From Friday 23 October 2026, we're offering Joomla 3 versions of SE Image Cleaner and SE AI Extension Cleaner. They aren't meant for keeping a Joomla 3 site going. They're for clearing out the clutter before you upgrade, so the move to Joomla 5 or 6 is smaller, quicker and cleaner.
Contact us before you buy See the Joomla Cleaner BundleOn Joomla 3? Please contact us before you buy. You buy the Joomla 5 and 6 version from our store as normal. We email you the Joomla 3 version separately, then issue your Joomla 5/6 licence when you upgrade.
Why Joomla 3, and why now
Joomla 3 reached end of life in August 2023, and 3.10.12 was its last release. Plenty of sites still run it, often because the upgrade looks like a big job. This week made that harder to put off.
On 21 October 2026, PHP released fixes for two serious security flaws, CVE-2026-109618 and CVE-2026-109619, both rated 9.2 out of 10. The fixes went into PHP 8.2, 8.3, 8.4 and 8.5 only. Joomla 3 runs on older PHP versions, so a Joomla 3 site can't move to a fixed one. Read our post on the PHP update.
The real fix for a Joomla 3 site is to upgrade it. Two things slow that down more than anything else:
Our two cleaners deal with exactly these problems. A Joomla 3 version of each lets you tidy the site before you move it, not after.
What the Joomla 3 versions will do
Both use the same scanning engine as our current Joomla 5 and 6 releases, adapted to run on Joomla 3.10.
SE Image Cleaner for Joomla 3
- Scans your images folder and checks every file against your articles, categories, modules, menus and supported extensions, including SP Page Builder.
- Lists the images nothing uses, with previews, so you can check them before acting.
- Safe list for images used in places a scan can't see, such as template files. It moves to your new site with your images and keeps working there.
- Trash all moves every unused image to the trash in one go, even on sites with tens of thousands of images.
- The trash folder sits outside your images folder, so trashed images aren't copied to the new site. Everything can be restored until you empty it.
SE AI Extension Cleaner for Joomla 3
- Finds components, modules and plugins that look unused, and extensions whose files are missing.
- Finds database tables left behind by extensions that were removed long ago.
- Lists the Joomla 3 features that don't exist in Joomla 4 and later, such as the old Search component, so you know what to replace before upgrading.
- Backs up an extension or table before removing it.
How they fit into your upgrade
The Joomla 3 versions are for one job: getting your site ready to move. A typical upgrade looks like this.
Buying for a Joomla 3 site
Please contact us before you buy, so we know your purchase is for a Joomla 3 site. This is how it works:
Rather we did it for you? Our Image Clean Up and Extension Cleaner audit and removal services can be added when you buy. We back up your site first, then do the clean-up for you. See the options.
Get in touch through our contact form and tell us:
- your Joomla version and PHP version (both shown under System → System Information)
- roughly how many images the site has
- any page builder or major extensions you use, such as SP Page Builder or K2
- whether you plan to upgrade the site in place or move to a fresh Joomla 5 or 6 install
We'll reply with the right version for your site and help you plan the clean-up. If you've already bought one of these extensions for a Joomla 3 site, get in touch and we'll send you the Joomla 3 version.
Get in touch now and we'll have yours ready that day, and we can plan your clean-up around your upgrade date.
Contact us before you buy Get the bundle – £49Please get in touch through our contact form.
Ask about an upgradeThe SE24 Media team
