{"id":586,"date":"2025-12-28T09:20:14","date_gmt":"2025-12-28T08:20:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/?post_type=manual_kb&#038;p=586"},"modified":"2026-02-16T13:24:03","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T12:24:03","slug":"how-to-disable-plugins-on-a-wordpress-based-website","status":"publish","type":"manual_kb","link":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/how-to-disable-plugins-on-a-wordpress-based-website\/","title":{"rendered":"How to disable plugins on a WordPress-based website?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"translation-block translation-block-merged\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sometimes an incorrectly performed update or a conflict caused by incompatibility of plugins or a template can cause a website based on the <strong><em>&#8220;WordPress&#8221;<\/em><\/strong> CMS to not work properly. One of the first actions you can take is to disable all plugins, with the chance that the troublesome one will be disabled then as well. But how to do it when the website and the backend are not responding? Below you will find two methods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_86 ez-toc-wrap-left counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/how-to-disable-plugins-on-a-wordpress-based-website\/#Method_One_%E2%80%93_FTP\" >Method One &#8211; FTP<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/how-to-disable-plugins-on-a-wordpress-based-website\/#Method_Two_%E2%80%93_Database_%E2%80%93_phpMyAdmin\" >Method Two &#8211; Database &#8211; phpMyAdmin<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Method_One_%E2%80%93_FTP\"><\/span>Method One &#8211; FTP<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Log in to your FTP account (<a href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/winscp-configuration\/\">HERE<\/a> you will find a guide on how to do it with WinSCP), then go to the directory where your website based on CMS <strong><em>&#8220;WordPress&#8221;<\/em><\/strong> is located. Next, open the site directory (by default, this is <strong>public_html<\/strong>), go to the <strong>wp-content<\/strong> directory, and by right-clicking on the name of the <strong>plugins<\/strong> directory, select the Rename \/ Rename option.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"547\" height=\"338\" src=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-268.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4535\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-268.png 547w, https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-268-300x185.png 300w, https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-268-18x12.png 18w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 547px) 100vw, 547px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<div id=\"mybox-1008097961\" class=\"mybox-content mybox-entity-placement\"><div class=\"early-access-banner-inpost\">\r\n  <div class=\"banner-left-inpost\">\r\n    <div class=\"icon-box-inpost\">\r\n      <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/square-info-icon.svg\" alt=\"Info\">\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"text-box-inpost\">\r\n      <span class=\"label-inpost\"><span class=\"translation-block translation-block-banner-text\">Early access<\/span><\/span>\r\n      <h4><span class=\"translation-block translation-block-banner-text\">Still need help?<\/span><\/h4>\r\n      <p><span class=\"translation-block translation-block-banner-text\">Contact our customer service team.<\/span><\/p>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <div class=\"banner-right-inpost\">\r\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/panel.mybox.com\/helpdesk2\/v\/list\/\" class=\"banner-button-inpost\"><span class=\"translation-block translation-block-banner-text\">Message us<\/span><\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"translation-block translation-block-merged\"><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In our example, the name has been changed from <strong>plugins<\/strong> to <strong>plugins.deactivate<\/strong>. Such an action made it impossible for <strong><em>&#8220;WordPress&#8221; <\/em><\/strong>to find the directory containing the plugins and thus consider them inactive. You can now check if you will be able to log in to the backend of the website.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"549\" height=\"340\" src=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-269.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4536\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-269.png 549w, https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-269-300x186.png 300w, https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-269-18x12.png 18w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 549px) 100vw, 549px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"translation-block translation-block-merged\">\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Remark! Remember to either revert to the original name or create an empty directory called <strong>plugins<\/strong> when you&#8217;re done, which will allow you to install the plugins again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Method_Two_%E2%80%93_Database_%E2%80%93_phpMyAdmin\"><\/span>Method Two &#8211; Database &#8211; phpMyAdmin<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>1.<\/strong> Log in to the <strong><em>&#8220;phpMyAdmin&#8221;<\/em><\/strong> panel to the database associated with your website based on <strong><em>the &#8220;WordPress&#8221;<\/em><\/strong> CMS.If necessary, <a href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/access-to-the-database-via-phpmyadmin\/\">HERE<\/a> you will find information on where to find this option in <strong>the myBox panel<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"220\" height=\"594\" src=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-270.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4543\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-270.png 220w, https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-270-111x300.png 111w, https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-270-4x12.png 4w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 220px) 100vw, 220px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"translation-block translation-block-merged\">\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>2.<\/strong> After logging in, find the ones called <strong>wp_options<\/strong> in the list of tables associated with your website and click on its name to open the table content view.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"674\" height=\"245\" src=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-271.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4546\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-271.png 674w, https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-271-300x109.png 300w, https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-271-18x7.png 18w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 674px) 100vw, 674px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"translation-block translation-block-merged\">\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>3.<\/strong> In the column specified as <strong>option_name<\/strong>, find <strong>the active_plugins <\/strong>item and click on the <strong><em>&#8220;Edit&#8221;<\/em><\/strong> link located on the left. By default, in the value column in the option_value section, you&#8217;ll see a list of currently active plugins. Select them, keep this value in Notepad if necessary, and then delete it.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"830\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-272.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4548\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-272.png 830w, https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-272-300x145.png 300w, https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-272-768x370.png 768w, https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-272-18x9.png 18w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 830px) 100vw, 830px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"translation-block translation-block-merged\">\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>4.<\/strong> Enter <strong>the value a:0:{}<\/strong> in the currently empty field and click the <strong><em>&#8220;Execute\/Go&#8221;<\/em><\/strong> button located in the bottom right corner of the page.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"535\" src=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-274.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4554\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-274.png 1024w, https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-274-300x157.png 300w, https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-274-768x401.png 768w, https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-274-18x9.png 18w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"translation-block translation-block-merged\">\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The plugins have been disabled and if it was one of them that made it impossible to log in to the backend of the site, now this action should be possible.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","manualknowledgebasecat":[25,58],"manual_kb_tag":[190,545,551,1603,2146,2338,2883,2884,2885,2886],"class_list":["post-586","manual_kb","type-manual_kb","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","manualknowledgebasecat-hosting","manualknowledgebasecat-web-applications-cms","manual_kb_tag-wordpress","manual_kb_tag-wordpress-troubleshooting","manual_kb_tag-disable-plugins","manual_kb_tag-deactivate-plugins","manual_kb_tag-phpmyadmin","manual_kb_tag-public_html-directory","manual_kb_tag-wordpress-plugin-conflict","manual_kb_tag-wordpress-backend-access","manual_kb_tag-rename-plugins-directory","manual_kb_tag-wordpress-content-directory"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb\/586","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/manual_kb"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb\/586\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4555,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb\/586\/revisions\/4555"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=586"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"manualknowledgebasecat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manualknowledgebasecat?post=586"},{"taxonomy":"manual_kb_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb_tag?post=586"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}