Pro
The Usage Index
How the Usage Index is built in the background, what its states mean, how to choose when it runs, how to process pending items and when to rebuild it.
usage index, indexing, progress, pending, background, wp-cron, schedule, scheduled hours, rebuild, pause, resume, ready, stuck, slow, detection coverage
On this page
The Usage Index is the list of where your media is used. CICO Media Pro builds it in the background and keeps it up to date, so opening the Media Library is always fast.
How it works
- First scan. After you activate Pro, CICO Media scans your content in steps. You see the progress in the CICO Filters bar (Usage Index ready, with the number of images) and in Media → CICO Media → Usage.
- Incremental updates. New or edited pages, products and builder documents are added to a queue. Content that was already indexed is not scanned again just because new media was imported.
- Nightly reconciliation. CICO Media checks for new, changed or deleted content and queues only what needs attention. Opening the Media Library never starts a scan.
- Updates keep your work. Updating the plugin does not rebuild the index unless the detection itself changed. Even then, the last valid index stays available while the refresh runs.
The workload adapts to your site and server. CICO Media never modifies your images or your content: it only writes its own usage data.
States
| Message | What it means |
|---|---|
| Usage Index ready | The index is up to date. |
| Step 1–4 of 4 | The first scan is in progress. The bar shows the percentage, the images found, the pending items and the estimated time remaining. |
| Pending work | Items waiting to be processed. |
While the index is not complete, Used and No usage may be incomplete. Wait for Ready before deciding what to delete.
Detection coverage
The Usage tab lists the sources detected on your site: WordPress, Gutenberg, Elementor, WPBakery, ACF, WooCommerce and Theme settings, each marked detected or not detected. See Integrations for what each one covers.
Indexing mode
Choose when background indexing runs:
- Automatic — Recommended. CICO Media adjusts speed and timing by itself to finish as soon as it is safe to do so.
- Any time. Indexing can run at any hour.
- Scheduled hours. Pick a Start time and an End time. We recommend the hours when your site has the least traffic, for example 01:00–05:00.
You can Pause indexing and Resume indexing at any time.
Process pending items now
If you do not want to wait, use the one-time background processing action to process the pending items now. CICO Media requests a safe background worker outside your normal processing window. The work is not done inside the admin page, and it follows the same safety limits as the regular indexing.
The work starts when the WordPress scheduler runs. WP-Cron or your server cron must be working. See Troubleshooting if the progress does not move.
Rebuild the index
Normally you do not need to rebuild the index. Use Advanced maintenance → Rebuild Usage Index only for troubleshooting or after a major change to your site (a migration, a theme switch, a large import).
Before a full refresh, review your latest site and database backup. This is a precaution: CICO Media does not modify your images or content. The current index stays available while the refresh runs, and large sites may take a while.
Technical details
Show technical details shows the current phase, processed and pending objects, the processing profile and diagnostics. You can copy them with Copy diagnostics if you need to contact support. Normal users do not need to manage these values.