Title: Clean unused shortcodes Author: Amr Abdelkarem Published: September 6, 2022 Last modified: May 21, 2026 --- Search plugins ![](https://ps.w.org/clean-unused-shortcodes/assets/banner-772x250.png?rev=2780409) ![](https://ps.w.org/clean-unused-shortcodes/assets/icon-256x256.png?rev=2780409) # Clean unused shortcodes By [Amr Abdelkarem](https://profiles.wordpress.org/amrelarabi/) [Download](https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/clean-unused-shortcodes.2.1.0.zip) * [Details](https://pirate.wordpress.org/plugins/clean-unused-shortcodes/#description) * [Reviews](https://pirate.wordpress.org/plugins/clean-unused-shortcodes/#reviews) * [Installation](https://pirate.wordpress.org/plugins/clean-unused-shortcodes/#installation) * [Development](https://pirate.wordpress.org/plugins/clean-unused-shortcodes/#developers) [Support](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/clean-unused-shortcodes/) ## Description **Clean unused shortcodes** helps you find and remove shortcode tags left behind by old plugins, themes, or page builders — without hunting through posts one by one. The tool lives under **Tools Clean unused shortcodes**. Choose which public post types to scan, review the results, preview changes, then clean individual shortcodes or run a bulk cleanup. #### Highlights * **Scan by post type** — posts, pages, and other public types (media/attachments excluded). * **Three result tabs** — unused (unregistered) shortcodes, used (registered and found), and registered but unused. * **Content and excerpts** — scans both fields and shows where each shortcode appears. * **Batched operations** — scan and clean large sites in chunks with a progress bar and cancel option. * **Incremental scan** — optionally rescan only posts modified since the last run. * **Dry-run preview** — see before/after snippets per post before saving. * **Protected shortcodes** — allowlist tags you never want removed (e.g. `caption`,` embed`). * **Skip on clean all** — exclude specific shortcodes from bulk cleanup. * **Gutenberg-aware** — removes empty `wp:shortcode` blocks after the inner shortcode is stripped. * **Hyphenated names** — detects shortcodes like `[my-slider]` as well as `[gallery]`. #### Who is this for? * Sites that deactivated plugins but still have `[shortcode]` tags in content. * Editors who want a clear list of where each tag appears before deleting. * Administrators cleaning up legacy content on staging before going live. Always **back up your database** (or test on staging) before running bulk clean operations. ## Screenshots [⌊Tools screen with post type selection, scan progress, and results tabs.⌉⌊Tools screen with post type selection, scan progress, and results tabs.⌉[ Tools screen with post type selection, scan progress, and results tabs. [⌊Unused shortcodes table with locations, skip option, preview, and clean actions.⌉⌊ Unused shortcodes table with locations, skip option, preview, and clean actions.⌉[ Unused shortcodes table with locations, skip option, preview, and clean actions. [⌊Dry-run preview modal showing before and after content.⌉⌊Dry-run preview modal showing before and after content.⌉[ Dry-run preview modal showing before and after content. ## Installation 1. Install the plugin through **Plugins Add New** in WordPress, or upload the `clean- unused-shortcodes` folder to `/wp-content/plugins/`. 2. Activate **Clean unused shortcodes** through the **Plugins** screen. 3. Go to **Tools Clean unused shortcodes**. 4. (Optional) Set **Protected shortcodes** — one name per line. 5. Select post types, click **Scan shortcodes**, then preview or clean as needed. ## FAQ ### What is an “unused” shortcode? A shortcode tag found in your scanned content that is **not** currently registered in WordPress (not in the global `$shortcode_tags` list) and is not on your protected list. ### Will this remove active plugin shortcodes? No. Registered shortcodes are listed under **Used** or **Registered but unused** and are not removed by the clean actions. Only unregistered (orphaned) tags in the** Unused** tab are removed. ### Does it work with the block editor? Yes. Shortcodes inside the **Shortcode** block (`wp:shortcode`) are scanned. After cleaning, empty block wrappers are removed so you do not get blank Shortcode blocks in the editor. ### Can I undo a clean? There is no built-in undo. Use a backup or revision restore if you need to roll back. Use **Preview** before cleaning to review changes. ### Does it scan custom post types? Yes. All public post types are available in the selector (attachments are excluded). ## Reviews ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/64a1f8547c740e483410fef98309bb3a43e12658d09c03ad2aeda2112e30b1af? s=60&d=retro&r=g) ### 󠀁[Did what it said it would](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/did-what-it-say/)󠁿 [icreation](https://profiles.wordpress.org/icreation/) January 8, 2026 1 reply I had some old code from Bakery Builder, and it was all over my site. This plugin got rid of it in seconds. Well done. ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/9902e094e94b00e4eb7783253562028f3bce9407aae65bee3a0738189bb55251? s=60&d=retro&r=g) ### 󠀁[Works Perfectly](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/works-perfectly-2865/)󠁿 [Ally Drez](https://profiles.wordpress.org/relp01/) June 26, 2025 1 reply Installed, Activated, Ran "Clean up unused shortcodes" and voila. The site had no more shortcode residue from Divi theme. THANK YOU! ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/7660e5104ac5a14e87ce834a193cc58f597ce0cff4b2ee5b741b6d0b84db7e35? s=60&d=retro&r=g) ### 󠀁[Works extremely well](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/works-extremely-well-12/)󠁿 [transit54](https://profiles.wordpress.org/transit54/) June 22, 2025 1 reply I imported posts from a client site which previously used Divi, so they were littered with Divi shortcodes. I tried a few Divi shortcode cleaner plugins while they removed some of the shortcodes, there were will many remaining. This plugin worked quickly to remove all of remaining ones – I'd highly recommend it for this purpose (just remember to backup your database before you attempt anything like this!). ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/b366889cd846213d38b977f63dd60b6af7e9ed5b067a024a76fe0865155ef9db? s=60&d=retro&r=g) ### 󠀁[Works like a charme W/ Gutenberg](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/works-like-a-charme-w-gutenberg/)󠁿 [Yumigo](https://profiles.wordpress.org/yumigo/) May 15, 2025 1 reply Does what it says. After migrating a 200 pages/posts site from a wpbakery page builder to another framework, I had plenty of all [vcrow] etc. This plugin cleaned my contents in seconds. Underrated plugin, thank you so much ! Saves a lot of time and efforts ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/2eb21425a27886141b28bc4d73fffd5bc28193aab0c68ac0e40fe250dc86ee69? s=60&d=retro&r=g) ### 󠀁[Worked great!](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/worked-great-287/)󠁿 [gordonium](https://profiles.wordpress.org/gordonium/) May 7, 2025 1 reply Simple plugin that worked quickly and did exactly what we needed. Will use again! ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/a299cf0eda34ddb3cfee009b60dcecf4dcdfe1662bdc29c08c27bc2c51343bfe? s=60&d=retro&r=g) ### 󠀁[It worked perfectly for me](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/it-worked-perfectly-for-me-3/)󠁿 [freelancesgroup](https://profiles.wordpress.org/freelancesgroup/) April 21, 2025 1 reply It is installed and with a single click it cleans the entire shortcode. [ Read all 7 reviews ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/clean-unused-shortcodes/reviews/) ## Contributors & Developers “Clean unused shortcodes” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin. Contributors * [ Amr Abdelkarem ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/amrelarabi/) [Translate “Clean unused shortcodes” into your language.](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/clean-unused-shortcodes) ### Interested in development? [Browse the code](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/clean-unused-shortcodes/), check out the [SVN repository](https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/clean-unused-shortcodes/), or subscribe to the [development log](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/clean-unused-shortcodes/) by [RSS](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/clean-unused-shortcodes/?limit=100&mode=stop_on_copy&format=rss). ## Changelog #### 2.1.0 * Rebuilt admin tools UI (reliable vanilla JS; no React dependency on the tools screen). * Post type multiselect — scan posts, pages, and other public types. * **Batched scan and clean** with progress bar and cancel for large sites. * **Incremental scan** — optionally rescan only posts changed since the last run. * **Dry-run preview** with per-post before/after snippets (content and excerpt). * **Protected shortcodes** allowlist and per-shortcode **skip on clean all**. * Result tabs: unused, used, and **registered but unused**. * Scan **excerpts**; show whether each hit is in content or excerpt. * Detect **hyphenated** shortcode names (e.g. `my-slider`). * Remove empty Gutenberg **Shortcode** (`wp:shortcode`) blocks after cleaning. * Improved security (capability checks, nonces; no unauthenticated AJAX). #### 2.0.1 * Update author name. * Tested with WordPress 6.9.4. #### 2.0.0 * Complete plugin rewrite using React for the admin UI. * Preview unused and used shortcodes; location list with edit/view links. * Clean All for unused shortcodes. #### 1.0.4 * Updated admin UI. * Fixed white screen on the tools page. #### 1.0.3 * Tested with WordPress 6.1.1. #### 1.0.2 * Updated plugin description. #### 1.0.1 * Updated donate link. #### 1.0.0 * First release. ## Meta * Version **2.1.0** * Last updated **5 months ago** * Active installations **300+** * WordPress version ** 5.8 or higher ** * Tested up to **7.0.7** * PHP version ** 7.4 or higher ** * Language * [English (US)](https://wordpress.org/plugins/clean-unused-shortcodes/) * Tags * [admin](https://pirate.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/admin/)[clean](https://pirate.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/clean/) [shortcode](https://pirate.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/shortcode/)[tools](https://pirate.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/tools/) [ui](https://pirate.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/ui/) * [Advanced View](https://pirate.wordpress.org/plugins/clean-unused-shortcodes/advanced/) ## Ratings 4.4 out of 5 stars. * [ 6 5-star reviews ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/clean-unused-shortcodes/reviews/?filter=5) * [ 0 4-star reviews ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/clean-unused-shortcodes/reviews/?filter=4) * [ 0 3-star reviews ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/clean-unused-shortcodes/reviews/?filter=3) * [ 0 2-star reviews ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/clean-unused-shortcodes/reviews/?filter=2) * [ 1 1-star review ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/clean-unused-shortcodes/reviews/?filter=1) [Your review](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/clean-unused-shortcodes/reviews/#new-post) [See all reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/clean-unused-shortcodes/reviews/) ## Contributors * [ Amr Abdelkarem ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/amrelarabi/) ## Support Got something to say? Need help? [View support forum](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/clean-unused-shortcodes/) ## Donate Would you like to support the advancement of this plugin? [ Donate to this plugin ](https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/amrelarabi)