How do I manually delete a WordPress installation?
We recommend deleting all unnecessary WordPress installations as they can become outdated and vulnerable to hackers. Follow the steps below to delete a WordPress installation manually.
- Step 1 - Create a backup
- Step 2 - Delete the WordPress installation from your web space
- Step 3 - Remove WordPress from your database
- Step 4 - That’s it!
Note: If you installed WordPress with our 1-click-installation tool, you can delete it easily through the one.com Control Panel. Read our guide: How do I delete a 1-click WordPress installation?
Step 1 - Create a backup
Before you start, create a backup of your WordPress. It will allow you to restore your website if needed. There are various methods for creating a backup, and you can refer to one of these guides for assistance:
- Using the one.com File Manager: Backup your web space with File Manager
- Using SFTP: Backup your web space via SFTP
- Using Backup & Restore: Getting started with Backup & Restore
Step 2 - Delete the WordPress installation from your web space
Note: If your WordPress is located in a subdomain, check our guide for how to find its directory in File Manager: How to create a subdomain manually?
You can remove WordPress manually using the one.com File Manager via your Control Panel or an SFTP client. Here’s how to do it with the File Manager:
- Go to Files & Security > File Manager in your Control Panel.
You can also access your File Manager via the direct link: https://filemanager.one.com - Open the directory where your WordPress files are stored.
- Open the wp-config.php file.
- Locate the following entry to find your specific table prefix:
$table_prefix = 'wp_';
-
Copy and paste your table prefix into a Word document or .txt file. You will need this information later.
Note: The default database table prefix for WordPress is wp_, but your prefix might be different.
- Go to the root directory or the directory containing your WordPress files.
-
Select all files connected to the specific WordPress installation you want to delete.
Note: If your WordPress installation is in a subfolder, simply delete the folder that contains all of the files.
- Click Delete at the top right.
Step 3 - Remove WordPress from your database
After removing WordPress files from your web space, you need to delete the WordPress data from your database.
- First, follow this guide to create a backup of your database: How do I make a backup of my database?
-
Make sure you have the table prefix which you retrieved in Step 2.3.
Note: When dropping tables, only do so for those with the same prefix, especially when using a single database for multiple WordPress websites.
- Then follow our separate guide for detailed instructions: How do I delete tables from my database?
Step 4 - That’s it!
That’s all! You have now successfully deleted your WordPress installation from your web space and the database.
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