each image you want to restore.
Open the Bulk actions dropdown above the list and choose Restore originals.
Click Apply.

Restore every image at once

Go to Media > SlashImage and open the Settings tab. Scroll to the Danger Zone.
Click Restore all. Its description reads "Reverts every optimized attachment that has a SlashImage backup. WebP and AVIF variants are removed."
Confirm in the dialog titled "Restore all originals?"

After restoring, your images are unoptimized originals again. To re-optimize them with your new settings, go to Media > Bulk Optimize and click Start Bulk Optimization - no extra checkbox needed, since the images are now unoptimized. This gives the same result as using the re-optimize checkbox directly, without restoring first. See How do I re-optimize an image? for both paths side by side.

What can go wrong

No Restore option appears for an image. That image has no backup to restore from, usually because backups were off when it was optimized, or the backups were deleted. See Where are my image backups stored?.