How to disable WordPress plugins without logging in

This guide shows how to turn off WordPress plugins from cPanel when a broken plugin has locked you out of the dashboard, and how to work out which plugin caused it.

When you need this

A plugin update or a clash between plugins can stop WordPress loading. You might see a blank page, a “critical error” message, a login page that loops, or a dashboard that never finishes loading. Since you can’t reach Plugins in WordPress, you turn them off from cPanel instead.

Turning a plugin off doesn’t delete it or its settings. When you switch it back on, it carries on where it left off.

Option 1: use WP Toolkit

WP Toolkit can switch plugins on and off without logging in to WordPress.

1. Log in to cPanel. See how to log in to cPanel.
2. Open WP Toolkit (it may be listed as WordPress Management).
3. Find your site and expand its card.
4. Open the Plugins tab.
5. Use the switch next to a plugin to deactivate it. You can turn off the one you think is to blame, or all of them.
6. Reload your website in a private browser window to see if it works.

If WP Toolkit can’t read the site because of the error, use the File Manager method below.

Option 2: rename the plugins folder

WordPress can only load plugins it can find. If the folder has a different name, every plugin is switched off.

1. In cPanel, open File Manager.
2. Go to the folder your site is in, usually public_html, then open wp-content.
3. Right-click the plugins folder and choose Rename.
4. Change the name to plugins-disabled and click Rename File.
5. Load your site. If it now works, a plugin was the problem.

Next, put the folder back so you can find which plugin it was.

1. Rename plugins-disabled back to plugins.
2. Log in to WordPress. Your plugins will all show as inactive.

Find the faulty plugin

1. In WordPress, go to Plugins, then Installed Plugins.
2. Activate one plugin.
3. Check the front of your site and the dashboard.
4. Repeat, one plugin at a time, until the problem comes back. The last plugin you turned on is the faulty one.
5. Deactivate it again. If that locks you out, open wp-content/plugins in File Manager and rename just that plugin’s folder, for example from contact-widget to contact-widget-off.

Once you know which plugin it is, check for an update, roll back to an earlier version, or replace it with another plugin. The developer’s support page may already mention the fault. Turning on debugging can also show the error message and file name. See how to turn on WordPress debug mode.

If you’d rather skip the trial and error, restoring the site from a backup taken before the update is another route. See how to restore a backup with JetBackup.

Switch theme the same way

If no plugin is to blame, the active theme might be. You can change it without logging in too.

With WP Toolkit: open your site’s card, go to the Themes tab and activate a default WordPress theme, such as one of the “Twenty” themes.

With File Manager:

1. Open wp-content/themes.
2. Make sure at least one default WordPress theme folder is present, such as twentytwentyfive.
3. Rename the folder of your active theme, for example mytheme to mytheme-off.
4. Load your site. WordPress should fall back to a default theme.

Rename the folder back when you’re done testing. Your theme settings and widgets stay in the database, though some may need placing again.

If it doesn’t work

• The site still breaks with every plugin off. Try the theme step above. Also check the PHP version, as a recent change can break older code. See how to change your PHP version.
• You see “Error establishing a database connection”. That isn’t a plugin issue. See how to fix error establishing a database connection.
• A “must use” plugin is still running. Plugins in wp-content/mu-plugins load even with the main folder renamed. Rename that folder too while you test.
• You can’t see the folders. In File Manager, check you are inside the right site’s folder. Addon domains often have their own folder outside public_html.

Related guides

• How to fix the white screen of death
• How to update WordPress themes and plugins
• How to find error logs in cPanel

Still stuck? Open a support ticket and we’ll help.