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Advanced Database Cleaner – Optimize & Clean Database to Speed Up Site Performance / 4.2.0
Advanced Database Cleaner – Optimize & Clean Database to Speed Up Site Performance v4.2.0
4.2.0 trunk 1.0.0 1.1.0 1.1.1 1.2.0 1.2.1 1.2.2 1.2.3 1.3.0 1.3.1 1.3.5 1.3.6 1.3.7 2.0.0 3.0.0 3.0.1 3.0.2 3.0.3 3.0.4 3.1.0 3.1.1 3.1.2 3.1.3 3.1.4 3.1.5 3.1.6 3.1.7 4.0.0 4.0.1 4.0.2 4.0.3 4.0.4 4.0.5 4.0.6 4.0.7 4.1.0 4.1.1
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README.txt
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1 === Advanced Database Cleaner – Optimize & Clean Database to Speed Up Site Performance ===
2 Contributors: symptote
3 Donate Link: https://www.sigmaplugin.com/donation
4 Tags: clean, database, optimize, performance, postmeta
5 Requires at least: 5.0.0
6 Requires PHP: 7.0
7 Tested up to: 7.0
8 Stable tag: 4.2.0
9 License: GPLv2 or later
10 License URI: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html
11
12 Clean database by deleting orphaned data such as 'revisions', 'expired transients', optimize database and more...
13
14 == Description ==
15
16 Advanced Database Cleaner is a complete WordPress optimization plugin that helps you clean up database clutter and optimize database performance by removing unused data such as old revisions, auto drafts, spam comments, expired transients, unused post meta, duplicated post meta, unused user meta, etc.
17
18 It is designed to help you improve website speed by reducing database bloat and ensuring a lean, efficient WordPress installation. It also provides detailed previews, powerful filters, and automation tools to safely control what gets cleaned.
19
20 With the ✨[**Premium version**](https://sigmaplugin.com/downloads/wordpress-advanced-database-cleaner/?utm_source=wprepo&utm_medium=readme&utm_campaign=wordpress&utm_content=landing_page)✨, you can unlock even more advanced features, such as detecting and cleaning orphaned options, orphaned tables, orphaned post meta, orphaned user meta, orphaned transients, and orphaned cron jobs. It also gives you clear insights into how your database evolves over time through built-in analytics, lets you monitor plugin and theme activity to better understand when new data is created or when leftovers appear, and much more.
21
22 ### Why use Advanced Database Cleaner❓
23
24 👉 **Get a clear overview**: see how many tables, options, transients, cron jobs, metadata... records you have, and identify which are unused or orphaned.
25
26 👉 **Save time**: configure what to clean, how far back to keep data, and how often to run automations. The plugin will then handle recurring cleanups for you.
27
28 👉 **Save space and improve performance**: removing unnecessary data reduces database size, makes backups faster, and can improve query performance, especially on busy or older sites.
29
30 #### �
31 Main Features
32 * Delete old revisions of posts and pages
33 * Delete old auto-drafts
34 * Delete trashed posts
35 * Delete pending comments
36 * Delete spam comments
37 * Delete trashed comments
38 * Delete pingbacks
39 * Delete trackbacks
40 * Delete unused post meta
41 * Delete unused comment meta
42 * Delete unused user meta
43 * Delete unused term meta
44 * Delete unused relationships
45 * Delete expired transients
46 * Delete duplicated post meta
47 * Delete duplicated user meta
48 * Delete duplicated comment meta
49 * Delete duplicated term meta
50 * Delete oEmbed caches
51 * Display the database size that will be freed before cleaning for each item type, and the total size to be freed
52 * Display and preview items to clean before performing a database cleanup to ensure safety
53 * Sorting capability in cleanup preview tables (by name, date, size, site id, etc.)
54 * View options value content in original or formatted mode for serialized or JSON structures (and other items types as well).
55 * Keep last X days of data: clean only data older than the number of days you specify
56
57 #### �
58 Automation
59 * Schedule database cleanup to run automatically
60 * Create scheduled cleanup tasks and specify which items each task should clean
61 * Schedule database optimization and/or repair to run automatically
62 * Execute scheduled tasks based on several frequencies: once, hourly, twice a day, daily, weekly, or monthly
63 * Specify the "keep last X days" rule for each item type in a scheduled task
64 * Pause/Resume scheduled tasks whenever needed
65 * Create as many scheduled cleanup tasks as needed and specify what each task should clean
66
67 #### �
68 Tables
69 * Display the list of database tables with information such as number of rows, table size, engine, etc.
