How Do Plugins Break WP-Admin?
Most of the time, developers are conscious about coding issues when creating a plugin or a theme. Unfortunately, not everyone is perfect. Sometimes even the slightest of changes in code can cause severe issues. This can lead to a site becoming unstable and unable to function correctly.
This usually happens when a plugin on your website is creating problems for you to logging into your admin area or When you see the blank white screen on WordPress website which is also called white screen of death. If you’re experiencing an issue on your site which prevents you from accessing your WordPress dashboard, a common diagnostic step is to disable all the plugins on your site. But because you can’t access your dashboard to disable them, you’ll need to manually connect to your site via FTP and disable the plugins that way.
Method 1: Using FileZilla to Disable All Plugins
First, we’ll look at what you can do using FileZilla. This is a free File Transfer Protocol application, or FTP, and is very useful to have when troubleshooting website issues.
To use this program to disable all plugins:
Go to the FileZilla.org website and install the newest version, if you don’t have it already.
NOTE: This application is available for Windows 64 and 32 bit for Vista and up, OS X 10.7 or better and Linux.
Open FileZilla and input the credentials for accessing the root folder of your website.
Once you’ve accessed the root folder of WordPress, find and access the directory labeled, “wp-content.”
Find the directory labeled, “plugins.” Right-click this folder and then click the “Rename” option near the bottom of the list.
Rename the folder, “plugins.deactivate.”
This removes the folder from being accessible by WordPress which will allow user access to the admin panel. Open your browser and go into the admin screen for your website. WordPress will automatically remove all the plugins from operation.
Once you log into the admin screen, go back to your FileZilla application.
Rename the folder back to, “plugins”. This will add the list of plugins back into WordPress without being enabled.
Activate each plugin one-by-one while testing the site each time.
Once you come to the plugin that is crashing the site, follow steps 4 through 8.
Log into the admin panel and then delete the faulty plugin from WordPress.
This is one of the easier methods as it doesn’t require a great deal of effort other than renaming a folder. If you suspect a theme is causing the issues, you can follow the same steps above for the “themes” directory within wp-content.
Method 2: Using cPanel’s File Manager
FileZilla isn’t the only way to access the root folder of WordPress. If you have access to cPanel, the directory can be accessible without installing new applications. This may be a more convenient method as it can be done from just about any browser with Internet connection.
To use cPanel to disable all plugins:
Access your cPanel dashboard provided by the web host.
Find the link for “File Manager.” This is accessible in the “Files” area of cPanel. Once you click the link, File Manager will launch.
NOTE: Older versions of cPanel will ask for the website you’re accessing. Select the appropriate domain. Otherwise, you will need to access the correct site by opening the “public_html” folder in File Manager.
Locate and access the folder for “wp-content.”
Right-click the folder for “plugins” and click the option to “Rename.”
A new window will appear asking you for the new file name. Input, “plugins.deactivate” and click the rename file button.
Access your WordPress admin dashboard.
Go back to the cPanel tab and rename the folder back to, “plugins.”
Return to the WordPress admin dashboard and activate your plugins one-by-one until the site breaks again.
Follow steps 4 through 7.
Go back to your admin panel and delete the faulty plugin from WordPress.
Once this is done, you can simply close the cPanel browser window. This is a preferred method by many simply because it can be accessed from any computer as long as you have your cPanel’s URL and login credentials. If you’re at a public computer, just make sure you don’t accidentally save the password to the browser if it asks you to do so.
Method 3: Using phpMyAdmin
Using phpMyAdmin gives you access to all the data stored for WordPress. This is perhaps the most difficult method in this list and requires a bit of finesse. However, it’s an option should the above methods be unrealistic for your specific situation.
To use phpMyAdmin to disable plugins:
Access your cPanel dashboard.
Click the link for phpMyAdmin. It will be in the Databases section.
Locate the database you wish to edit in the left window and click the “+” sign to expand it.
Find and click the table labeled, “wp_options.”
Find the option for, “active_plugins.”
NOTE: This will be displayed in the option_name column. You may have to sort by name and browse through the pages of rows to find it.
Click the “Edit” link on the left side of the active_plugins option.
You will see a large text window filled with various characters and plugin names in the “option_value” area.
Delete all of the text within this field and replace it with:
a:0:{}
Click the “Go” button below the field to save.
This will cause all of the plugins within WordPress to become deactivated. Now, you can simple activate each one individually until you come across the plugin that breaks the site. Once that happens, follow the steps above. This time, just delete the plugin that is causing the problem.
