HANS & FRIENDSWhen you paste text from Google Docs, Notion or another website into WordPress, the images often come along only as references to someone else’s server. Replace External Images finds these images and stores them permanently in your Media Library before the links expire.
Why pasted images suddenly disappear
When you copy and paste, the editor doesn’t receive the image file, just its address. With Google Docs, that’s an address on googleusercontent.com; with Notion, it’s often a time-limited link to Amazon S3. These links work for a while and then expire. The result: weeks later, your post shows nothing but empty image frames.
Copying images from other websites also leaves them pointing to those sites’ servers. If the owner changes something, the image is gone. And legally, you should only use images you hold the rights to anyway.
How to secure your images
- Install the plugin. In the admin area, go to Plugins → Add New Plugin, search for “Replace External Images”, then install and activate it.
- Select your posts. Under Posts or Pages, select all affected entries and choose the bulk action “Replace External Images”.
- Check the log. The import dialog shows every image. Skipped images are listed with the reason, so you can replace them manually where needed.
Best done right after pasting: Open the post and click “Import external images” in the sidebar. As long as the links are still valid, the images can be imported reliably.
If the links have already expired
Expired Notion or Google links no longer return an image file, just an error page. The plugin detects this, doesn’t save anything broken, and reports “Not an image” or “Blocked by the source” in the log. You’ll need to re-export these images from the original document and upload them again. The log shows you exactly which posts are affected.
Frequently asked questions
Does the plugin detect images from Google Docs automatically?
Yes. Any image whose address isn’t on your own domain counts as external, whether it’s Google, Notion or another website.
Are captions and alt text preserved?
Yes. The plugin only replaces the image address. Everything else in your content stays the same.
All external images into your Media Library at once
Replace External Images does it in one run, with a progress bar and a log. Free for posts and pages.