Deactivate a plugin to stop its normal operation, and delete it only when you no longer need its code or have completed a planned replacement. Deactivation and deletion can have different effects on settings, stored submissions and other plugin data.
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What should I check before deactivating a plugin?
Identify the features it supplies, such as forms, shortcodes, payment gateways or page layouts. Export important records and read the developer's uninstall policy. Some plugins preserve settings after deletion; others run an uninstall routine that removes data. Do not assume that every plugin follows the same rule.
For a replacement, configure and test the new solution before removing the old one. Take a files-and-database backup when losing the plugin's data would be significant.
01 Deactivate first
- Open Plugins > Installed Plugins and locate the exact plugin.
- Select Deactivate. A network-activated Multisite plugin must be managed by the network administrator.
- Test affected pages and workflows. Look for missing forms, visible shortcodes, disabled checkout methods or broken layouts.
- If the result is wrong, reactivate the plugin and investigate the dependency before proceeding.
02 Delete when the review is complete
Use Delete for the inactive plugin and read the confirmation. Keep exported data, licence information and any custom modifications you may need. A fresh installation later may not restore data removed by an uninstall routine.
03 Verify and troubleshoot
Check the public site while signed out and clear relevant caches. Review scheduled tasks or external integrations using the plugin's own documented cleanup process rather than deleting similarly named database rows manually.
If WordPress will not load after a plugin change, keep the error text and use recovery mode or request assistance with a targeted file-level disable. Do not delete several plugin folders at once. Removing a plugin because it appears vulnerable also requires checking whether the website was already compromised; uninstalling code alone is not a complete incident investigation.