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To deactivate a WordPress plugin, sign in to your dashboard, open Plugins > Installed Plugins, find the active plugin, and click Deactivate. This turns the plugin off without removing its files. If a plugin conflict is causing errors, disable plugins one at a time so you can identify the cause. When you cannot reach wp-admin, try Recovery Mode first, then use your host’s file manager or FTP to disable all plugins.
Deactivate one plugin from the WordPress dashboard
- Sign in to your WordPress administration area.
- Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins. The wording can vary slightly by WordPress version or host.
- Locate the active plugin you want to turn off.
- Click Deactivate beneath that plugin.
- Check that the plugin now shows as inactive and test the page or feature that was failing.
The Plugins screen also offers bulk actions for active plugins. Use those only when you deliberately want to disable several plugins at once.
Deactivate is not the same as delete
Deactivation stops a plugin from running but leaves its files and settings on the server. Deletion removes the plugin’s files and is available after the plugin has been deactivated. Some plugins provide their own data-cleanup instructions, so check the author’s documentation before deleting one permanently.
Find which plugin is causing a conflict
When the cause is unknown, use a controlled, one-at-a-time test rather than switching everything off together.
- Note the symptom and the page or function where it occurs.
- Pay particular attention to a plugin installed or updated shortly before the problem began.
- Deactivate one plugin.
- Reload the affected page and test the feature again.
- If the problem remains, reactivate that plugin and test the next one. If the problem disappears, leave the likely culprit inactive while you review its documentation, support forum, or author guidance.
An error message that names a plugin file can provide another useful suspect, but it does not by itself prove that the plugin is the only cause. Re-enable a plugin only after you have checked for a compatible update, configuration change, or documented workaround.
If you cannot access the WordPress dashboard
Choose the recovery route that matches the type of failure and the access you have:
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| Method | Dashboard needed? | Scope | Best use | Access or skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recovery Mode | No, if WordPress sends a recovery link | Usually the faulty plugin or theme for your recovery session | A detected fatal PHP error | Administrator email access |
| FTP or hosting file manager | No | All regular plugins | Admin screens unavailable and a broad reset is needed | Ability to browse and rename server folders |
| phpMyAdmin | No | All regular plugins | File access is unavailable but database access exists | Advanced database knowledge; host or developer help recommended |
1. Use WordPress Recovery Mode when it is offered
After WordPress detects a fatal PHP error during a normal page load, it may email the site administrator a Recovery Mode link. In that session, WordPress can pause the faulty plugin or theme, display an error notice, and let you deactivate or repair the component. Recovery Mode is temporary: after making the change, exit the session and verify the site in a normal browser session.
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If no message arrives, check the administrator address and spam folder. Recovery Mode is not guaranteed for every failure, so continue to the file-based method if you cannot use it.
Rank #3
2. Rename the plugins folder with FTP or a hosting file manager
This documented fallback disables all regular plugins when the administration menus cannot be reached.
- Open your WordPress installation with FTP or your hosting control panel’s file manager.
- Enter the
wp-contentdirectory. - Rename the folder named
pluginsto a temporary name such asplugins.hold. - Try signing in to the WordPress dashboard. WordPress treats the original folder as missing and deactivates the plugins.
- Once you regain access, rename
plugins.holdback toplugins. - Return to Plugins > Installed Plugins and reactivate plugins individually while testing the site.
Renaming the folder preserves plugin files and settings; it does not uninstall anything. Because every regular plugin is disabled together, visitor-facing features that depend on them may be unavailable until you restore and selectively reactivate them.
3. Use phpMyAdmin only as an advanced fallback
WordPress also documents changing the active_plugins option in the site’s options table. Set its value to a:0:{} to deactivate all regular plugins. The table may not be named wp_options; many installations use a custom prefix.
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Database edits can affect site configuration and are easy to misapply. If you are unfamiliar with phpMyAdmin, ask your hosting provider or a WordPress developer to perform or supervise this change. After access is restored, reactivate plugins one at a time from the dashboard.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Important limitations and access checks
Must-use plugins are different
Must-use plugins are automatically enabled and normally live in wp-content/mu-plugins. They do not appear in the standard Installed Plugins list, so the regular Deactivate link cannot turn them off. Managing one generally requires server access and an understanding of how that installation loads must-use code.
Your account may not have plugin-management permission
WordPress roles and capabilities control access to plugin administration. If the Plugins menu or its controls are missing, confirm that you are using an account allowed to manage plugins and check whether the site configuration or hosting setup limits that capability. A missing control is not evidence that the plugin is inactive.
Broad deactivation can hide the symptom
Disabling every plugin is useful for restoring access or confirming that a plugin is involved, but it changes the site for visitors. Record which plugins were active, restore the folder name promptly, and test each plugin separately rather than leaving the whole site without its normal functionality.
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A practical recovery sequence
- Dashboard available: deactivate the suspected plugin and test.
- Cause uncertain: reactivate as appropriate and repeat one plugin at a time.
- Fatal-error email received: use Recovery Mode to pause the named component, then verify outside the recovery session.
- No dashboard and no usable Recovery Mode: rename
wp-content/pluginsthrough FTP or the hosting file manager. - No file access: have a qualified person edit
active_pluginsin phpMyAdmin. - After recovery: restore the folder name if changed, reactivate plugins individually, and consult the plugin author’s compatibility or troubleshooting guidance before turning a suspected plugin back on.
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