Desktop Media Uploader — Progress Display
Understanding the Desktop Media Uploader progress display
Desktop Media Uploader includes several visual progress indicators during file upload. These indicators show what the app is doing during large uploads, slow server responses, temporary network problems, and automatic retries.
Most users do not need to manage these indicators. They are provided so you can see that Desktop Media Uploader is still active and working through the upload queue.
Server controls
The server name shows the WordPress site currently connected to Desktop Media Uploader.
Clicking the server name opens that WordPress site in your default browser.
The refresh button gets the current server status from the WordPress plugin. Use refresh to confirm the current connection, server limits, upload settings, or server availability.
The trash button clears the current upload list from Desktop Media Uploader. This does not delete files from your computer or from the WordPress Media Library. It only clears the current list shown in the app.
Upload progress count
The main progress text shows how many files have completed from the current upload queue.
Example:
Uploaded 403 of 5562 files
This means 403 files have completed and 5,562 files are included in the current upload job.
Elapsed upload time
The timer below the upload count shows how long the current upload job has been running.
During large uploads, the elapsed time may continue increasing even if the completed file count pauses briefly. This can happen when the app is waiting for the server, processing a larger file, or retrying after a temporary network problem.
Process and queue graph
The small graph shows upload processing activity and queue activity over time.
- Process shows active upload processing.
- Queue shows pending upload queue activity.
During a large upload, the graph may rise and fall as files are processed, retried, completed, or moved through the queue. This is normal.
If the graph continues changing, Desktop Media Uploader is still active even if the completed upload count has not changed for a short time.
Uploader progress bars
Desktop Media Uploader can run up to two upload workers at the same time. The shorter progress bars show the current activity for each active uploader.
Each bar changes color as the current upload request takes longer:
- Green means the request is progressing normally.
- Orange means the request is taking longer than usual.
- Red means the request is taking a long time and may be waiting on the network or server.
A red bar does not always mean the upload has failed. It usually means Desktop Media Uploader is still waiting for the current request to finish or fail.
If the request fails because of a temporary network or server interruption, Desktop Media Uploader will retry automatically when possible.
Upload size limit indicators
The upload size indicators show the current upload payload limit being used by Desktop Media Uploader.
Desktop Media Uploader will not exceed the limits reported by the WordPress plugin and server. If the server reports a lower limit than the app limit, Desktop Media Uploader uses the lower server limit.
File completion check marks
Each completed file may show one or more check marks beside the file name.
- First check mark — the original file was uploaded.
- Second check mark — the WebP version was created.
- Third check mark — the AVIF version was created.
If only one check mark is shown, only the original file was uploaded for that item.
If three check marks are shown, Desktop Media Uploader uploaded the original file and also created WebP and AVIF versions, depending on the current upload settings.
An orange check mark means the WebP or AVIF version was created during processing but discarded because it was not smaller or useful enough to keep. This is normal. Desktop Media Uploader avoids saving modern image versions that do not provide a benefit.
Upload Issues dropdown
The Upload Issues dropdown shows file-specific problems that are not caused by a network connection problem.
Upload Issues do not stop the upload job. They apply only to the file listed in the dropdown. Desktop Media Uploader continues processing the rest of the queue, and the overall upload progress continues normally.
Common upload issue messages include:
- Broken image — the file could not be read as a valid image, or image processing failed.
- Missing source file — the original file could not be found when Desktop Media Uploader tried to upload or process it.
- Protected source file — the file exists but could not be read because of file permissions, operating system protection, or another local access restriction.
- Overwrite blocked — Desktop Media Uploader found a condition that makes overwrite unsafe, such as more than one possible matching media file.
- File type not allowed — WordPress or the server rejected the file type.
Upload Issues are different from Network Errors. Upload Issues usually relate to a specific file, local file access, image processing, overwrite safety, WordPress validation, or server upload rules.
If an item appears in Upload Issues, review the message shown in the dropdown after the upload finishes. The rest of the upload job can still complete normally.
Network Errors dropdown
The Network Errors dropdown shows recent network, proxy, DNS, timeout, or server-edge errors that occurred during uploading.
Examples may include:
ESOCKETTIMEDOUT - retrying write EPIPE - retrying getaddrinfo ENOTFOUND example.com - retrying Cloudflare Error Status:520 - retrying Network Error Status:400 - retrying
These messages usually mean the connection was interrupted, timed out, temporarily unavailable, or rejected before WordPress could process the request.
When possible, Desktop Media Uploader automatically places the affected upload back into the pending queue and retries it.
Temporary network errors are common during large uploads, especially when uploading thousands of files, using Wi-Fi, uploading through Cloudflare, using a VPN, or when a server connection is interrupted during upload.
If network errors continue for several minutes without recovery, Desktop Media Uploader may stop retrying that item and mark it as failed. Check the internet connection, server availability, or Cloudflare/proxy status before trying again.
Difference between Upload Issues and Network Errors
- Upload Issues are file-specific problems. They do not stop the overall upload job.
- Network Errors are connection, timeout, DNS, Cloudflare, proxy, or interrupted-upload problems. Desktop Media Uploader retries these automatically when possible.
When an upload appears paused
If the upload count stops changing but the process graph, uploader bars, or network error list are still updating, the app is usually still working.
Desktop Media Uploader may be:
- Waiting for the server to finish processing the current request.
- Uploading a larger file.
- Retrying after a temporary network problem.
- Waiting briefly before retrying a failed upload request.
- Processing overwrite behavior for an existing media item.
In most cases, the best action is to let the upload continue. Desktop Media Uploader is designed to recover from temporary network and server interruptions automatically.
What users normally need to do
Most users do not need to take action when these indicators change. They are there to show that Desktop Media Uploader is still working.
If the upload is still progressing, let it continue.
If network errors continue for several minutes, check the internet connection, server availability, or Cloudflare/proxy status, then try the upload again.
If an item appears in Upload Issues, review the message shown in the dropdown. The issue applies only to that file and does not stop the rest of the upload job.