70 * Sort tables by any column such as table name or table size
71 * Display table contents along with their column structure, indexes, status, and more
72 * Detect and filter tables with invalid prefixes (tables that do not belong to the current WordPress installation), this can be enabled or disabled from the settings page
73 * Optimize database tables (the plugin notifies you when tables require optimization)
74 * Repair corrupted or damaged database tables (the plugin notifies you when tables are corrupted)
75 * Convert tables to InnoDB for better performance
76 * Empty rows of database tables
77 * Clean and delete database tables
78
79 #### �
80 Options
81 * Display the options list with information such as option name, option value, option size, and autoload status
82 * Sort options by any column such as option name or option size
83 * View option value content in original or formatted mode for serialized or JSON structures.
84 * Notify you if autoloaded options are large and help reduce autoload size for better performance
85 * Detect large options that may slow down your website
86 * Set option autoload to yes/no
87 * Clean and delete options
88
89 #### �
90 Cron Jobs
91 * Display the list of active cron jobs (scheduled tasks) with information such as arguments, action, next run, schedule, etc.
92 * Sort cron jobs by any column such as action name or next run time
93 * Detect cron jobs with no valid actions
94 * Clean and delete scheduled tasks
95
96 #### �
97 Post Meta
98 * Display the post meta list with information such as meta key, value, size, associated post ID, etc.
99 * Sort post meta by any column such as meta key, meta size, or post ID
100 * View post meta value content in original or formatted mode for serialized or JSON structures.
101 * Detect unused post meta (meta not associated with any existing posts)
102 * Detect duplicated post meta (same meta key/value for the same post ID)
103 * Clean and delete post meta
104
105 #### �
106 Post types
107 * Display post types with information such as name, post count, visibility (public or non-public), etc.
108 * Sort post types by columns such as name, post count, visibility, etc.
109 * View posts corresponding to each post type, along with their details
110 * Detect unused or orphaned post types
111 * Clean orphaned post types
112
113 #### �
114 User Meta
115 * Display the user meta list with information such as meta key, value, size, associated user ID, etc.
116 * Sort user meta by any column such as meta key, meta size, or user ID
117 * View user meta value content in original or formatted mode for serialized or JSON structures.
118 * Detect unused user meta (meta not associated with any existing users)
119 * Detect duplicated user meta (same meta key/value for the same user ID)
120 * Clean and delete user meta
121
122 #### �
123 Transients
124 * Display the list of transients with information such as name, value, size, and expiration time
125 * Sort transients by any column such as transient name, size, or expiration time
126 * View transient value content in original or formatted mode for serialized or JSON structures.
127 * Clean expired transients
128 * Detect large transients that may slow down your website
129 * Clean and delete transients
130 * Set transient autoload to yes/no
131
132 #### �
133 WooCommerce
134 * Clean orphaned product variations
135 * Clean orphaned customer analytics
136 * Clean expired customer sessions
137
138 #### �
139 Other Tools
140 * Display current database size
141 * Logging system for easy troubleshooting
142 * Access the WordPress debug log directly from the plugin interface
143 * Multisite support (network-wide database cleanup and optimization from the main site)
144 * Modern, responsive interface powered by React for a smooth experience without page reloads
145 * Show/hide plugin tabs for better usability
146
147 #### ⚡ Premium Features ⚡ [**Official website**](https://sigmaplugin.com/downloads/wordpress-advanced-database-cleaner/?utm_source=wprepo&utm_medium=readme&utm_campaign=wordpress&utm_content=landing_page)
148
149 Unlock the full power of database cleanup and optimization with Advanced Database Cleaner Premium - packed with smart features that take accuracy, speed, and cleanup control to the next level.
150
151 #### �
152 Remote SmartScan
153 * Local scan + Remote SmartScan technology to accurately detect the true owners of tables, options, post meta, user meta, transients, and cron jobs
154 * Cloud-enhanced ownership detection using a large and continuously improving remote database
155 * Improved accuracy for identifying orphaned items left by deleted plugins and themes
156 * Ability to edit ownership of any item and correct misidentified owners
157 * Ability to send ownership corrections to improve the global detection database
158 * Enhanced "Belongs to" ownership column everywhere using cloud data + local data
159 * Display multiple possible owners for each item when applicable
160 * Display owner status (active, inactive, not installed) to simplify cleanup decisions
161 * Check your remote scan credits to monitor usage
162
163 #### �
