# Gallery Z

> Gallery Z is a free, GPL-licensed WordPress plugin for filterable photo galleries in the block editor: category filters, five layouts (masonry, justified rows, grid, carousel, accordion), scroll reveal effects and a native lightbox. It is built on core blocks and the Interactivity API, loads about 3 KB of JavaScript to start and has no dependencies.

Key facts:

- Price: free (GPL-2.0-or-later). No pro version, license key or upsell.
- Requirements: WordPress 6.6 or newer, PHP 7.4 or newer. Current version: 1.0.0.
- Blocks: Filterable Gallery (the container), Gallery Filter (buttons or dropdown), Gallery Media Query (Media Library images by category), and a "Gallery Posts" Query Loop variation.
- Layouts: masonry (shortest column first), justified rows, grid (cropped to a ratio or height), carousel (arrows incl. a mouse-following cursor, endless loop, autoplay), accordion (opens to the photo's own shape).
- Scroll reveal: rise, fade, zoom, blur, tilt, wipe, pop, flip, slide, iris – staggered, pure CSS scroll-driven animations.
- Lightbox: native <dialog>, zooms from the thumbnail, dark / light / frosted themes, captions and counter.
- Videos: Media Library files, YouTube, Vimeo, TikTok and Instagram next to photos. Paste a link into a gallery to add one. Hover plays a muted preview, a click plays it in the lightbox; until then only the poster image loads.
- Performance: ~3 KB JavaScript and ~2.3 KB CSS to start, only on pages with a gallery; other parts load only where used. Lazy images in the right size; no layout shift.
- WordPress integration: importers for Envira Gallery, NextGEN Gallery, Modula and FooGallery (Tools → Gallery Z import, or `wp gallery-z import`); Media Library column, filter and bulk actions for Gallery Categories; command palette commands; seven block patterns; a Gallery Category archive template; Abilities API abilities for AI agents (WordPress 6.9+).
- Works without JavaScript (server-rendered), in block themes and classic themes.

## Pages

- [Home](https://galleryz.xyz/): Free WordPress gallery plugin with category filters, masonry, justified rows, carousel, lightbox and scroll reveal effects. Built on core blocks, 3 KB of JavaScript.
- [Layouts](https://galleryz.xyz/layouts/): Five WordPress gallery layouts in one block – masonry, justified rows, grid, carousel and accordion – plus scroll reveal effects. Try every option live.
- [100 Photos](https://galleryz.xyz/100-photos/): A Gallery Z masonry gallery with 100 photos, a category filter and a lightbox: the first row loads at once, the rest lazily in the size it is shown at.
- [Playground](https://galleryz.xyz/playground/): Try Gallery Z in your browser: switch layouts, columns, captions, hover effects, filter styles and the lightbox on a live WordPress gallery. No install needed.
- [Download the plugin](https://galleryz.xyz/wp-content/uploads/gallery-z/gallery-z.zip): zip, install via Plugins → Add New → Upload.

## Docs

- [Docs](https://galleryz.xyz/docs/): Gallery Z docs: getting started, every block option, the five layouts, editing tools, categories and the Media Library, importing from Envira, NextGEN, Modula and FooGallery, patterns, AI abilities and developer notes.
- [Getting started](https://galleryz.xyz/docs/getting-started/): Install Gallery Z, add your first filterable gallery with the “Add filterable gallery” command, assign categories and connect the filter. Step by step.
- [Blocks & options](https://galleryz.xyz/docs/blocks/): Reference for the Gallery Z blocks: Filterable Gallery, Gallery Filter, Gallery Media Query and the Gallery Posts variation, with every option, value and default.
- [Layouts](https://galleryz.xyz/docs/layouts/): The five Gallery Z layouts – masonry, justified rows, grid, carousel and accordion – how each one works, its options, and scroll reveal effects.
- [Editing](https://galleryz.xyz/docs/editing/): Working with Gallery Z in the block editor: Edit and Preview modes, filter preview, bulk categories, sorting, block transforms and command palette commands.
- [Categories & Media Library](https://galleryz.xyz/docs/categories/): How Gallery Categories work in Gallery Z: the shared taxonomy, the Media Library column, filters and bulk actions, and the category checklist in the media modal.
- [Switching from other plugins](https://galleryz.xyz/docs/switching/): Import galleries from Envira Gallery, NextGEN Gallery, Modula and FooGallery into Gallery Z: what is mapped, the WP-CLI command, replacement shortcodes and what is not carried over.
- [Patterns & archive template](https://galleryz.xyz/docs/patterns/): The Gallery Z block patterns (portfolio, travel journal, food menu, team, carousels) and the Gallery Category Archive template for block themes.
- [AI & Abilities API](https://galleryz.xyz/docs/abilities/): Gallery Z registers four WordPress Abilities API abilities for AI agents and MCP clients: list categories, find images, tag images and create galleries, with REST methods.
- [Developers](https://galleryz.xyz/docs/developers/): Developer notes for Gallery Z: WP-CLI commands, the WordPress Playground blueprint, filters such as gallery_z_taxonomy_object_types, asset handles and performance.

