{"id":150596,"date":"2022-01-03T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-01-03T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/premium.wpmudev.org\/blog\/?p=150596"},"modified":"2022-01-17T13:36:27","modified_gmt":"2022-01-17T13:36:27","slug":"reset-wordpress-website","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/reset-wordpress-website\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Reset WordPress Websites Quickly (Including Multisite)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Life has no CTRL+Z<\/em>, but thankfully, your WordPress site does. Whether you want to test various themes and plugins quickly, or you just want to wipe the slate clean and start over, resetting your WordPress site is the way to go.<\/p>\n

Deleting WordPress and re-installing it is such a hassle. Why not hit the reset button instead and return it to how it was when you first installed it?<\/p>\n

In this post, I\u2019ll show you how to reset your WordPress site in a few simple steps.<\/p>\n

The second half of the tutorial will cover how easy it is to reset your WordPress site with a single-click on our Hosting<\/a>, even if it\u2019s a Multisite. This solution is particularly helpful for everyone, since the free reset plugins don\u2019t work with WordPress Multisite installations perfectly.<\/p>\n

Ready…Steady…Let\u2019s go.<\/p>\n

Still having trouble resetting your WordPress site after reading this post? Let our experts help! Big or small, our\u00a0<\/em>awesome support team<\/em><\/a> can help you with any WordPress issue \u2014 and\u00a0<\/em>for FREE<\/em><\/a>! Whether it\u2019s Monday lunchtime or peak party hours on the weekend, our team is available 24\/7.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Prefer a video instead? We have you covered.<\/p>\n

LN3Dr_bAzco<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

How WordPress Works<\/h3>\n

Before we discuss the solution, let\u2019s understand how WordPress works. You can, of course, skip this section and head to the solution right away, but I suggest you stay a bit.<\/p>\n

WordPress is a series of files on your server working in tandem with a database (MySQL or MariaDB) to store and retrieve information.<\/p>\n

\"An
The left side serves the right. The right side makes requests to the left.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By default, WordPress ties every installation to a single database on your web host. This database stores all the information of your WordPress site: settings, blog posts, pages, comments, usernames, passwords, links to files, where to find them, etc.<\/p>\n

It stores all this information as values under distinct tables in the database.<\/p>\n

Think of a database as a huge box with multiple books inside it, aka tables<\/em>. And each book stores particular information, like comments<\/em> or settings<\/em>. And each entry in the book is a value,\u00a0<\/em>like your username, email, etc.<\/p>\n

If you could reset all the tables in the database to their initial values, aka erase all the pages <\/em>of all your books<\/em>, you\u2019d be resetting your WordPress installation.<\/p>\n

But this won\u2019t delete the files you\u2019ve uploaded or downloaded to your WordPress site, such as media, themes, plugins, etc. However, most WordPress reset plugins provide an option to delete these files, either selectively or all of them.<\/p>\n

Now that you’ve understood the theory, let\u2019s move ahead with the practicals!<\/p>\n

How to Reset a WordPress Site (Standalone Installations)<\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. Install WP Reset Plugin<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. Go to\u00a0WP Reset\u00a0Dashboard<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. Hit the Reset Button<\/a><\/li>\n
  4. Cleaning Your Old WordPress Files<\/a><\/li>\n
  5. Delete Transients<\/a><\/li>\n
  6. Clean Uploads Folder<\/a><\/li>\n
  7. Reset Theme Options<\/a><\/li>\n
  8. Delete Themes<\/a><\/li>\n
  9. Delete Plugins<\/a><\/li>\n
  10. Empty or Delete Custom Tables<\/a><\/li>\n
  11. Delete\u00a0.htaccess\u00a0File<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Step 1: Install and Activate the\u00a0WP Reset\u00a0<\/em>Plugin<\/h3>\n

    The first step is to go to your WordPress Dashboard > Plugins > Add New<\/em>, search for WP Reset<\/em> plugin by WebFactory Ltd.<\/a>, and then click Install Now<\/em> and Activate<\/em> it.<\/p>\n

    \"WP
    You can also download and install the plugin manually.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    \"Screenshot
    Search for “WP Reset” in WordPress.org’s plugin repo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    If you\u2019re wondering why I chose this plugin over others, it\u2019s the highest-rated WordPress reset plugin with the most installs. It\u2019s well-supported by its developer with regular updates, and it\u2019s totally free!<\/p>\n

    Step 2: Go to\u00a0WP Reset\u00a0<\/em>Dashboard<\/h3>\n

    Next, go to Tools > WP Reset<\/em> to open the WP Reset<\/em> dashboard.<\/p>\n

    \"The<\/p>\n

    You\u2019ll see a warning here saying that resetting will delete all your site\u2019s posts, pages, custom post types, comments, media entries, users, and all the default WP database tables.<\/p>\n

