We think that one of the first things all WordPress users should learn is how to deactivate WordPress plugins. Not only will we cover how to deactivate plugins from the admin interface, but we’ll also cover how to deactivate plugins if your site is locked.
The reason is that knowing how to properly deactivate (and uninstall if needed) plugins is crucial to troubleshooting WordPress errors. Also, too many plugins can slow down your site if not managed properly.
In this comprehensive guide, we will show you different ways to easily deactivate WordPress plugins.
Here is an overview of what you will learn in this article. You can use the quick links to jump to the various sections:
- Method 1: Deactivate individual plugins in the WordPress admin
- Method 2: Deactivate plugins in bulk in WordPress admin
- Method 3: Disable all plugins in WordPress via FTP or File Manager
- Method 4: Disable all WordPress plugins via phpMyAdmin
- What is the difference between deactivating and uninstalling a WordPress plugin?
- How to Properly Uninstall a WordPress Plugin
- Should You Keep Deactivated WordPress Plugins on Your Site?
- How to Disable WordPress Plugin Updates
- How to disable WordPress plugins for mobile version of your website
Method 1: Deactivate individual plugins in the WordPress admin
Let's start by deactivating a plugin.
If you want to temporarily disable a WordPress plugin, then you can simply visit the Plugins » Installed Plugins page in your WordPress admin area .
Here, you need to find the WordPress plugin that you want to deactivate. Next, move your mouse over the row of that plugin and it will show a link to “Deactivate” that plugin.
Clicking on the link will immediately deactivate the WordPress plugin.
Once you deactivate the plugin, it will still be installed on your website or blog, but WordPress will stop loading it.
If you want to start using the plugin again, then all you have to do is click on the Activate link below it.
Method 2: Deactivate plugins in bulk in WordPress admin
Sometimes you may need to deactivate all WordPress plugins on your site to resolve an issue. WordPress makes it easy to quickly deactivate multiple or all WordPress plugins without having to deactivate them one at a time.
Simply visit Plugins » Installed Plugins page and tick the checkbox next to the plugin you want to deactivate. If you want to deactivate all WordPress plugins, simply select all plugins by ticking the checkbox at the top.
Next, you need to select Deactivate from the Bulk Actions drop-down menu.
After that, click on the Apply button.
WordPress will now deactivate all the selected WordPress plugins.
Method 3: Disable all plugins in WordPress via FTP or File Manager
If you have been locked out of the WordPress admin area and cannot recover your password, then you will not be able to deactivate WordPress plugins from the dashboard.
Of course, you can try using WordPress Recovery Mode first. But if that doesn’t work, you’ll need to use another method to disable plugins.
The easiest option is to deactivate WordPress plugins through File Transfer Protocol (FTP) or the File Manager application in your WordPress hosting dashboard.
Basically, WordPress looks for your installed plugins in the /wp-content/plugins/ folder. If it doesn’t find the plugins folder, WordPress will automatically deactivate all plugins.
We will not delete the plugin's folder but rename it.
First, you need to connect to your WordPress site using an FTP client like FileZilla. Once connected, you must navigate to the wp-content folder in your WordPress root directory.
From here, you need to right-click on the plugin folder and select “Rename”.
This will bring up a window where you need to enter a new name for the plugins folder, such as "plugins-deactivated".
Your FTP client will now rename the plugin folder. Now you can try to log in to the WordPress admin page and visit the Plugins page.
Here you will see notifications about deactivated WordPress plugins.
Method 4: Disable all WordPress plugins via phpMyAdmin
We think the FTP method is definitely easier. However, you can also deactivate all plugins using phpMyAdmin. This is a database management tool that you can access through your hosting account dashboard.
Note: For this method, do a full database backup first to prevent errors if anything goes wrong.
First, you need to log in to your web hosting account dashboard. Next, find and click on the phpMyAdmin icon.
If you use Bluehost , you’ll need to go to the Website tab and click Settings on your site.
You can then keep scrolling down the page.
The "phpMyAdmin" button should be inside the "Quick Links" section.
Click on it, which will take you to the phpMyAdmin interface.
First, you need to select your WordPress database from the left menu.
phpMyAdmin will now load your database tables in the right panel. You need to click on the ‘Browse’ button next to the ‘wp_options’ table. Please note that your WordPress table name may differ depending on your WordPress database table prefix.
Now, phpMyAdmin will load the data from the wp_options table. You need to scroll down to the “active_plugins” row and click on the “Edit” button next to it.
phpMyAdmin will open the row for editing. You will need to delete the data inside the "option_value" field.
After that, just click on the “Start” button at the bottom to save the changes.
You can now visit your WordPress site and WordPress will see that all plugins have been deactivated.
What is the difference between deactivating and uninstalling a WordPress plugin?
The difference between deactivating and uninstalling a WordPress plugin is very simple.
When you deactivate a WordPress plugin, it is simply turned off. However, it is still installed on your website, so you can activate it again if needed.