## Blog

- [Blog](https://galleryz.xyz/blog/): Practical articles about Gallery Z: custom styles, switching from other gallery plugins, performance without jQuery, filterable portfolios and AI agents.
- [Custom styles for Gallery Z](https://galleryz.xyz/blog/custom-styles/): Style Gallery Z from your theme: the Theme button and Theme link filter styles, your own filter style with register_block_style, caption looks through CSS variables, a custom hover effect and theme.json per-block styles. Four tested examples.
- [Switching from Envira, NextGEN, Modula or FooGallery](https://galleryz.xyz/blog/switching-gallery-plugins/): How the Gallery Z importer moves Envira, NextGEN, Modula and FooGallery galleries into draft pages: what carries over, what doesn’t, the replacement shortcodes, WP-CLI, and what the plugins cost.
- [Why a gallery doesn’t need jQuery in 2026](https://galleryz.xyz/blog/gallery-without-jquery/): A native dialog lightbox, scroll-snap carousels, CSS grid and masonry, scroll-driven reveals: how Gallery Z starts at 3 KB of JavaScript, and what it measures on a 100-photo page.
- [Filterable portfolios with posts and images in one gallery](https://galleryz.xyz/blog/filterable-portfolio/): A step-by-step tutorial: one Gallery Z gallery with project posts, hand-picked images and a Media Library query, one category filter for all of them, and links that open the page already filtered.
- [Letting AI agents build galleries: the Abilities API](https://galleryz.xyz/blog/ai-abilities/): Gallery Z registers four WordPress abilities: list categories, find images, tag images and create a gallery page. What each does, the REST routes and methods, permissions, and practical uses.

## Demos

- [Demos](https://galleryz.xyz/demos/): Live demos of WordPress galleries made with Gallery Z: artist and illustration portfolios, wedding, real estate, restaurant, tattoo, florist, event and ceramics galleries, and TikTok, Instagram and YouTube Shorts.
- [TikTok gallery](https://galleryz.xyz/demos/tiktok-gallery/): Show TikTok videos in a WordPress gallery: paste links, get a 9:16 grid with muted hover previews and a lightbox player. No API key, and nothing loads from TikTok until a click.
- [Instagram gallery](https://galleryz.xyz/demos/instagram-gallery/): Hand-pick Instagram reels and posts for a WordPress gallery: paste links, get their cover images as posters, open them in a lightbox. No feed sync, no access token, no account to connect.
- [YouTube Shorts gallery](https://galleryz.xyz/demos/youtube-shorts-gallery/): Put YouTube Shorts in a WordPress gallery: vertical posters, muted previews on hover and playback in a lightbox from youtube-nocookie.com. Mix with photos, YouTube and TikTok.
- [Artist portfolio](https://galleryz.xyz/demos/artist-portfolio/): A WordPress portfolio gallery for painters and artists: justified rows that never crop a canvas, a filter by series or subject, and a lightbox with title and year. Live demo with Impressionist paintings.
- [Illustration portfolio](https://galleryz.xyz/demos/illustration-portfolio/): A masonry portfolio for illustrators, studios and agencies: one tab per artist, captions on hover and a lightbox. Live demo with prints by Hokusai, Hiroshige and Toulouse-Lautrec.
- [Wedding photography](https://galleryz.xyz/demos/wedding-photography-gallery/): A wedding gallery for photographers: ceremony, portraits, details and party as filter chapters, masonry or justified rows, and a swipeable lightbox. Live demo.
- [Real estate listing](https://galleryz.xyz/demos/real-estate-gallery/): A property gallery for real estate listings: a carousel of the house with a filter by room, arrows on the photos and swipe on phones. No slider library. Live demo.
- [Restaurant menu](https://galleryz.xyz/demos/restaurant-menu-gallery/): A menu gallery for restaurants and cafés: dishes in a square grid with names below, a filter for starters, mains, desserts and drinks, and a lightbox. Live demo.
- [Tattoo portfolio](https://galleryz.xyz/demos/tattoo-portfolio/): A portfolio for tattoo studios: healed work in a 4:5 grid, filtered by style or artist with counts, plus Instagram posts if you like. Live demo.
- [Fashion lookbook](https://galleryz.xyz/demos/fashion-lookbook/): A lookbook for fashion brands and stylists: an accordion that opens each look to its own shape on hover, with names on the photos. Live demo.
- [Florist gallery](https://galleryz.xyz/demos/florist-gallery/): A gallery for florists: bouquets, wedding flowers, workshops and the shop in masonry with a filter. Add workshop videos from YouTube or Instagram. Live demo.
- [Event photos](https://galleryz.xyz/demos/event-photo-gallery/): An event and conference photo gallery: talks, workshops, networking and audience in justified rows with a filter, fast with hundreds of photos. Live demo.
- [Ceramics portfolio](https://galleryz.xyz/demos/ceramics-portfolio/): A portfolio gallery for ceramicists and makers: mugs, bowls and vases in a square grid with captions, filtered by type, linked to your shop if you like. Live demo.