    However, your media files, plugins, themes, any other uploads, your site\u2019s settings, the logged-in user’s account, they will all remain as is.<\/p>\n

    You should keep in mind that the media files will not show in your media library even after the reset, though they’ll still be present on your server. We\u2019ll cover how to delete them quickly later.<\/p>\n

    Step 3: Hit the Reset Button<\/h3>\n

    Scroll down to the last section in the WP Reset<\/em> dashboard called Reset<\/em>.<\/p>\n

    Now, before you type in \u201creset\u201d and hit the Reset WordPress<\/em> button, in the section above Reset<\/em>, you\u2019ll find the Post-reset actions<\/em> section.<\/p>\n

    Here, you can instruct WP Reset<\/em> to Reactivate the current theme<\/em> (off by default), Reactivate the WP Reset plugin<\/em> (on by default), and Reactivate all currently active plugins<\/em> (off by default).<\/p>\n

    I\u2019ll go with the default options, but if you plan to install the same theme and plugins later, and just want to reset all the other content, checking these options here will save you time later.<\/p>\n

    Warning:\u00a0<\/strong>You need to take note that this is 100% destructive. It will wipe out your current WordPress site completely, and there’s nothing you can do to get it back. THERE is NO UNDO!<\/em> Unless, you\u2019ve taken a backup of your site. If you haven\u2019t, I recommend it highly. You can use UpdraftPlus<\/a> or Snapshot Pro<\/a> to do the same.<\/p>\n

    3...2...1... Reset. And we\u2019re done. It\u2019s that simple!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Cleaning Your Old WordPress Files<\/h3>\n

    The Reset WordPress<\/em> button is great to restore your site\u2019s database to its initial condition. This ensures that your WordPress installation is back to its shiny new self. But it doesn\u2019t clear out all your site\u2019s old files.<\/p>\n

    To help you with performing a clean wipe, WP Reset<\/em> comes with additional Tools<\/em> in a separate tab.<\/p>\n

    Warning (Again):\u00a0<\/strong>WP Reset<\/em> is not a backup plugin. There is no CTRL+Z<\/em>. Proceed with extreme caution if you have taken no backups.<\/p>\n

    Delete Transients<\/h3>\n

    \"Delete<\/p>\n

    Transients are WordPress options with an expiration time. They help with speeding up your site and\/or reducing stress on your server\u2019s resources. It perfectly suits transients\u00a0to act as a cache for the right data. This option deletes all transient-related database entries, including expired, non-expired, and orphaned transient entries.<\/p>\n

    Clean Uploads Folder<\/h3>\n

    \"Delete<\/p>\n

    This will delete all the files in your \/wp-content\/uploads<\/em><\/code> folder, including any sub-folders and files inside them. It’ll also delete all your media files.<\/p>\n

    Reset Theme Options<\/h3>\n

    \"Reset<\/p>\n

    If you’re looking for how to reset WordPress themes, this is it. This option will reset settings for not just your active theme, but all your installed themes. However, for this option to work, the theme should use the official WordPress theme modification API. If the theme developer is using some custom methods to save the theme options, this won\u2019t work.<\/p>\n

    Delete Themes<\/h3>\n

    \"Delete<\/p>\n

    Clicking this will delete all your themes, including the active one.<\/p>\n

    Delete Plugins<\/h3>\n

    \"Delete<\/p>\n

    This option with delete all plugins except for WP Reset<\/em>, which will remain active after it deletes all the other plugins.<\/p>\n

    Empty or Delete Custom Tables<\/h3>\n

    \"Empty<\/p>\n

    If you have any custom tables in your database with wp_ prefix<\/em>, this option will either empty or delete them. Emptying (truncating) removes all content from the tables, but keeps their structure intact. Deleting (dropping) removes the tables completely from the database.<\/p>\n

    Delete\u00a0.htaccess\u00a0<\/em>File<\/h3>\n

    \"Delete<\/p>\n

    This action deletes the .htaccess file in your WordPress installation\u2019s root folder (not recommended unless you know what you\u2019re doing). If you just want to edit the .htaccess<\/em> file from your dashboard, you can use the free WP Htaccess Editor plugin<\/a> from the same authors. Plus, it automatically creates backups of your .htaccess<\/em> file as you edit it.<\/p>\n

    Advanced WordPress Reset with\u00a0WP-CLI<\/em><\/h3>\n

    You can execute all the tools available in the WP Reset<\/em> plugin interface with WP-CLI<\/em>. Run wp help reset<\/code> to get a list of the commands available.<\/p>\n

    \"Using<\/p>\n

    Additional help for every command is available via the default WP-CLI<\/em> help interface. Do note that you need to confirm all your actions for the sake of security.<\/p>\n

