Sometimes you will be left with no choice but to reset the WordPress site to its default state, and start rebuilding it from a scratch. Let’s understand some of the reasons why the reset becomes necessary. However, make sure you have a proper backup, redesigning and development plan in place, before you reset your website.
Reasons to reset WordPress fully or partially
- Repurposing your website
- Restoring a site from a backup
- Cleaning test installation
In other words, WordPress Resetting means, uninstalling the exiting settings, and returning to its original default state. You can delete everything and start over, but in some situations, you will just need to reset partially. For example, reset the database, but keep downloaded plugins intact.
Advanced WP Reset plugins like WP Reset can help to do the resetting tasks easily and conveniently. It is also compatible with WP-CLI. You can visit their website and understand how the tool works. Knowing how the reset process works saves plenty of frustration and hassles, if things go wrong.
You can choose to do the reset without a plugin too, but it is a little complex task. You will need direct access to your database and files. For this, you will need –
- FTP [File Transfer Protocol] username & password
- FTP software
- Database access from the cPanel
To be on the safe side, it is wise to take a total backup of your site and save it somewhere, off the server, as you will be deleting everything.
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Delete database
The database holds all the settings & content, so the first step will be to delete the databank. Log in cPanel and under Databases > MySQL Databases section look for prefix ‘wp’. Copy & paste the WP database into text file safely, and delete it from the ‘Action’ column.
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Create a fresh, new database
After wiping out the old database, set a new one. Without a database, you will be unable to load or gain access to the dashboard for creating new content. On cPanel look for ‘Create a New Database’ section and click. The page gets refreshed and its name will pop-under the ‘Current Database’ section.
Find, ‘Add a User to database’ and add an old user to the newly created database. In the drop-down menu, select matching database & username, click on ‘Add’. If the old user is not found, create it manually by using the wp-config.php file.
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Remove useless files
The database is clean, and now you need to remove unnecessary themes, uploads, and plugins. All these will only add needless burden on the new site. Delete the themes, plugins, and media existing in the wp-content folder using FTP. Navigate to WP’s root directory public_html and select every plugins and uploads folder to delete. Visit the themes folder and select the folder you wish to delete from the server. Keep some preferred ones for later use.
Everything is wiped out, now reinstall WP from scratch!
Before resetting your website completely, you could also check if you can resolve the issues in the existing site by using the page redirects. You can learn more about it by visiting http://wp301redirects.com/.