164 Action Scheduler Cleanup
165 * Clean Action Scheduler Completed actions
166 * Clean Action Scheduler Failed actions
167 * Clean Action Scheduler Canceled actions
168 * Clean Action Scheduler Completed logs
169 * Clean Action Scheduler Failed logs
170 * Clean Action Scheduler Canceled logs
171 * Clean Action Scheduler Orphan logs
172
173 #### �
174 General Cleanup Enhancements
175 * Keep last X items feature in General Cleanup
176 * Keep last X items per parent (e.g., per post)
177 * Keep last X items globally (e.g., keep the last 10 pingbacks)
178 * Combine Keep Last X Days with Keep Last X Items for advanced cleanup safety
179
180 #### �
181 Advanced Filters
182 * Advanced filters in all modules (Tables, Options, Post Meta, User Meta, Transients, Cron Jobs)
183 * Filter by size, value content, autoload, expiration, metadata type, and more
184 * Filter by plugin owner, theme owner, WordPress core, orphan, or unknown
185 * Filter by multisite site ID with full per-site visibility
186 * Filter by action frequency and interval in cron jobs
187 * Filter by duplicated, unused, large, not-yet-scanned, or expired items
188
189 #### �
190 Advanced Automation
191 * Unlimited automation tasks (Free version is limited to 5 tasks)
192 * Create any number of scheduled cleanup tasks with different configurations
193 * Create scheduled optimization and repair tasks
194 * Use Keep Last X Items and Keep Last X Days inside scheduled tasks
195 * Run automation tasks hourly, twice daily, daily, weekly, monthly, or at any supported frequency
196 * Pause/resume/delete automation tasks without losing settings
197 * Per-task automation event logging showing executed actions, number of items cleaned, execution timestamps, and detailed logs
198
199 #### �
200 Database Analytics
201 * Daily tracking of total database size and number of tables
202 * Daily and monthly charts showing database growth trends
203 * Raw data tab with all recorded measurements
204 * Table-level analytics showing size growth, rows growth, and daily changes
205 * Ability to detect abnormal table growth caused by logs, caches, or runaway actions
206 * Multi-table selection and search for analyzing multiple tables at once
207
208 #### �
209 Addons Activity
210 * Automatically track plugin activations, deactivations, and uninstalls
211 * Automatically track theme switches and uninstalls
212 * Display activity in a color-coded timeline for better readability
213 * All timestamps shown in your local timezone
214 * Multisite support (activity recorded on the main site)
215
216 #### �
217 Full Multisite Support
218 * Clean any site or all sites
219 * Filter items by site ID in every module (Tables, Options, Post Meta, User Meta, Transients, Cron Jobs)
220 * Display which site each item belongs to
221 * Run automation tasks across the entire network
222
223 #### 🛒 WOptimize – The Cleaner & Optimizer for WooCommerce
224
225 If you run a WooCommerce store and want to go further, try our dedicated plugin [**WOptimize**](https://sigmaplugin.com/downloads/woptimize/?utm_source=wprepo&utm_medium=readme&utm_campaign=wordpress&utm_content=woptimize_landing_page) - the ultimate solution to clean and speed up your WooCommerce store.
226
227 Learn more: [https://sigmaplugin.com/downloads/woptimize](https://sigmaplugin.com/downloads/woptimize/?utm_source=wprepo&utm_medium=readme&utm_campaign=wordpress&utm_content=woptimize_landing_page)
228
229 == Installation ==
230
231 This section describes how to install the plugin. In general, there are 3 ways to install this plugin like any other WordPress plugin.
232
233 = 1. Via WordPress dashboard =
234
235 * Click on "Add New" in the Plugins dashboard.
236 * Search for "advanced-database-cleaner".
237 * Click the "Install Now" button.
238 * Activate the plugin from the same page or from the Plugins dashboard.
239
240 = 2. Via uploading the plugin to WordPress dashboard =
241
242 * Download the plugin to your computer from: https://wordpress.org/plugins/advanced-database-cleaner/
243 * Click on "Add New" in the Plugins dashboard.
244 * Click on the "Upload Plugin" button.
245 * Select the zip file of the plugin that you downloaded.
246 * Click "Install Now".
247 * Activate the plugin from the Plugins dashboard.
248
249 = 3. Via FTP =
250
251 * Download the plugin to your computer from: https://wordpress.org/plugins/advanced-database-cleaner/
252 * Unzip the zip file, which will extract the "advanced-database-cleaner" directory.
253 * Upload the "advanced-database-cleaner" directory (included inside the extracted folder) to the /wp-content/plugins/ directory in your web space.
254 * Activate the plugin from the Plugins dashboard.
255
256 = For Multisite installation =
257
258 * Log in to your primary site and go to "My Sites" » "Network Admin" » "Plugins".
259 * Install the plugin following one of the above ways.
260 * Network-activate the plugin. (Only the main site can access the full network-wide cleanup tools.)
261
262 = Where is the plugin menu? =
263
264 * The plugin can be accessed via "Dashboard" » "DB Cleaner" or "Dashboard" » "Tools" » "DB Cleaner" (depending on your settings).
