How to Disable WordPress Plugins for Site Troubleshooting

December 15, 2025

Plugins are the backbone of any WordPress website; they add features, improve security, enhance performance, and simplify tasks. But sometimes, the same plugins can cause conflicts, errors, or even take your site offline, a risk often heightened when customizing complex premium WordPress templates Whether you're troubleshooting a technical issue, dealing with a broken dashboard, or simply testing performance, knowing how to disable all plugins quickly is an essential skill for every WordPress user.

The good news? You don’t need to be a developer to do this. There are several simple, safe, and beginner-friendly methods to deactivate all plugins, whether you have access to your WordPress admin panel or not. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the easiest ways on “Disable WordPress Plugins” using the dashboard, FTP, cPanel, and phpMyAdmin, ensuring you can regain control of your website within minutes. Let’s dive into the practical steps so you can fix issues fast and keep your site running smoothly.

Why Disable WordPress Plugins?

Disabling WordPress Plugins may sound drastic, but it’s one of the most effective ways to troubleshoot and fix issues on your WordPress website. Plugins interact with your theme, database, and each other, so when something goes wrong, they’re often the first place to look. Here are the most common reasons you may need to know to Disable WordPress Plugins:

To Fix Site Errors and Crashes: If your website suddenly displays a white screen of death, critical error, or PHP warnings, a faulty plugin is usually the culprit. This is a common consequence of WordPress plugin update errors Disabling all plugins helps you restore access and identify the one causing the issue.
To Troubleshoot Plugin Conflicts: Sometimes two plugins don’t work well together, especially after updates. Turning them all off allows you to reactivate them one by one and pinpoint which combination is causing conflicts.
To Resolve Admin Dashboard Access Issues: If you can’t log into your WordPress dashboard due to a plugin-related error, disabling all plugins manually can instantly give you back access.
To Improve Website Performance Temporarily: If your site becomes slow, laggy, or unresponsive, disabling all plugins helps you determine which plugin is causing the issue.
To Prepare for Major Website Changes: When performing theme changes, migrations, or large updates, disabling plugins can prevent compatibility issues and ensure a smooth transition.
To Remove Malware or Suspicious Activity: If your site is hacked or behaving unusually, disabling all plugins helps prevent malicious code from being injected through a compromised plugin.

When You Should Not Disable WordPress Plugins?

While it's generally recommended to delete unused plugins for security and performance reasons, there are specific situations where you should not deactivate an active plugin:

1. Plugins that Control Core Site Functionality: Deactivating plugins that handle essential features will immediately break parts of your site. These often include page builder plugins, E-commerce plugins, and membership plugins.

2. When the Plugin Manages Security: Avoid disabling plugins responsible for:

Malware protection
Firewall
Login security
Spam protection

Turning off security plugins leaves your site vulnerable to attacks.

3. When the Plugin Handles Backups: Backup plugins like UpdraftPlus, BackWPup, and Jetpack Backup should not be disabled unless you’re replacing them. Doing so means you lose automated backups, risking total data loss.

4. When Your Website Is Actively Receiving Traffic: If your site is live and receiving users/sales, do not disable plugins suddenly. This may:

Break checkout or forms
Interrupt ongoing sessions
Cause user errors
Reduce conversions
Always use a staging site for testing.

5. When You’re Not Sure What the Plugin Does: If you don’t understand a plugin’s purpose, disabling it could unintentionally remove:

Essential scripts
Shortcodes
Widgets
Custom post types
SEO data or schema
Research before disabling anything.

6. During an Active Update or Migration: When updating plugins, themes, or WordPress core, avoid disabling plugins mid-process. It may:

Cause incomplete updates
Break database tables
Interrupt migrations
Wait until updates are finished.

7. When the Plugin Connects Third-Party Services: If a plugin syncs with tools like CRM systems, email marketing, payment gateways, and shipping tools. Disabling it may break API connections and disrupt data.

8. When the Plugin Is Required for Your Theme: Some themes depend on companion plugins. Disabling them may break layouts, remove widgets/blocks, and cause styling issues

9. When the Plugin is Part of a Multi-Plugin Stack: Some plugins depend on each other. Disabling one affects the entire stack.

10. When You're Troubleshooting Without a Plan: If you're trying to fix an issue, don’t casually disable plugins on a live site. Instead, use a staging environment, disable plugins one by one, check logs first, and back up the site before making changes.

How to Disable All Plugins in WordPress? Easy Methods to Apply

Here are the simplest and most effective methods for your query, “Disable WordPress Plugins,” categorised by whether or not you can access your WordPress dashboard.

Method 1: Disable WordPress Plugins (Using WordPress Dashboard)

We are on the first method to help you with “Disable WordPress Plugins.” Use this method if your site is working well enough to log in to wp-admin. This is the fastest, safest, and most straightforward method.

1. Log in to your WordPress Dashboard: You will typically do this by navigating to yourwebsite.com/wp-admin and entering your username and password.
2. Navigate to the Plugins Screen: In the administration sidebar on the left, click on Plugins. This will take you to the main Installed Plugins page, which lists every plugin currently on your site, whether it is active or inactive.
3. Locate the Plugin: Find the specific plugin you want to disable in the list.
4. Click the "Deactivate" Link: Below the plugin's name, you will see several action links like Activate, Edit, or Deactivate.
Click the Deactivate link.
5. Confirmation: The plugin will be immediately deactivated, and you should see a message at the top of the screen confirming the deactivation. The plugin will now move to the list of inactive plugins.

