Knowledgebase

• There are times when you may need to deactivate all your WordPress plugins, but you’re locked out of your WordPress admin area (wp-admin).
• This can be frustrating, especially when you're troubleshooting and need to deactivate plugins to identify the problem.
• In this quick tutorial, we'll walk you through two simple methods to deactivate your WordPress plugins even when you can't access the admin dashboard.

Why You Might Need to Deactivate Plugins

• Often, when troubleshooting WordPress, we advise you to deactivate all plugins and reactivate them one by one to pinpoint the issue.
• This is mostly important when your website is experiencing a critical error or the dreaded 'white screen of death.'

• But what if you’re unable to access wp-admin to do this?
• That’s where these alternative methods come in handy. Let’s explore the options:

Method 1: Deactivate All Plugins Using cPanel

• This method involves accessing your website files directly through your hosting control panel (cPanel).
• Even if you’re new to web development, don’t worry — we’ll guide you through each step.

Step 1: Access Your Website via cPanel

• To get started, log into your cPanel.
• If you're unfamiliar with logging into your cPanel, here is our guide on the subject.
• Once logged in, locate the Files section, then click on File Manager.
• Next, navigate to the public_html directory (or the root folder where WordPress is installed).
• Inside, find and open the wp-content folder.

Step 2: Rename the Plugins Folder

• Inside the wp-content folder, you’ll see a subfolder called plugins. This is where WordPress stores all the plugins installed on your site.
• Right-click on the plugins folder and select Rename. Change its name to something like plugins.deactivated.

Step 3: What Happens Next?

• By renaming this folder, WordPress will no longer be able to locate your plugins, and as a result, it will deactivate all of them automatically.
• This happens because WordPress looks for a folder named plugins to load active plugins.
• When it doesn’t find the folder, it disables them.

Step 4: Access Your Admin Area

• Now, try accessing your WordPress admin area again. If the problem was caused by a plugin, you should now be able to log in.
• Once logged in, go to Plugins » Installed Plugins, where you’ll see notifications indicating that all your plugins have been deactivated.

Step 5: Reactivate Plugins One by One

• To restore your plugins, go back to cPanel, open File Manager, and navigate to the wp-content folder.
• Rename the plugins.deactivated folder back to plugins.
• Now, return to your WordPress admin area and go to Plugins » Installed Plugins.
• Reactivate your plugins one by one to identify the specific plugin causing the issue. If your site breaks again after activating a particular plugin, you’ll know which one is problematic.
• At this point, you can delete the problematic plugin’s folder via File Manager in cPanel, or reach out to the plugin developer for assistance.

Method 2: Deactivate Plugins Using phpMyAdmin

• If you're comfortable working with databases, phpMyAdmin offers another way to deactivate your plugins.

Important: Before proceeding, it's highly recommended that you make a complete backup of your database. This ensures you can restore your data if something goes wrong.

Step 1: Access phpMyAdmin

• Log in to your web hosting control panel (cPanel) and locate the phpMyAdmin option under the Databases section.
• Click on it to open phpMyAdmin in a new browser tab.

Step 2: Select Your WordPress Database

• Once phpMyAdmin is open, select your WordPress database from the list on the left-hand side.
• If you're not sure which database belongs to your WordPress site, check the wp-config.php file in your site's root directory.

Step 3: Edit the ‘active_plugins’ Option

• Within your database, find and click on the wp_options table.
• Note: If your database uses a different table prefix, it might look something like xyz_options.

• Once inside the wp_options table, scroll through the list until you find the active_plugins row.
• Click the Edit link next to it.

Step 4: Reset Active Plugins

• In the option_value field, replace the existing code with a:0:{}
• This will reset all active plugins to an empty array, effectively deactivating them.
• After making this change, click Go to save.

Step 5: Log In to Your Admin Area

• Now that all plugins are deactivated, attempt to log in to your WordPress admin area.
• If a plugin was the cause of the issue, you should now have access.

Conclusion

• Whether you're troubleshooting a plugin conflict or locked out of your WordPress dashboard, deactivating your plugins via FTP or phpMyAdmin can save the day.
• Once you’ve pinpointed the problematic plugin, you can either remove it or seek support from its developer.
• Remember, always back up your site and database before making changes like these. This ensures your site remains safe, even if something goes wrong during the process.