265
266 == Screenshots ==
267
268 1. General Cleanup overview (list of database items to clean, total count & size)
269 2. Preview items before cleaning - Revisions example (filters in Premium)
270 3. Keep Last rules - Revisions example (keep last X items in Premium)
271 4. Tables overview (filters & scan in Premium)
272 5. Options overview (filters & scan in Premium)
273 6. Post Meta overview (filters & scan in Premium)
274 7. User Meta overview (filters & scan in Premium)
275 8. Transients overview (filters & scan in Premium)
276 9. Cron Jobs overview (filters & scan in Premium)
277 10. Start Scan modal - Full scan selected (in Premium)
278 11. Scan running for Options - Exact Match step (in Premium)
279 12. More info about an Option ownership (in Premium)
280 13. Edit an Option ownership (in Premium)
281 14. Automation cleanup tasks overview
282 15. Create an Automation Revisions cleanup task (keep last 2 revisions per post)
283 16. Revisions cleanup Automation task events log (in Premium)
284 17. Database analytics - Last 30 days daily charts (in Premium)
285 18. Tables analytics - Last 30 days, actionscheduler_logs & wp_options selected (in Premium)
286 19. Addons Activity - Timeline of activation, deactivation & uninstall (in Premium)
287 20. Info & Logs - System Info tab selected
288 21. Settings page
289
290 == Changelog ==
291
292 = 4.2.0 – 13/07/2026 =
293 - New: 3 WooCommerce cleanup tools: Orphaned product variations, orphaned customer analytics, and expired customer sessions
294 - New: Users can now assign items (belongs-to data) to themes/plugins that are not installed
295 - Fix: Prevent concurrency issues when creating "adbc_uploads_F..." folder by using a locking mechanism
296 - Fix: 502 Bad Gateway error at the end of a scan triggered by unlink()
297 - Fix: REST permission errors returning HTTP 500 instead of 403 for unauthenticated requests
298 - Fix: Don't display normal warnings when a critical warning exists
299 - Tweak: [Premium] New relations added to the Remote Scan database
300 - Tweak: Set "Keep last" to 30 days by default for completed actions in Action Scheduler to comply with the standard
301 - Tweak: Remember the "Items per page" value even after refreshing the page
302 - Tweak: The plugin menu is now called "DB Cleaner" instead of "WP DB Cleaner"
303 - Tweak: Refactored several parts of the codebase for better performance and maintainability
304 - **Info**: We created [**WOptimize**](https://sigmaplugin.com/downloads/woptimize/?utm_source=wprepo&utm_medium=readme&utm_campaign=wordpress&utm_content=woptimize_landing_page), a new plugin for cleaning WooCommerce stores. Use coupon code **WOPT30** to get 30% off now.
305
306 = 4.1.1 – 05/05/2026 =
307 - Security: [Premium + Pro-Lifetime] Patched a security vulnerability in the EDD SDK package
308 - Fix: Resolved an issue where the "No route was found matching the URL" error occurred when the default REST API URL was modified
309 - Fix: Fixed ReflectionFunction::__construct() error requiring a Closure or string as the first argument
310 - Fix: Corrected "Invalid setting key" error when hiding the post types menu item
311 - Fix: [Premium + Pro-Lifetime] Addressed undefined array key DOCUMENT_ROOT on sites running WP-Cron via system cron and WP-CLI in the Easy Digital Downloads (EDD) SDK package
312 - Tweak: Refactored several parts of the codebase to improve performance and maintainability
313
314 = 4.1.0 – 08/04/2026 =
315 - New: Added "Post Types" cleanup module
316 - New: In the General Cleanup tab, added a toggle for each item: Auto Count or Manual Count
317 - New: Added an action to convert table engines to InnoDB
318 - New: Added quick actions per row (available on the right side) for faster processing
319 - New: Added the ability to view table data, including rows content, column structure, indexes, and more
320 - Fix: Resolved an issue where RecursiveIteratorIterator could trigger excessive server load in certain environments
321 - Fix: Corrected the refresh icon behavior in the Addons Activity module to ensure consistent updates
322 - Fix: Fixed an issue where multiple folders were unintentionally created when deleting plugin settings
323 - Fix: Resolved a multisite issue where update notifications were displayed even when the latest version was already installed
324 - Fix: Fixed a “_load_textdomain_just_in_time was called incorrectly” warning caused by premature calls to wp_get_schedules() before the init hook
325 - Fix: Prevented scan crash caused by natsort() receiving a boolean instead of an array
326 - Fix: Adjust display properties for img/svg in WP admin menu to prevent layout shifts
327 - Tweak: Each table now displays the percentage of total database size it occupies, providing a clearer view of database distribution
328 - Tweak: Added an action to refresh table statistics and information
329 - Tweak: Prevent actions (such as delete) on WordPress core items by default (can be disabled in settings)
330 - Tweak: Add file path for cron jobs actions
331 - Tweak: Added direct links in notifications to help users quickly access logs or settings
332 - Tweak: Reduced (or eliminated) unnecessary frontend and backend requests/queries, executing them only when needed
333 - Tweak: Added a setting to bypass the confirmation modal for actions such as delete
334 - Tweak: In the settings page, invalid values are now handled locally with error messages, without sending REST requests
335 - Tweak: Refactored several parts of the codebase for better performance and maintainability
336
337 = 4.0.7 – 07/03/2026 =
338 - New: Added support for both SQL and native deletion methods in the Options, Transients, Postmeta, and Usermeta modules
339 - New: [Pro-Lifetime] Implemented a scan credits system in the new Pro plugin version
340 - Fix: Resolved conflict issues when different plugin versions are activated at the same time
341 - Fix: General Cleanup data now refreshes correctly when clicking the eye icon after changing the "Keep last" value
342 - Fix: Resolved "Invalid setting key" error when saving settings (Nginx edge case)
343 - Fix: Fixed issue where the plugin menu could disappear in some cases when version conflicts occur
344 - Tweak: [Pro-Lifetime] Implement data migration between the new Pro version and the old Pro version
345 - Tweak: Added links to notification popups for easier navigation
346 - Tweak: Added Remote Scan balance to the top bar of the plugin interface
347 - Tweak: Improved license activation/deactivation handling by refreshing balances and preventing unauthorized actions
348 - Tweak: Added several known usermeta and postmeta entries to the internal dictionaries
349 - Tweak: General code improvements and CSS enhancements
350
351 = 4.0.6 – 28/01/2026 =
352 - Fix: Some SQL queries did not run when database tables had different collations in Multisite setups.
