How to remove images uploaded with django-ckeditor?

Unfortunately this is true. Django-ckeditor does not provide any built-in solution for that problem. Information about uploaded files are not stored anywhere.

If you want to keep them - you have to do it by yourself!

Create the appropriate data model with the overridden delete method (or use any of ready "smart fields" which can handle removal of files for you, Django delete FileField):

from django.db import models

class UploadedFile(models.Model):
    uploaded_file = models.FileField(upload_to=u"storage/")
    uploaded_at = models.DateField(editable=False, auto_now_add=True)

    def __str__(self):
        return os.path.basename(self.uploaded_file.path)

    def url(self):
        return self.uploaded_file.url

    def delete(self, *args, **kwargs):
        file_storage, file_path = self.uploaded_file.storage, self.uploaded_file.path
        super(UploadedFile, self).delete(*args, **kwargs)
        file_storage.delete(file_path)

Provide your own implementation of "upload" (and optional "browse") view, which will be used to memorize transactions:

from django.conf import settings
from django.contrib.admin.views.decorators import staff_member_required
from django.views.decorators.cache import never_cache
from django.views.decorators.csrf import csrf_exempt
from ckeditor_uploader.views import upload, browse
from .models import UploadedFile
import re

@staff_member_required
@csrf_exempt
def ckeditor_upload_wrapper(request, *args, **kwargs):
    response = upload(request, *args, **kwargs)

    if b"Invalid" not in response.content:
        try:
            matched_regex = re.search("callFunction\(\d, '(.*)'\);", str(response.content))
            file_location = matched_regex.group(1).lstrip(settings.MEDIA_URL)
            UploadedFile(uploaded_file=file_location).save()
        except Exception:
            pass
    return response

@staff_member_required
@csrf_exempt
@never_cache
def ckeditor_browse_wrapper(request, *args, **kwargs):
    return browse(request, *args, **kwargs)

Change default redirects in urls.py:

...
from app.views import ckeditor_upload_wrapper, ckeditor_browse_wrapper

urlpatterns = [
    url(r'^admin/', admin.site.urls),

    #url(r'^ckeditor/', include('ckeditor_uploader.urls')),
    url(r'^ckeditor/upload/', ckeditor_upload_wrapper, name='ckeditor_upload'),
    url(r'^ckeditor/browse/', ckeditor_browse_wrapper, name='ckeditor_browse'),
    ...
]

and that's all... Now if you register your new UploadedFile model, you will grant tha ability to browse, search and remove any of uploaded pictures directly from the Django Admin panel.

(This solution was implemented for Django 1.10 with extension django-ckeditor 5.3 )