How To Disable WordPress Plugins Via phpMyAdmin

Disabling WordPress plugins via phpMyAdmin involves making changes to your WordPress database directly. This method should only be used if you’re comfortable working with databases and have a backup of your website in case anything goes wrong. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to disable plugins using phpMyAdmin:

Important: Before proceeding, make sure you have a full backup of your website and database.

1. Access phpMyAdmin:
   • Log in to your web hosting control panel.
   • Locate the phpMyAdmin tool and access it. This might be in your hosting dashboard under a section related to databases.
2. Select the WordPress Database:
   • In phpMyAdmin, find the list of databases on the left-hand side.
   • Select the database that corresponds to your WordPress website.
3. Browse the wp_options Table:
   • Inside your WordPress database, look for the wp_options table (the table prefix “wp_” might be different if you’ve changed it during installation).
   • Click on the wp_options table to browse its contents.
4. Locate the Active Plugins:
   • Look for rows with the option_name field containing "active_plugins".
   • Click on the “Browse” button next to this row to view its content.
5. Edit the active_plugins Value:
   • In the option_value column of the active_plugins row, you’ll find a serialized array of active plugins.
   • Copy the value to a text editor and save it as a backup.
   • Now, clear the value in the option_value column. This effectively disables all plugins.
6. Reactivate Required Plugins (Optional):
   • After disabling all plugins, you can reactivate the ones you want to keep.
   • In the serialized array you copied earlier, locate the plugins you want to keep, and add their paths back into the array.
7. Save Changes:
   • Once you’ve edited the active_plugins value, click the “Go” button to save the changes.
8. Clear Caches (If Needed):
   • Clear any caching mechanisms you might be using, as they might still reference the old plugin settings.
9. Check Your Website:
   • Go to your WordPress website and check if the plugins have been disabled.