353 - Fix: The "Show value" modal did not appear for expired transients.
354 - Fix: Deleted items could reappear as "ghost" entries after switching tabs and coming back.
355 - Fix: Some UI elements were incorrectly hidden on frontend pages.
356 - Fix: Extra characters in some translations within the UK '.po' file.
357 - Fix: [Premium] After a scan completed, correct counts were shown but disappeared when switching tabs and returning.
358 - Tweak: In Trashed Posts, only WordPress core post types are now displayed to prevent accidental deletion of unexpected data.
359 - Tweak: Allow selecting items by groups under the "General Cleanup" tab.
360 - Tweak: Increase the maximum number of selectable items per page from 200 to 1000.
361 - Tweak: General improvements to code quality and styling.
362
363 = 4.0.5 – 17/01/2026 =
364 - Fix: The plugin left menu was unstable in some environments.
365 - Fix: Some filters did not correctly reflect the displayed data.
366 - Fix: Certain strings were not translated in Multisite REST responses.
367 - Fix: Some special usermeta entries in Multisite and custom table prefix setups were not correctly assigned to WordPress core.
368 - Tweak: Improved the General Cleanup page to reduce the number of REST requests for better performance.
369 - Tweak: Take into account the site_status_autoloaded_options_size_limit filter when displaying the autoload size warning.
370 - Tweak: Added bulk actions to the bottom of tables as well.
371 - Tweak: Added the ability to select multiple items using the Shift key.
372 - Tweak: Optimized loading of scan results from files for improved performance.
373 - Tweak: Optimized the calculation of non-scanned items for better performance.
374 - Tweak: Added plugin settings to the System Info page.
375 - Tweak: Unified the structure of installed add-ons data sent during Remote Scan.
376 - Tweak: Various improvements to code quality, security, and styling.
377
378 = 4.0.4 – 25/12/2025 =
379 - Fix: [Premium] Prevented license activation from being unintentionally removed after one week.
380 - Fix: Resolved style conflicts with other plugins.
381 - Fix: Corrected an issue where sorting usermeta by meta key returned empty results when the "duplicated" filter was applied.
382 - Tweak: [Premium] Removed the weekly license check cron job when uninstalling the plugin.
383 - Tweak: Refactored code to improve loading performance by caching data.
384 - Tweak: Added translatable strings and corrected some date-format inconsistencies.
385 - Tweak: Improved UI consistency across all tables.
386 - Tweak: Increased Database Rows Batch limit to 50,000 by default for better performance on large sites.
387 - Tweak: Added a refresh icon to the highlighted orange sections for easier counts refresh.
388
389 = 4.0.3 – 14/12/2025 =
390 - Fix: Improved compatibility with PHP 7.
391 - Tweak: Optimized the loading of the Post Meta module for large websites.
392 - Tweak: Highlighted preset filter section counters are now fetched via separate endpoints for better performance.
393 - Tweak: Optimized the duplicated meta module to improve performance.
394 - Tweak: Optimized the General Cleanup module for faster loading.
395 - Tweak: Overall performance improvements and internal code optimizations.
396
397 = 4.0.2 – 05/12/2025 =
398 - Fix: Conflict with another plugin injecting links into our plugin settings.
399 - Fix: Syntax error: unexpected '...' (T_ELLIPSIS), expecting ']'.
400 - Fix: Deletion of transients and expired_transients in multisite within the sitemeta table when the transient's site_id is invalid.
401 - Fix: Duplicate "squared" transients and expired transients being displayed.
402 - Tweak: Synchronize Axios timeout (React) with PHP max execution time to avoid early request timeouts.
