Automatically Delete Product Images When Deleting in WooCommerce

By default, WooCommerce does not delete product images when you delete a product. However, this tutorial will guide you on setting up a custom function that removes the product’s images along with the product itself.

Step 1: Create a Function to Delete Images Associated with a Product

Create a custom function that removes both the featured image and the gallery images linked to a product.

function auto_delete_product_images($post_id) {
    $product = wc_get_product($post_id);
    if ($product) {
        $gallery_ids = $product->get_gallery_image_ids();
        $featured_image_id = $product->get_image_id();

        // Remove featured image
        if ($featured_image_id) {
            wp_delete_attachment($featured_image_id, true);
        }

        // Remove gallery images
        foreach ($gallery_ids as $image_id) {
            wp_delete_attachment($image_id, true);
        }
    }
}

Step 2: Attach the Function to Product Deletion

Use the before_delete_post action hook to attach the function to product deletion.

add_action('before_delete_post', 'auto_delete_product_images');

Step 3: Implement the Code in the Theme’s functions.php File

Insert the code into your theme’s functions.php file, ideally in a child theme to keep the functionality after future theme updates.

Step 4: Verify the Deletion of Product Images

After adding the function and hook, test the process. When you delete a product from WooCommerce, the related images should also be deleted from your server.

Important Notes:

• Always back up your website before making changes. Deleting product images is permanent.
• Test this on a staging site to ensure it works correctly before applying it to your live website.

External Resources:

• Product Management in WooCommerce
• wp_delete_attachment Function
• before_delete_post Action Hook