{"id":9770,"date":"2026-06-07T14:21:40","date_gmt":"2026-06-07T12:21:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/?post_type=manual_kb&#038;p=9770"},"modified":"2026-06-07T14:21:41","modified_gmt":"2026-06-07T12:21:41","slug":"wordpress-optimization-removing-transients","status":"publish","type":"manual_kb","link":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/wordpress-optimization-removing-transients\/","title":{"rendered":"WordPress Optimization \u2013 Removing Transients"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"translation-block translation-block-merged\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While WordPress is running, it stores temporary information in the database known as <strong>transients<\/strong>. These records are used by WordPress core, themes, and plugins to temporarily cache data and improve performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Over time, expired or unused transients can accumulate in the database, increasing its size unnecessarily and potentially affecting performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div id=\"mybox-3740519149\" 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\">This guide explains how to identify transient records stored in your WordPress database.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Important<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This guide is intended for users who are comfortable working with databases. Before executing any SQL commands, create a database backup. If a command is entered incorrectly, you may need to restore your database from the backup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After making changes, always verify that your website is functioning correctly.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\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-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/wordpress-optimization-removing-transients\/#Access_phpMyAdmin\" >Access phpMyAdmin<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/wordpress-optimization-removing-transients\/#Log_In_to_the_Database\" >Log In to the Database<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/wordpress-optimization-removing-transients\/#Open_the_SQL_Tab\" >Open the SQL Tab<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/wordpress-optimization-removing-transients\/#Find_Autoloaded_Transients\" >Find Autoloaded Transients<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/wordpress-optimization-removing-transients\/#Understanding_the_Results\" >Understanding the Results<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/wordpress-optimization-removing-transients\/#Why_Remove_Expired_Transients\" >Why Remove Expired Transients?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/wordpress-optimization-removing-transients\/#Alternative_Method\" >Alternative Method<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/wordpress-optimization-removing-transients\/#Summary\" >Summary<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Access_phpMyAdmin\"><\/span>Access phpMyAdmin<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Log in to the mybox Panel.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Navigate to:<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>Databases\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"3\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Click:<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>phpMyAdmin\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A new browser tab will open with the database login screen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Log_In_to_the_Database\"><\/span>Log In to the Database<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Use the database credentials associated with your WordPress website:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Database name<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Database username<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Database password<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you do not know these details, you can find them in the <code>wp-config.php<\/code> file located in the root directory of your WordPress installation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Example entries:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>define('DB_NAME', 'database_name');\ndefine('DB_USER', 'database_user');\ndefine('DB_PASSWORD', 'database_password');\ndefine('DB_HOST', 'database_host');\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <code>wp-config.php<\/code> file is usually located in:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>public_html\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Open_the_SQL_Tab\"><\/span>Open the SQL Tab<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After logging in:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Select your WordPress database from the left-hand menu.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Click the:<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>SQL\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">tab at the top of the page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This will open the SQL query editor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Find_Autoloaded_Transients\"><\/span>Find Autoloaded Transients<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To display transient entries currently stored in the database, execute the following query:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>SELECT *\nFROM `wp_options`\nWHERE `autoload` = 'yes'\nAND `option_name` LIKE '%transient%'\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Click:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>Execute\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">to run the query.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Understanding_the_Results\"><\/span>Understanding the Results<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The query will display records from the <code>wp_options<\/code> table where:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The option is loaded automatically by WordPress.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The option name contains the word <code>transient<\/code>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These entries are temporary cached values created by:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>WordPress core<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Plugins<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Themes<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>E-commerce extensions<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Session management systems<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A large number of transients may indicate:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Expired cache entries.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Plugins that do not clean up temporary data correctly.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Excessive database growth.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_Remove_Expired_Transients\"><\/span>Why Remove Expired Transients?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cleaning expired transients can provide several benefits:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Reduced database size.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Faster database queries.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Improved WordPress performance.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Reduced overhead during backups.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Better overall website responsiveness.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Alternative_Method\"><\/span>Alternative Method<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you are not comfortable working directly with SQL queries, you can use WordPress optimization plugins that include transient cleanup functionality, such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>WP-Optimize<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Advanced Database Cleaner<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>LiteSpeed Cache<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>WP Rocket<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These tools can automatically remove expired transient records without requiring manual SQL commands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Summary\"><\/span>Summary<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Transients are temporary records stored by WordPress and plugins to improve performance. Over time, these entries can accumulate and increase database size.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To identify transient records manually:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Log in to phpMyAdmin.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Select your WordPress database.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Open the SQL tab.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Run:<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>SELECT *\nFROM `wp_options`\nWHERE `autoload` = 'yes'\nAND `option_name` LIKE '%transient%'\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before making any database modifications, always create a backup and verify that your website continues to function correctly after the cleanup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","manualknowledgebasecat":[58],"manual_kb_tag":[190,389,2146,2147,4845,4846,4847,4848,4849,4850],"class_list":["post-9770","manual_kb","type-manual_kb","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","manualknowledgebasecat-web-applications-cms","manual_kb_tag-wordpress","manual_kb_tag-database-backup","manual_kb_tag-phpmyadmin","manual_kb_tag-database-optimization","manual_kb_tag-transients","manual_kb_tag-expired-transients","manual_kb_tag-transient-cleanup","manual_kb_tag-autoloaded-transients","manual_kb_tag-database-transients","manual_kb_tag-options-table"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb\/9770","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":1,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb\/9770\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9771,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb\/9770\/revisions\/9771"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9770"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"manualknowledgebasecat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manualknowledgebasecat?post=9770"},{"taxonomy":"manual_kb_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb_tag?post=9770"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}