With so many WordPress plugins and themes available, there are bound to be some that cause problems for your website. Sometimes certain plugins can’t be uninstalled and will interfere with others. The good thing about WordPress is that it’s very easy to reset and remove unwanted plugins.
And, this is an effective way of getting rid of any problems or plugins that are causing problems with your WordPress installation. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to reset WordPress in an effective way.
Why Reset WordPress Theme To Default?
If you are not using a custom logo or any other custom settings in your WordPress settings, it is recommended that you reset the site to its default (or ‘out-of-the-box’) state. This is because some plugins and themes may not work properly if they are using custom settings. For example, if you have installed a plugin that adds custom settings, but none of them are set, then it will not be found by WordPress and thus will not work properly.
In addition to this, most theme developers provide their own stylesheets, which contain all of the PHP codes that determine how the theme looks on your site. If these files contain any customizations made by the developer, they will not be included in the theme package when you download them from ThemeForest or similar sites. So, when you want to use these themes with your own version of WordPress, it is essential to reset your website back to default settings before installing it so that everything works as expected.
There are also some other reasons why you’ll want to reset your WordPress website to default:
- You want to make sure your site is secure and up-to-date.
- Your website has been hacked, and you want to restore it to its original setting.
- You’ve decided to restore the last version of your site and don’t want any customization settings or plugins added.
- You want to fix a problem with your website, such as a broken theme or plugin.
- The last reason is to set up your website from scratch, which will give you more control over the way it looks and feels.
How To Reset Your WordPress (With and Without Plugin)
There are two ways to reset your WordPress site. One is using the built-in wp-reset command, and the other is using a plugin. By default, WordPress comes with the WP-DBManager plugin, which can be used to back up your database content and/or restore it from backups. In any case, you should back up your site before finally resetting it. After creating a backup for your WordPress website, you can move on to the main part.
1. Without Plugin
To reset your site without a plugin, you can use the ‘Manage WP’ page from your dashboard and click ‘Reset Everything’. This will clear all settings and data from your WordPress installation. Sometimes the steps are like the ones below for different control panels:
Step 1: Click on the ‘Settings’ icon at the top right corner of your blog screen.
Step 2: Scroll down and click on the ‘General’ tab.
Step 3: Next, click on “Reset Website”.
Excluding this process, you can also use the following commands in WordPress to reset the site:
- wp-reset.php – This command will delete all of your content and settings and then rebuild everything from scratch. This can be done if you are not comfortable with editing files manually.
- wp-admin/setup.php – This command will restore everything back to how it was before upgrading or installing any plugins or themes in your site. However, it does not delete or change any files or settings from within the WordPress administration area (i.e., Settings → General).
2. With Plugin
It is possible to reset the WordPress site with a plugin. But you need to ensure that the plugin you are using is not vulnerable to hacking. There are many plugins available for this purpose, but we recommend the following plugins:
- WP Resetter: It is a free plugin that allows you to reset your WordPress site back to its original state. It also allows you to restore all the data from your database. Besides, you can remove all the files from the server.
- WPSync: This is another free plugin that allows you to synchronize your WP website with any FTP server or network drive and reset it.
First, download any of the WP Reset Plugins from the plugins list of the WordPress dashboard. Then, open the plugin and click the reset option. It will take some to completely reset your WordPress.
How Can You Reset WordPress Multisite?
A WordPress multisite is a network of blogs that are hosted on the same server. You can create a multisite network by creating one site and adding additional sites. When you want to reset WordPress multisite, you’ll need to delete all of your posts and pages from the site, then install the latest version of WordPress from its official website.
Follow the step-by-step process below to reset WordPress multisite:
Step 1: Back up your site.
Step 2: Disable all plugins, themes, and services that you don’t need.
Step 3: Delete all files in your wp-content/uploads folder except for the wp-config-sample.php file, which is used by WordPress to store site information.
Step 4: Restore your backup (optional).
Step 5: Reinstall WordPress and activate it on your domain name server (DNS) and on the server where you have installed it.
When Not To Reset WordPress?
In case a WordPress site is not working properly, it’s best to troubleshoot the problem before you do a complete reset. Here are some situations when you shouldn’t immediately reset your WordPress website:
- You’re not sure what the problem is.
It’s possible that your site is fine and just needs a little maintenance. You can wait for a day or two and see if things get better. If they don’t, then you’ll know that it’s time for a complete reset.
- Your site is already down or broken.
Sometimes it’s better to try fixing the problem before you wipe out your entire site. If there are users on your site who need to access their data, then it is better to fix the issue first.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Happens If I Reset WordPress?
If you reset your WordPress, it will be like starting from scratch! All your themes and plugins will be deleted. In the same way, all your settings will be lost. Your entire site is wiped clean. There are many reasons why you may want to do this. Whatever the reason is, there’s no harm in trying it out! Just remember that all of your content and settings will be gone when you stop the process.
Is It Possible To Reset WordPress Without Losing Content?
No, you can’t reset WordPress without losing your content. If you want to reset your blog/website, then it’s a good idea to back up all posts (and other) data before doing so. You can also use the Backup and Restore plugin for WordPress to back up all content and settings of your website.
How To Reset WordPress Theme And Start Over?
When you want to start over on a new blog, you need to reset your WordPress theme. This will make your blog look fresh and new again. To reset your theme, log into your WordPress dashboard and go to Tools > Themes. Then, click the trash can icon next to the blog you wish to reset and click ‘Remove.’ After that, click the ‘Install’ button next to the new theme you’ve downloaded (or click ‘Activate’ if you’ve purchased it).
Conclusion
By now, you should know the importance of resetting your WordPress database and the increasing need to have a one-click option for doing so. Luckily, there are plug-ins available that simplify this process. We have provided several ways to achieve this, but it is always better to use a third-party plugin. In that case, we’ve listed some plugins in this article for you as well.