All plugins are now deactivated. You can now begin troubleshooting by activating them one at a time.

Method 2: Disable WordPress Plugins (Using FTP)

This is the second method and a proven method on “How to Disable All Plugins in WordPress.” Use this method if you are locked out of your WordPress dashboard. This technique forces WordPress to deactivate all plugins because it can no longer find the plugin files.

1. Navigate to the Plugins Folder:

Connect to your site via FTP or open your File Manager.
Navigate to the root folder of your WordPress installation.
Follow this path: wp-content < plugins

2. Locate the Plugin Folder: Inside the plugins folder, find the directory that belongs to the problematic plugin. The folder name is usually very similar to the plugin's name.

3. Rename the Plugin Folder:

Right-click the plugin folder and select Rename.
Change the name to anything else, for example, append -DISABLED or -OFF to the original name.
Result: WordPress can no longer find the plugin file path, which instantly deactivates the plugin.

4. Check Your Site

Reload your website and try to log back into your WordPress dashboard. If the error is gone, that plugin was the culprit.
If you later rename the folder back to its original name, the plugin will remain deactivated but will appear in your dashboard's "Installed Plugins" list, where you can reactivate it manually.
When you return to your WordPress dashboard, all your plugins will appear on the Installed Plugins page, but they will all be deactivated. You can now safely reactivate them one by one to find the faulty one.

Method 3: Disable WordPress Plugins (Using the PhpMyAdmin Method)

If you are still figuring out “How to Disable All Plugins in WordPress,” then here’s another method. Use this method if the FTP method doesn't work or if you are more comfortable working with the database. This method directly tells the WordPress database to stop loading any active plugins.

1. Access phpMyAdmin: Log in to your hosting control panel and find the phpMyAdmin tool.

2. Select Your Database: In the left sidebar, click on the database associated with your WordPress site.

3. Locate the Options Table: Find and click on the wp_options table.

4. Find active plugins: In the list of rows, look for the entry in the option_name column named active plugins. You may need to browse to the second page of the table.

5. Edit the Value:

Click the Edit link next to the active plugins row.
In the option_value field, you will see a long, serialised string that looks something like this: a:X:{...} where $X$ is the number of active plugins.
Replace the entire content of the option value field with the following specific serialised array code:
a:0:{}

6. Save Changes: Click Go or Save to apply the change.

All plugins are now deactivated. You should be able to log in to your WP-Admin dashboard and reactivate them manually.

Always Back Up Before Disabling WordPress Plugins

Before disabling any WordPress plugin, whether for troubleshooting, cleanup, or performance optimization, it’s crucial to take a complete backup of your website. Even a small change like deactivating a plugin can sometimes trigger unexpected issues, especially if the plugin manages essential functions, custom post types, or database entries. A full backup ensures that you can quickly restore your website if something breaks, and is a foundational step in learning how to make a website secure

Why Backing Up Matters Before Disabling Plugins?

Prevents Data Loss: Some plugins store critical data (forms, orders, SEO settings, LMS progress). Disabling them may cause this data to disappear temporarily or permanently.
Helps Avoid Site Breakdowns: Plugins connected to themes or other plugins may cause layout issues or fatal errors when disabled.
Restores Website Quickly: If anything goes wrong, e.g., white screen, missing functionalities, you can roll back your site instantly using a backup.
Protects WooCommerce and Membership Sites: E-commerce and LMS plugins often rely on multiple database tables. Without a backup, disabling a plugin could disrupt product pages, checkout, or user data, which is especially critical when managing various WordPress e-commerce plugins

Conclusion

Concluding on “Disable WordPress Plugins” is gracefully understood in the above blog. Disabling all plugins in WordPress may seem like a big step, but it’s one of the quickest and most effective ways to diagnose and resolve website issues, particularly conflicts that arise from integrating plugins with a diverse wp theme bundle Whether you're facing a sudden error, dashboard lockout, or plugin conflict, the simple methods covered in this guide, using the dashboard, FTP, cPanel, phpMyAdmin, or WP-CLI, give you full control to restore your site safely.

Each method is designed to help beginners and advanced users alike troubleshoot problems without fear of losing data or breaking their website. Once your plugins are disabled, you can reactivate them one by one to pinpoint the exact cause and get your site back to normal. With these easy techniques at your fingertips, managing WordPress issues becomes much less stressful. A few quick steps are all it takes to turn off faulty plugins, fix errors, and keep your website running smoothly and securely.

FAQs

Will disabling all plugins break my WordPress site?

No, disabling plugins does not delete any data or settings. It simply turns them off temporarily. Once you reactivate them, everything works as before unless a plugin itself was causing an issue.

Can I disable all plugins without accessing the WordPress dashboard?

Yes. You can use FTP, cPanel File Manager, or phpMyAdmin to deactivate all plugins, even if you’re locked out of the admin area.

What should I do after disabling all plugins?

After deactivating them, check if the issue on your website is resolved. If it is, reactivate plugins one by one to identify which plugin is causing the problem.

Will disabling plugins affect my website’s theme or design?

Some features added by plugins may stop working temporarily (like sliders, forms, and pop-ups), but your theme and core design will remain intact.

How do I know which plugin is causing the problem?

Disable all plugins, then reactivate them one at a time. Check your website after enabling each plugin. The plugin that causes the issue when activated is the faulty one.