Large images are the most common reason a WordPress page loads slowly. On Instant Access Internet Services hosting, LiteSpeed Cache can optimize images in your Media Library and serve modern WebP (or AVIF) versions to visitors automatically, using LiteSpeed's QUIC.cloud service. This guide shows how to connect, send your images for optimization, turn on WebP, and undo it if you need to.
How LiteSpeed Cache image optimization works
- Your images are sent to QUIC.cloud, compressed there, and pulled back to your site automatically.
- The original of each file is kept as a backup (for example
photo.jpgbecomes optimized and the original is saved asphoto.bk.jpg), so you can switch back at any time. - If you choose a next-gen format, a WebP or AVIF copy is also created, and the plugin serves it to browsers that support it.
QUIC.cloud has a free tier that covers image optimization for typical small sites. Page caching doesn't depend on it.
Step 1: Connect to QUIC.cloud
- Log in to WordPress (in cPanel, Domains > WordPress Management (WP Toolkit), then Log In).
- Go to LiteSpeed Cache > General.
- Click Enable QUIC.cloud services and follow the prompts. You can use the free plan.
Your site must be publicly reachable at its domain (with DNS pointing to us) for QUIC.cloud to fetch and return images.
Step 2: Choose your image optimization settings
Go to LiteSpeed Cache > Image Optimization and open the Image Optimization Settings tab. Recommended settings:
| Setting | Recommended | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Auto Request Cron | ON | New uploads are sent for optimization automatically. |
| Optimize Original Images | ON | Optimizes the full-size file, not just the thumbnails. |
| Remove Original Backups | OFF | Keeps backups so you can undo. Turning it on deletes them for good. |
| Optimize Losslessly | OFF | Lossy gives much smaller files with no visible difference for most photos. Turn on for photography or artwork where every detail matters. |
| Preserve EXIF/XMP data | OFF | Removes camera and location data, making files smaller and more private. |
| Next-Gen Image Format | WebP | Creates WebP copies and serves them to supporting browsers. AVIF is smaller still but slower to create. |
| WebP/AVIF For Extra srcset | OFF (default) | Only needed if your theme adds images in unusual ways that aren't being replaced. |
Click Save Changes. The Basic preset and above also turn image optimization on for you.
Step 3: Send your existing images for optimization
- Open the Image Optimization Summary tab.
- Click Send Optimization Request.
- Optimized images come back automatically. Click Pull Images if you want to fetch finished ones straight away.
- Repeat. The first request is small; later batches grow (up to about 200 images per request). With Auto Request Cron on, remaining images are sent over time without you clicking.
When all images are done, purge the cache (LiteSpeed icon in the admin bar > Purge All) so pages are rebuilt with the new image links.
Step 4: Check that WebP is being served
- Open your site in a private window and press F12 to open developer tools.
- Go to the Network tab, filter by Img, and reload.
- Image file names should end in
.webp(or.avif), or show a WebP type.
How to undo image optimization
In the Image Optimization Summary tab, under the optimization tools, use Use Original Files to switch back to your originals (and Use Optimized Files to switch again). Destroy All Optimization Data removes all optimized copies and restores originals; only use it if you want to start over completely.
Troubleshooting
My disk usage went up
That's expected: the backups and WebP/AVIF copies take space. When you're happy with the results you can click Remove Original Image Backups to free space, but you can't undo optimization after that. Take a JetBackup or WP Toolkit backup first if you're unsure.
Images aren't being processed
Check that QUIC.cloud is connected under LiteSpeed Cache > General, that the site loads publicly over its domain, and that you haven't used up the free tier's allowance for the month (the QUIC.cloud dashboard shows your usage). Clean Up Unfinished Data clears stuck requests so you can send again.
Some images are still JPG or PNG
Images added by CSS backgrounds, sliders or page builders may not be replaced. Try turning on WebP/AVIF For Extra srcset, purge all, and check again. Very old browsers are always sent the original format.
Images look blurry
Turn on Optimize Losslessly, then use Use Original Files and re-send, or upload a larger original image.
Related guides
- Best LiteSpeed Cache Settings for WordPress (Using Presets)
- How to Clear (Purge) the LiteSpeed Cache in WordPress
- How to Back Up and Restore WordPress in WP Toolkit
- How to Speed Up WordPress with LiteSpeed Cache
Still stuck? Open a support ticket and the Instant Access Internet Services team will help.
