How to deactivate plugin when unable to access WP-Admin

Usually during the troubleshooting process, many websites will recommend that you deactivate all plugins and activate them one by one. The worst thing is that sometimes you are locked out of WordPress admin panel and cannot easily deactivate plugins.

In this article, TipsMake.com will show you how to deactivate all WordPress plugins when you cannot access wp-admin.

There are two methods to disable plugin. One requires you to use FTP and the other requires you to use phpMyAdmin.

Disable all plugins using FTP

In this method, you will need to use the FTP client or the host file manager.

First, you need to connect to your website using an FTP client or a file manager in cPanel. Once connected, you need to navigate to the / wp-content / directory.

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In the wp-content directory, you will see a folder called plugins. This is where WordPress stores all the plugins installed on the site.

Right-click on the plugins folder and select Rename. Change the name of the plugins directory to whatever you like. The example will call it 'plugins.deactivate'. When you do this, all plugins will be deactivated.

Typically, this method is used when you are locked out of your admin area. If the problem is rooted in the plugins, then you should now be able to log into your WordPress admin area.

Once that is done, go back to the / wp-content / directory and rename 'plugins.deactivate' back into plugins. Now, you can reactivate each plugin to know exactly which is causing the problem.

Disable all plugins with phpMyAdmin

The FTP method is certainly easier, but you can also deactivate all plugins using phpMyAdmin.

First, you will need to login to the web hosting control panel. The example showing you the cPanel dashboard and your dashboard may look different.

You will need to click on the phpMyAdmin icon in the Databases section .

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This will launch phpMyAdmin in a new browser window. You will need to select a WordPress database, if it is not already selected. You will then be able to see the WordPress database tables.

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As you can see, all tables in the database have a prefix wp_ before the table name. Your tables may have a different prefix.

You need to click on the wp_options table . In the wp_options table you will see different options rows. You will need to find the active_plugins option, and then click Edit next to it.

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On the next screen, you will need to change the option_value field to a: 0: {} and then click the Go button to save the changes.

That is all there is to it. You have successfully disabled all WordPress plugins using phpMyAdmin. If the plugin prevents you from accessing the WordPress admin area, then you can log back in now.