WordPress media on Amazon S3
Offload WordPress media to the world's most widely used object storage. 30+ global regions, the deepest CDN ecosystem, and the S3 API that every other provider has copied. Supported in WP Media Cloud from day one.
The industry standard. Fully supported from day one.
WP Media Cloud connects to Amazon S3 using standard AWS credentials. Auto-detects your buckets, handles all image sizes, and pairs with any CDN pull zone pointed at your bucket.
Automatic offload on upload
Every file uploaded to WordPress is pushed to your S3 bucket immediately. The CDN URL is written back to WordPress before the upload dialog closes. No manual steps needed for new content.
Auto-detects your S3 buckets
Enter your AWS access key and secret during setup and WP Media Cloud fetches all available buckets in your account. Select the bucket you want to use from a dropdown. No manual ARN or endpoint entry required.
Works with any CDN pull zone
Point CloudFront, Bunny CDN, KeyCDN, or any other CDN at your S3 bucket as origin and enter the CDN hostname in WP Media Cloud settings. All media URLs rewrite to your CDN automatically.
All image sizes offloaded
WordPress generates multiple image sizes for every upload. WP Media Cloud pushes all registered sizes to S3, not just the original. Thumbnails, medium, large, and all custom sizes are included automatically.
IAM permission control
WP Media Cloud works with any IAM user or role that has S3 read and write permissions on your target bucket. Use IAM policies to restrict access to a single bucket and follow AWS least-privilege best practices.
Remove local files after offload
Optionally delete local copies of files after offloading to S3 to free up server disk space. The Download Media tool can pull files back from S3 to your server at any time if you need to deactivate or switch providers.
30+ regions. Store data exactly where you need it.
Amazon S3 operates in more regions than any other object storage provider. Whether you need EU data residency for GDPR compliance, low-latency storage for an Asia Pacific audience, or a US region close to your server, S3 has a bucket location for it.
WP Media Cloud auto-detects your existing buckets and their regions. Select the bucket and WP Media Cloud handles the correct regional endpoint automatically. No manual endpoint configuration needed.
- EU regions for GDPR and data residency requirements
- US East and West for North American sites
- Middle East regions for MENA-facing sites
- Asia Pacific for APAC audiences
- South America, Africa, and more
Popular S3 regions
The most complete AWS ecosystem at a premium price
Amazon S3 is priced higher than most alternatives. Storage costs $0.023 per GB per month and egress fees of $0.09 per GB apply when serving files directly from S3. When paired with CloudFront, egress from S3 to CloudFront is free, but CloudFront adds its own delivery costs.
For most WordPress sites, S3 costs more per month than Bunny.net or Cloudflare R2 for the same workload. However, if you are already running infrastructure on AWS or need specific AWS compliance certifications, S3 is the natural choice and WP Media Cloud supports it fully.
View Amazon S3 pricingConnected in minutes using your AWS credentials
WP Media Cloud connects to S3 using an IAM access key and secret. Create a restricted IAM user, paste the credentials, and you are ready to offload.
Install WP Media Cloud
Install and activate the plugin on your WordPress site. Open the setup wizard from the WP Media Cloud menu.
Create an IAM user
In the AWS console, create an IAM user with S3 read and write permissions on your target bucket. Generate an access key ID and secret access key for that user.
Select bucket and CDN URL
Paste your access key and secret into WP Media Cloud. The plugin fetches your buckets automatically. Select your bucket, enter your CloudFront or CDN hostname, and run the health check.
Media goes to S3 instantly
Every new upload goes straight to your S3 bucket. Run the bulk offload tool to migrate your existing media library in the background at any time.
Pair S3 with any CDN for global delivery
Amazon S3 is a storage service, not a CDN. To serve media at speed you need a CDN pull zone pointed at your bucket. WP Media Cloud supports any CDN that accepts an S3 bucket as an origin, and rewrites all WordPress media URLs to your CDN hostname automatically.
The most common pairing is S3 with CloudFront. Egress from S3 to CloudFront is free, and CloudFront has 400+ edge locations globally. Alternatively, Bunny CDN, KeyCDN, and any other CDN that supports S3 as origin all work equally well with WP Media Cloud.
WooCommerce downloadable products on S3 are served via standard CDN URLs. Secure signed downloads are available with Bunny.net (Token Auth) and Cloudflare R2 (SigV4) only.
Amazon S3 + your existing stack
WP Media Cloud with Amazon S3 works alongside every major page builder, image optimizer, and plugin integration from day one.
Start offloading to Amazon S3 today
All features included on every plan. 30-day money-back guarantee. No upload limits.
