Why is my uploads folder so big after optimizing?

Once you have optimised your images, you will notice that your uploads folder will increase in size. This is due to the “backup original images” option that we provide. This option preserves the original unoptimised copy of your image, in case you feel you want to go back and start again from scratch or just want to keep an original copy of your image online. While this could double the size of your uploads folder, it provides a simple backup solution for your original media files. However, you can also turn this off at any time should you wish to save space.