## FAQ

### Can I filter a WordPress gallery by category?

Yes, that is what Gallery Z is for. Put a Gallery Filter block next to a Filterable Gallery and visitors filter the photos by the categories you assigned, with an animated transition. The selection can optionally be shared in the URL, like ?category=nature. Step by step: Getting started.

### How is it different from the core Gallery block?

The core Gallery block shows one grid. Gallery Z adds category filters, five layouts (masonry, justified rows, grid, carousel and accordion), scroll reveal effects, a lightbox that pages through the visible photos, and posts or Media Library queries as gallery items. Inside, the photos stay regular Image blocks. See Blocks & options.

### Will it slow down my site?

No. A page with a gallery loads about 3 KB of JavaScript to start and 2.3 KB of CSS; carousel, accordion, lightbox and effect code loads only where a gallery uses it, and nothing loads on pages without a gallery. Images lazy-load in the right size, and masonry is placed before the first paint, so nothing shifts. The details are in the performance notes.

### Does it work with my theme?

Yes. Gallery Z uses block supports and your theme’s own styles: filter buttons start from the theme’s button style, captions from its caption style, spacing from its gap. It works in block themes and in classic themes that use the block editor.

### How do the categories work?

Gallery Z adds a Gallery Categories taxonomy that media, posts and pages share. Assign categories in the image sidebar inside a gallery or in the Media Library. Many images at once? Use the bulk actions in the Media Library. A gallery can also filter by any other taxonomy, such as regular post categories. More in Categories & Media Library.

### Can I switch from Envira, NextGEN, Modula or FooGallery?

Yes. Under Tools → Gallery Z import (or with wp gallery-z import), each gallery becomes a draft page with a Filterable Gallery: images, captions, alt text, links and columns come along, and tags become filter categories. Lightbox themes, spacing and hover effects are not carried over. See Switching from other plugins.

### Can I show posts instead of images?

Yes. Put a Query Loop inside the gallery – there is a “Gallery Posts” variation – and the featured images become gallery items with their titles as captions. Images, posts and Media Library queries can be mixed in one gallery. See Gallery Posts.

### What happens without JavaScript?

Every item shows, rows and grids keep their layout (masonry becomes a plain column grid), and links still work. Lightbox links point to the full image file. See How it works.

### Which browsers are supported?

All current browsers. View Transitions, @starting-style, color-mix(), scroll-driven animations and backdrop-filter are progressive enhancements: older browsers get the same features with simpler animations.

### What does it need?

WordPress 6.6 or newer and PHP 7.4 or newer. No build step, no API keys, no external services.

### Is it really free?

Yes. Gallery Z is licensed under the GPL v2 or later. There is no pro version, no license key and no upsell.

## Optional

- [Full reference](https://galleryz.xyz/llms-full.txt): every block setting with its values and defaults.