403 - Tweak: In trashed comments, count only trashed comments and ignore comments belonging to trashed posts.
404 - Tweak: Use crc32 hashing to speed up detection of duplicate values.
405 - Tweak: General code cleanup and optimization.
406 - Tweak: [Premium] Added new WordPress-related items for improved identification.
407 - New: [Free] new setting allowing to control the number of items retrieved from the database per request for better performance.
408 - New: Choose between native WordPress functions or direct SQL queries for deleting items (new setting added).
409 - New: Items in the General Cleanup page are now loaded individually, so content appears immediately without waiting for all items.
410 - New: Items can now be deleted one by one in General Cleanup without reloading the entire list after each action.
411 - Compatibility: Tested with WordPress 6.9.
412
413 = 4.0.1 – 01/12/2025 =
414 - Fix: handling FS_METHOD ftpext in the file system class.
415 - Fix: sub-sites in Multisites were not loaded correctly.
416 - Fix: options and other items cannot be deleted in free version.
417
418 = 4.0.0 – 28/11/2025 =
419
420 Version 4.0.0 marks the biggest upgrade ever released for Advanced Database Cleaner. This major update introduces a completely redesigned interface for a smoother, faster, and more intuitive experience. It also brings powerful new features, an enhanced two-step scan engine for unmatched accuracy, and advanced security improvements that make database maintenance safer than ever. With better performance, more flexibility, and a modern UI, version 4.0.0 sets a new standard for professional WordPress database optimization.
421
422 - New: Duplicated post meta cleanup type.
423 - New: Duplicated user meta cleanup type.
424 - New: Duplicated comment meta cleanup type.
425 - New: Duplicated term meta cleanup type.
426 - New: oEmbed caches cleanup type.
427 - New: Estimated size to clean displayed for each cleanup type, plus a total freed-space summary before running a cleanup.
428 - New: Sorting capability added to cleanup preview tables (e.g. by name, date, size, site ID).
429 - New: Value viewer added to several cleanup types, displaying serialized or JSON data in raw or formatted views.
430 - New: Dedicated Post Meta Management module to list, sort, inspect, and clean post meta, including detection of unused and duplicated metadata.
431 - New: Dedicated User Meta Management module to list, sort, inspect, and clean user meta, including detection of unused and duplicated metadata.
432 - New: Dedicated Transients Management module to inspect, sort, and clean transients, with expiration tracking, detection of large transients, and control over their autoload status.
433 - New: Tables Management can now detect tables with invalid prefixes that do not belong to the current WordPress installation, with their visibility controlled from the Settings page.
434 - New: Options Management now includes a formatted value viewer, detection of large options, and warnings for heavy autoloaded options to help reduce autoload size.
435 - New: Cron Jobs Management now includes detection of cron jobs with no valid action/callback to help you clean them safely.
436 - New: All six management modules now detect items owned by WordPress core and Advanced Database Cleaner, making it clearer where data comes from.
437 - New: All six management modules now include an Attention Area that highlights priority issues, warns you about items requiring action, and helps you quickly identify and target them.
438 - New: Introduced a built-in error and exception logging system, allowing logs to be copied or downloaded for support or user-side investigations.
439 - New: Added tools to display the current database size, show or hide the plugin’s menu tabs, and access the WordPress debug log directly from the interface.
440 - New: Modern, fully responsive interface rebuilt with React for a smoother, faster, and more intuitive user experience.
441 - Enhanced: Cleaning process in the General Cleanup module now uses WordPress native deletion functions for deeper, hook-aware cleanup, with direct SQL deletion kept only as a safe fallback when required.
442 - Enhanced: Automation is now centralized into a unified module with a clearer creation/edit flow and consistent use of the local timezone for all schedules.
443 - Enhanced: Options, Tables, and Cron Jobs modules now display richer information with additional columns and more detailed data for each item.
444 - Enhanced: System Info is now far more detailed and can be copied or downloaded, making it easier to share environment details, diagnose issues, and assist users during support.
445 - Enhanced: Overall multisite support now provides clearer separation between network and site data and safer network-wide cleanup and optimization.
446 - Enhanced: Backend architecture migrated to a REST API–driven system for significantly faster interactions and navigation without page reloads.
447 - Enhanced: Numerous bugs and edge cases were resolved across all modules, resulting in more stable behavior and more reliable, effective cleaning operations.
448 - Premium: New - Action Scheduler completed actions cleanup type.
449 - Premium: New - Action Scheduler failed actions cleanup type.
450 - Premium: New - Action Scheduler canceled actions cleanup type.
451 - Premium: New - Action Scheduler completed logs cleanup type.
452 - Premium: New - Action Scheduler failed logs cleanup type.
453 - Premium: New - Action Scheduler canceled logs cleanup type.
454 - Premium: New - Action Scheduler orphan logs cleanup type.