On the other hand, uninstalling a plugin will completely remove it from your website. You will no longer be able to see the plugin on your Plugins » Installed Plugins page.
If you want to use the same plugin again, you must reinstall it. Also, your previous configuration will be deleted, so you will have to set up the plugin again.
These principles also apply to deactivating and uninstalling WordPress themes.
How to Properly Uninstall a WordPress Plugin
WordPress makes it very easy to uninstall plugins from the admin area. Simply log in to your WordPress dashboard and go to the Plugins page.
You will see a list of plugins currently installed on your site. Currently activated plugins will be highlighted with a blue background.
If you want to uninstall a plugin you are using, you will first need to deactivate it. Then click the "Remove" link below.
WordPress will now ask you to confirm that you want to delete the plugin.
Just click OK.
WordPress will now safely remove the plugin from your web server and uninstall it from your website.
However, some WordPress plugins leave traces of data and files even after uninstallation. These plugins will not cause any significant impact on your WordPress website. But if you want to remove them, you can follow the steps below.
Remove unused shortcodes
Many WordPress plugins use shortcodes to add content to posts or pages. Once you deactivate or uninstall the plugin, these shortcodes will appear in your posts and can look pretty ugly.
[pluginshortcode]
You can easily disable shortcodes by adding the following code to your theme’s functions.php file or using WPCode :
01.add_shortcode( 'pluginshortcode', '__return_false');
This code basically adds the shortcode back in but makes it so that it doesn’t display anything. Don’t forget pluginshortcodeto replace it with the shortcode tag used by the plugin you wish to remove.
It’s worth noting that if you ever decide to use the plugin again, you’ll need to remove this code.
Clean plugin traces from WordPress database
Some WordPress plugins create their own tables in the WordPress database. If there is too much data in these tables, it will increase the size of your WordPress backup.
To clean these up, you need to launch phpMyAdmin from your WordPress hosting dashboard.
You need to click on your database and then select the table you want to delete. Typically, databases created by plugins will have a database prefix that contains the plugin name or an abbreviation of the plugin name.
Below the list of tables, you will see a drop-down menu labeled "Include selected content." Simply click on that drop-down menu and select "Remove."
Next, you will see a warning that the tables are about to be deleted. You will need to click Yes to confirm the action.
Please note that this action is irreversible. Once deleted, you will not be able to recover these tables unless you have a database backup.
phpMyAdmin will now remove the database tables from plugins that you are not using.
For more information, check out our guide on WordPress database maintenance .
Clean up unused WordPress plugin files
WordPress plugins often create files and folders on your hosting server. These files are usually harmless, but they can increase the size of your WordPress backup.
To delete them, you need to connect to your WordPress site using an FTP client. Once connected, you need to go to the wp-content folder. You will find the files and folders created by the plugin in the “uploads” and “plugins” folders.
Please make sure that the files you want to delete are created by the plugin you uninstalled. After that, just delete them from your web server.
Should You Keep Deactivated WordPress Plugins on Your Site?
If you don’t plan to use these plugins, then you should not install inactive or deactivated WordPress plugins on your website.
Inactive plugins won’t necessarily slow down your site. However, plugins can contain executable files that hackers can exploit to hide malware or backdoors.
Aside from security issues, they can also increase your WordPress backup size, show up as false positives in security scans, and cause other problems.
That’s why we always recommend users to remove inactive plugins from their websites.
How to Disable WordPress Plugin Updates
In some cases, you may want to disable updates for specific plugins instead of deactivating them completely.
Maybe you’re concerned that a new update might cause compatibility issues with other plugins or themes. Or maybe you’d rather test the update thoroughly on a test site before deploying it to your live site .
In rare cases, you might be using a reliable, older version of a plugin that is no longer actively supported. Disabling updates ensures it continues to function properly.
However, be sure to weigh the risks before taking this approach. Disabling plugin updates means your site won’t receive security patches that fix vulnerabilities discovered by hackers.
This could expose your site to potential WordPress security vulnerabilities.
Additionally, updates often fix bugs and improve plugin performance. Skipping updates will cause you to miss out on these improvements and potentially experience bugs or decreased site performance.
New updates can also introduce valuable features and functionality that you would miss out on if you disable them.
Ultimately, the decision to disable plugin updates is yours. But it should be a last resort and only considered in special circumstances.
How to disable WordPress plugins for mobile version of your website
These days, it’s crucial to make sure your website is just as fast on mobile, tablet, and desktop. Even so, plugins can sometimes slow down the mobile version of your site.
In this case, you may want to consider disabling the plugin on your mobile device.
We hope this article helped you learn how to properly deactivate WordPress plugins. You may also want to check out:
- How WordPress Plugins Work
- How to Enable Automatic Updates for WordPress Plugins and Themes
- Is it safe to use outdated WordPress plugins?
- A Guide on How to Properly Uninstall WordPress Plugins
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