You can rename the WordPress plugins folder as a quick way to deactivate all plugins. This technique is typically used when a site is crashing, and you need to determine whether a plugin is causing the issue. If you rename the plugins folder and the site becomes accessible, you know the issue is probably due to a plugin. You can then restore the plugins one-by-one until you narrow down the specific plugin.
Instructions
- Backup your WordPress website
Always make a backup before modifying system files. See How to build a good backup strategy for your WordPress website.
- Make a note of which plugins are activated right now.
If you later revert the folder back to “plugins”, all plugins will be deactivated. You will need to manually activate each one. If you want to restore to exactly the same state, make a note of which ones are activated or deactivated.
- Connect to your WordPress files with a file browser or SFTP/FTP client
- Once connected, navigate to the wp-content folder
- Look for the plugins folder inside wp-content
- Rename the plugins folder to something else
WordPress will automatically disable all plugins when it cannot find the
pluginsfolder. To keep the folder nearby, rename it to something likeplugins.oldorplugins.deactivated. - To restore, rename the folder back to plugins
All plugins will be disabled, and you will need to reactivate each one manually.
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