455 - Premium: New - "Keep last X items" rule introduced, either per parent (e.g. keep 5 revisions per post) or globally (e.g. keep the last 10 pingbacks), in addition to the existing "keep last X days" rule.
456 - Premium: New - Introduced Remote Scan system that combines the local scan with our cloud-based detection engine and continuously curated ownership database to deliver near-perfect accuracy when identifying the true owners of tables, options, post meta, user meta, transients, and cron jobs.
457 - Premium: New - Added the ability to anonymously send your ownership corrections to improve our global detection database and refine ownership results for all users.
458 - Premium: New - "Keep last X items" rule now configurable inside scheduled tasks, in addition to the existing "keep last X days", for more advanced and safer automated cleanups.
459 - Premium: New - Introduced Database Analytics module with daily and monthly charts, raw data views, and per-table analytics (size evolution, rows evolution, daily change breakdown), including multi-table selection for comparative analysis.
460 - Premium: New - Introduced Addons Activity module that automatically tracks plugin and theme activations, deactivations, uninstalls, and theme switches in a color-coded timeline using your local timezone.
461 - Premium: New - Added multisite filters to the General Cleanup preview, allowing items to be filtered by site ID or site name so you can focus on a specific site in the network.
462 - Premium: New - Introduced per-automation event logs showing what was cleaned, when each task ran, and how many items were processed.
463 - Premium: Enhanced - Scan process fully redesigned for greater robustness and accuracy, combining an improved local scan with Remote Scan results.
464 - Premium: Enhanced - Scan flow now offers clearer insights, guidance, and error handling throughout each step of the process.
465 - Premium: Enhanced - "Belongs to" ownership column enriched with cloud-backed data across all management modules for more accurate owner detection.
466 - Premium: Enhanced - Detailed ownership info modal added, showing all known plugins/themes related to each item.
467 - Premium: Enhanced - Owner status indicators added (active, inactive, or not installed) to support deeper investigations.
468 - Premium: Enhanced - Filtering capabilities expanded across all management modules with new filters by size, value content, autoload, expiration, owner type (plugin, theme, WordPress core, orphan, unknown), duplicates, unused, large, not-yet-scanned, and more, including filtering specifically by a chosen plugin or theme.
469 - Premium: Enhanced - Multisite experience improved with clearer cross-site visibility, safer network-level operations, and tighter integration of ownership and analytics across all sites.
470 - Premium: Enhanced - Numerous bugs and edge cases were resolved across all premium features, resulting in more stable behavior and more reliable, effective cleaning operations.
471
472 = Previous changelog =
473 - For previous changelog, please refer to [the changelog on sigmaplugin.com](https://docs.sigmaplugin.com/article/123-changelog-of-the-advanced-db-cleaner-plugin-free-version).
474
475 == Upgrade Notice ==
476
477 = 4.0.0 =
478 Version 4.0.0 marks the biggest evolution of Advanced Database Cleaner since its creation. Everything has been rebuilt for speed, accuracy, and reliability. Please review the changelog for full details.
479
480 = 3.0.0 =
481 Known issues have been fixed in both free and pro versions (timeout error, activation, scheduled tasks...) New features have been added (new items to cleanup, filter & sort items...) Readme.txt file updated.
482
483 = 2.0.0 =
484 New release.
485
486 == Frequently Asked Questions ==
487
488 = Why should I "clean my database"? =
489 As you use WordPress, your database accumulates a large amount of unnecessary data such as revisions, spam comments, trashed comments, and more. This clutter slowly increases the size of your database, which can make your site slower and make backups take longer. Cleaning this data keeps your site lighter, faster, and easier to maintain.
490
491 = Is it safe to clean my database? =
492 Yes, it is safe. The plugin does not run any code that can break your site or delete posts, pages, or approved comments. It only removes items that WordPress considers unnecessary. However, you should always back up your database before performing any cleanup. This is required, not optional! Backups ensure you can always restore your site if something unexpected happens.
493
494 = Why should I "optimize my database"? =
495 Optimizing your database reclaims unused space and reorganizes the way data is stored inside your tables. Over time, tables become fragmented, especially on active websites. Optimization reduces storage usage and improves the speed at which your database responds. This process is safe and can significantly improve performance on large or busy websites.
496
497 = Is it safe to clean the cron (scheduled tasks)? =
498 Cron jobs allow WordPress and plugins to run tasks automatically (like checking for updates or sending emails). When a plugin is removed, some of its cron jobs may remain behind. These leftover tasks serve no purpose and can slow down wp-cron events. Cleaning unnecessary cron jobs is safe as long as you know which ones should be removed. If you are unsure, it is safer not to delete any cron jobs manually.
499
500 = What are "revisions"? What SQL code is used to clean them? =
501 WordPress stores revisions for each saved draft or update so you can review older versions. Over time, these accumulate and take up space.
