If you are a WordPress user, you may face a situation where you are unable to access the WordPress dashboard or login to WordPress. This can happen due to several reasons, but one common reason is a plugin that is not working with the theme and preventing you from accessing the dashboard. In this article, we will discuss how to fix this issue by checking and deactivating the problematic plugin.
Understanding the Issue
When you are unable to access the WordPress dashboard, it means that you cannot perform any administrative tasks or update your website. This can be frustrating, especially if you have urgent updates or maintenance to perform. In most cases, the issue arises due to a plugin conflict.
Plugins are an essential part of WordPress, and they add functionality and features to your website. However, not all plugins are compatible with your theme, and they can cause conflicts that prevent you from accessing the dashboard. When this happens, you need to identify the problematic plugin and deactivate it.
Steps to Fix the Issue
Here are the steps you can take to fix the issue of being unable to access the WordPress dashboard due to a plugin:
Step 1: Check Your Website
The first step is to check your website to see if it is down for everyone or just for you. You can use a website like IsItDownRightNow to check if your website is down. If your website is down, then you need to contact your hosting provider to resolve the issue.
Step 2: Disable All Plugins
If your website is up and running, the next step is to disable all plugins. You can do this by accessing your website files through an FTP client like FileZilla. Once you access your website files, go to the wp-content folder and rename the plugins folder to something else, like plugins_old. This will deactivate all plugins on your website.
Step 3: Check Your Website Again
After disabling all plugins, check your website again to see if you can access the WordPress dashboard. If you can access the dashboard, then the issue is with one of the plugins. If you still cannot access the dashboard, then the issue is with your theme or something else.
Step 4: Activate Plugins One by One
If the issue is with a plugin, then you need to activate your plugins one by one to identify the problematic plugin. Start by renaming the plugins_old folder back to plugins. Then, activate one plugin and check if you can access the dashboard. Repeat this process for all plugins until you find the plugin that is causing the issue.
Step 5: Deactivate the Problematic Plugin
Once you identify the problematic plugin, deactivate it. You can do this by renaming the plugin folder to something else, like plugin_old. This will prevent the plugin from running on your website.
Step 6: Contact the Plugin Developer
If you identify a problematic plugin, you should contact the plugin developer to report the issue. This will help the developer to fix the issue and prevent other users from facing the same problem.
There are two commonly used methods to deactivate plugins without accessing the admin area of your WordPress website. You can choose the method that looks easier.
Method 1. Deactivate All WordPress Plugins Using FTP
Method 2. Deactivate All Plugins Using phpMyAdmin
In this article, we will discuss two commonly used methods to deactivate plugins without accessing the admin area of your WordPress website.
Method 1: Deactivate All WordPress Plugins Using FTP
FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is a standard network protocol used to transfer files from one host to another over a TCP-based network. It is commonly used by web developers and administrators to upload or download files from their website server.
To deactivate all WordPress plugins using FTP, follow these steps:
Step 1: Connect to Your Website via FTP
To connect to your website via FTP, you need to have FTP client software installed on your computer. There are many FTP clients available, but we recommend using FileZilla, a free and open-source FTP client.
Once you have installed and launched FileZilla, enter your website's FTP credentials (hostname, username, password, and port) to connect to your website server.
Step 2: Access the WordPress Plugin Folder
Once you have connected to your website server via FTP, navigate to the WordPress installation directory. Usually, the WordPress files are located in the public_html directory, but this may vary depending on your website setup.
Once you have located the WordPress installation directory, navigate to the wp-content folder, which contains all the WordPress plugins and themes.
Step 3: Rename the Plugins Folder
To deactivate all WordPress plugins, you need to rename the plugins folder. Right-click on the plugins folder and select the Rename option. Change the name of the folder to something like plugins_old or plugins_disabled.
This will deactivate all the plugins installed on your WordPress website.
Step 4: Check if Your Website is Working Properly
After deactivating all WordPress plugins, check if your website is working properly. If your website is working fine, it means that the issue or conflict was caused by one of the plugins.
You can now rename the plugins folder back to its original name and activate the plugins one by one to identify the problematic plugin.
Method 2: Deactivate All Plugins Using phpMyAdmin
phpMyAdmin is a free and open-source tool written in PHP that is used to manage MySQL and MariaDB databases through a web interface. It is commonly used by web developers and administrators to perform database operations such as creating, modifying, and deleting tables and fields.
To deactivate all WordPress plugins using phpMyAdmin, follow these steps:
Step 1: Access phpMyAdmin
To access phpMyAdmin, you need to have access to your website's cPanel or hosting control panel. Login to your cPanel or hosting control panel and navigate to the Databases section.
Click on phpMyAdmin to launch the tool.
Step 2: Select Your WordPress Database
Once you have launched phpMyAdmin, select your WordPress database from the list of databases on the left-hand side.
Step 3: Deactivate All WordPress Plugins
To deactivate all WordPress plugins, click on the wp_options table in your WordPress database.
Next, find the active_plugins row and click on the Edit button.
Change the option_value field to a:0:{} and click on the Go button to save the changes.
This will deactivate all the plugins installed on your WordPress website.
Step 4: Check if Your Website is Working Properly
After deactivating all WordPress plugins, check if your website is working properly. If your website is working fine, it means that the issue or conflict was caused
Conclusion
In conclusion, if you are unable to access the WordPress dashboard due to a plugin, you need to follow the steps outlined in this article. By disabling all plugins, checking your website, activating plugins one by one, and deactivating the problematic plugin, you can fix the issue and access your dashboard. Remember to contact the plugin developer if you identify a problematic plugin.
FAQs
1. What causes the issue of being unable to access the WordPress dashboard?
The issue can be caused by several factors, including a plugin conflict, theme conflict, server issue, or other factors.