    If you want to skip confirmation for the commands, use the --yes<\/code> option. remember though, as with GUI, there\u2019s no going back here too!<\/p>\n

    How to Reset WordPress Multisite<\/h3>\n

    There\u2019s no free plugin, including both the highly rated WP Reset<\/em> and Advanced WordPress Reset<\/em><\/a>, which reset WordPress Multisite installations perfectly.<\/p>\n

    In a Multisite setup, WP Reset<\/em> plugin disables itself in the Network Admin dashboard. This is to prevent unnecessary harm to the entire Multisite network, since it\u2019s not tested to work with it.<\/p>\n

    \"WP
    WP Reset team warns users against using it in Multisite setups.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    WPMU DEV Hosting to the Rescue<\/h3>\n

    When you use WPMU DEV Hosting to convert your standard WordPress installation to a Multisite network (WP-MU), he automatically takes a backup of your complete site.<\/p>\n

    A very smart and time-saving feature!<\/p>\n

    You can identify this backup by its Type<\/em> value \u201cPre-Convert to Multisite.\u201d<\/p>\n

    \"The
    Easy, automatic backup pre-Multisite setup.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Thanks to this backup, you can reset your WordPress Multisite to how it was before. I recommend you to take a New Backup<\/em> before you restore the old backup, just in case you change your mind and want to go back.<\/p>\n

    To reset the WordPress Multisite, click on the three dots icon<\/em> on the far right end of the backup listing, and then select Restore<\/em> from the drop-down menu.<\/p>\n

    \"Restoring
    ‘1-Click Restore’ will change your development life forever.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    And………tadaaaa!!! WP Reset has revived your WordPress Multisite as a single entity. As long as you have a backup, you have unlimited lives to play out this game!<\/p>\n

    Subsite Resets in a WordPress Multisite<\/h3>\n

    What if you don’t want to reset the entire WordPress Multisite network, but just reset one subsite on it? You have two options here:<\/p>\n

    1. Complete Reset:<\/strong> Delete the subsite and re-create it with the same name. Not only will your subsite be as good as new, you’ll also delete all its media, themes, plugins, and any other uploads. A total reset of your subsite.<\/p>\n

    \"Resetting
    Deleting subsites is a breeze in the latest WordPress version.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    2. Database Reset:<\/strong>\u00a0Use a plugin such as\u00a0WP Reset<\/em> to restore the subsite to its initial state. You must follow the same instructions as you would with a standalone WordPress installation. With this method, you won’t lose the subsite’s files. However, just like resetting non-WP-MU sites, the media won’t be visible in your subsite’s media library after the reset.<\/p>\n

    Fret not! You’ll still have the option to delete them all, under WP Reset > Tools<\/em> tab. Note that the\u00a0WP Reset<\/em> team suggests, “We don\u2019t recommend to resetting the main site.” It’s up to you though. As long as you have a reliable\u00a0backup and the will to take a risk, it’s worth it!<\/p>\n

    \"WP
    Don’t use WP reset on the main site of your Multisite network.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Warning (Yet Again):<\/strong> Take backups before you try to reset anything. I can’t stress this enough.<\/p>\n

    Live. Die. Reset.<\/h3>\n

    Debugging WordPress is hard, time-consuming, and often frustrating. It can take hours to find, test, and fix even the smallest bugs. Resetting your WordPress installation with just a single click makes your life easier, so that you can test and debug various themes and plugins quickly and efficiently.<\/p>\n

    WPMU DEV\u2019s Fully Managed WordPress Hosting<\/a> is made by developers for developers. No bloat or fluff added. Just the tools you need to get your job done without pulling your hair out.<\/p>\n

    Also, it\u2019s the closest you\u2019ll come to feeling as badass as Tom Cruise,<\/a>\u00a0unless you\u2019re actually Tom Cruise. In that case, we can definitely fulfill your need for speed<\/em><\/a>, should you accept this mission<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    If have a WordPress installation for testing purposes, or want to set up your blog again from scratch, here’s how to hit the reset button and return your website to its default settings.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":761786,"featured_media":178229,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"blog_reading_time":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_tutorials_categories":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1117,4,263],"tags":[11078,11168,11077,11076,10360,11079],"tutorials_categories":[],"class_list":["post-150596","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-multisite","category-plugins","category-tutorials","tag-wp-reset","tag-wordpress-database-reset","tag-wordpress-multisite-reset","tag-wordpress-reset","tag-reset","tag-reset-plugins"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150596","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/761786"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=150596"}],"version-history":[{"count":32,"href":"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150596\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":224267,"href":"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150596\/revisions\/224267"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/178229"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=150596"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=150596"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=150596"},{"taxonomy":"tutorials_categories","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tutorials_categories?post=150596"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}