502 SQL used by the plugin to delete revisions:
503 `DELETE FROM posts WHERE post_type = 'revision'`
504
505 = What are "auto drafts"? What SQL code is used to clean them? =
506 WordPress automatically creates auto-drafts while you are editing posts/pages. If those drafts are never published, they remain in the database.
507 SQL used by the plugin to delete auto-drafts:
508 `DELETE FROM posts WHERE post_status = 'auto-draft'`
509
510 = What are "pending comments"? What SQL code is used to clean them? =
511 Pending comments are comments waiting for your approval. If you have many bots submitting comments, this list can grow quickly.
512 SQL used by the plugin to delete pending comments:
513 `DELETE FROM comments WHERE comment_approved = '0'`
514
515 = What are "spam comments"? What SQL code is used to clean them? =
516 Spam comments are comments flagged as spam by you or by an anti-spam plugin. They can safely be deleted.
517 SQL used by the plugin to delete spam comments:
518 `DELETE FROM comments WHERE comment_approved = 'spam'`
519
520 = What are "trash comments"? What SQL code is used to clean them? =
521 Trash comments are deleted comments moved to the trash. They are no longer visible and can be permanently removed.
522 SQL used by the plugin to delete trash comments:
523 `DELETE FROM comments WHERE comment_approved = 'trash'`
524
525 = What are "trackbacks"? What SQL code is used to clean them? =
526 Trackbacks are a legacy system used by WordPress to allow one website to notify another that it has linked to its content. When a site receives a trackback, it appears as a type of comment on the post. Because trackbacks can be sent manually, they became heavily abused by spammers who use them to post unwanted links on websites.
527 SQL used by the plugin to delete trackbacks:
528 `DELETE FROM comments WHERE comment_type = 'trackback'`
529
530 = What are "pingbacks"? What SQL code is used to clean them? =
531 Pingbacks are an automated notification system used by WordPress. When one website publishes a link to another site’s post, WordPress sends a pingback request to the linked site. If accepted, the pingback appears as a type of comment, confirming that another site has referenced your content. Because pingbacks are automated, they are often exploited by bots to generate spam requests.
532 SQL used by the plugin to delete pingbacks:
533 `DELETE FROM comments WHERE comment_type = 'pingback'`
534
535 = What is "unused post meta"? What SQL code is used to clean it? =
536 Post meta stores additional information for posts. When a post is deleted, some metadata may be left behind. This leftover "unused" data can grow over time.
537 SQL used by the plugin to delete unused post meta:
538 `DELETE pm FROM postmeta pm LEFT JOIN posts wp ON wp.ID = pm.post_id WHERE wp.ID IS NULL`
539
540 = What is "unused comment meta"? What SQL code is used to clean it? =
541 Comment meta stores extra information for comments. When a comment is removed, some metadata may remain in the database.
542 SQL used by the plugin to delete unused comment meta:
543 `DELETE FROM commentmeta WHERE comment_id NOT IN (SELECT comment_ID FROM comments)`
544
545 = What is "unused user meta"? What SQL code is used to clean it? =
546 User meta stores additional data for users. If a user is deleted, their metadata may not be removed automatically.
547 SQL used by the plugin to delete unused user meta:
548 `DELETE FROM usermeta WHERE user_id NOT IN (SELECT ID FROM users)`
549
550 = What is "unused term meta"? What SQL code is used to clean it? =
551 Term meta stores extra information for taxonomy terms (categories, tags, etc.). If a term is removed, its metadata may remain behind.
552 SQL used by the plugin to delete unused term meta:
553 `DELETE FROM termmeta WHERE term_id NOT IN (SELECT term_id FROM terms)`
554
555 = What are "unused relationships"? What SQL code is used to clean them? =
556 The wp_term_relationships table links posts to categories/tags. When posts are deleted, related entries may remain in this table, taking unnecessary space.
557 SQL used by the plugin to delete unused relationships:
558 `DELETE FROM term_relationships WHERE term_taxonomy_id=1 AND object_id NOT IN (SELECT id FROM posts)`
559
560 = What are "expired transients"? =
561 Transients are temporary cached data stored by plugins or themes. When they expire, they should be removed automatically. However, some expired transients may remain in the database. These can be safely cleaned to free space.
562
563 = Is this plugin compatible with multisite? =
564 Yes, the plugin is compatible with multisite. For safety, only the main site can clean the database for the entire network. Sub-sites cannot perform cleanup operations to avoid accidental damage.
565
566 = Is this plugin compatible with SharDB, HyperDB, or Multi-DB? =
567 Not yet. The plugin is not currently compatible with SharDB, HyperDB, or Multi-DB setups. Support may be added in future versions.
568
569 = Does this plugin clean itself after uninstall? =
570 Yes. The plugin removes all of its data and settings when uninstalled. A cleanup plugin that leaves clutter would not make sense!