How To Reset a WordPress Website and Start Over

Sometimes, you just want a clean slate.

Whether you want to quickly delete your themes and plugins, clean up your database, or just start from scratch again, resetting WordPress can help.

In this post, we’ll examine why you might want to reset WordPress and what a reset actually does.

We’ll also share some simple methods to reset WordPress using a plugin, without a plugin and a couple of other options too.

By the end of this post, you’ll know everything you need to know about resetting WordPress!

What Does a WordPress Reset Do?

A WordPress reset is the equivalent to a factory reset on a device.

It wipes all data, preferences, customizations, apps and everything that made it uniquely yours.

A reset will:

• Wipe the WordPress database clean of all pages, posts and comments
• Delete your theme and plugins
• Remove any custom CSS or extra code you added
• Reset your username and login

Once complete, it would be like you have just installed WordPress for the first time!

Why Reset WordPress?

If resetting WordPress sounds a little drastic, that’s because it is. It’s not something we would do everyday, or very often at all.

But it is something we have done plenty of times in the past.

Before the days of instant websites from ZipWP, we had to create local WordPress sites to test designs or experiment with custom CSS.

A reset can help:

• Reset a test site
• Gain access after your site crashed
• Clean up after learning WordPress

If you’re learning how to use WordPress, you’ll likely want to reset the site and start over once you’re done.

If you’d like to expand your WordPress skills further, check out our WordPress for Beginners SkillJet course.

We also have an in-depth guide to creating your first site with WordPress on our blog.

How To Reset WordPress With a Plugin

You should now have enough information to decide whether a WordPress reset is the right thing for you or not.

If you want to go ahead, let’s walk you through resetting your site using a plugin.

It’s not the only way to do it, but it is the easiest.

We’ll use the WP Reset plugin as it’s one we have used ourselves in the past.

This infographic shows you the steps we’ll take using WP Reset.

Step 1: Back Up Your Site

Even though you’re resetting your site, it might make sense to back it up first.

What we don’t want to happen is to complete a reset only for you to remember a crucial piece of custom code you meant to copy beforehand!

You can always delete the backup once you’re sure you don’t need it.

If you need help with backups, check out our complete guide.

Step 2: Install WP Reset

You can download WP Reset for free from the WordPress repository.

Once installed, navigate to Tools > WP Reset from the WordPress sidebar.

You can perform a basic reset using the free version. If you need more options, consider one of the paid plans.

Step 3: Reset WordPress

To do a basic site reset, scroll down to the panel that says Site Reset.

It will erase most (but not all) data as shown by the table at the top of the page.

You can choose to reactivate your current theme, active plugins, and the WP Reset plugin itself.

Before resetting, you may want to take a Snapshot.

A Snapshot takes copies of your WordPress database which will let you roll back parts of the reset.

A Snapshot is no replacement for a backup but it’s a useful extra feature.

Press the Create snapshot button and wait for the plugin to complete the process.

Select the Snapshots tab at the top of the page to view them.

When you’re ready, type reset into the box in the Site Reset section and click Reset Site.

Agree to the final confirmation and give it a second or two to finish the task.

Voila! Your site is now (almost) brand new!

Reset WordPress Without a Plugin

Using a reset plugin is the easiest way to get the job done but it isn’t the only way.

You can also delete and reset your site using an FTP client.

There’s a little more work involved but you’ll still end up with a factory fresh WordPress installation.

There are 7 steps:

1. Back up your site. Just in case.
2. Access your host via cPanel or Plesk. Load the MySQL Databases app in your host control panel.
3. Delete your WordPress database. Yes really. It’s what WP Reset does anyway. It will begin with the prefix wp_.
4. Create a new database. Select Create Database.
5. Add yourself to the database. Select Add a User to a Database and either create a new user or use your old credentials accessible via your old wp-config.php file.
6. Connect to your site via FTP. Visit the public_html/wp-content folder. This is where your themes, plugins, and other files are stored. Delete whatever you don’t want to keep.
7. Run the WordPress installation script. Finally, you need to reinstall WordPress. Open your web browser and type yourdomain.com/wp-admin/install.php. The installation wizard should walk you through setting up again.

Use the Command Line

You can also reset WordPress with WP-CLI Terminal.

Using the CLI to reset a WordPress site is much quicker than doing it by hand or using a plugin.

You’ll need to use the wp site empty command, which will empty your site of all its content (posts, comments, terms, and metadata).

Read more about WP-CLI Terminal on their website.

Alternatives to Resetting WordPress

Resetting WordPress isn’t an all or nothing process. There is a middle ground.

You can also:

• Clean the WordPress database
• Clear out media files
• Reset themes and plugins

Each can help remove clutter without deleting the entire website.

Clean the WordPress Database

Want to keep your site exactly the same but clean up your database?

There are many plugins that allow you to quickly remove old plugins, spam comments, unused post revisions and other unnecessary data from your database.

• Advanced Database Cleaner has a ton of options. You can use it to remove old files, plugins, and drafts quickly and easily.
• WP Optimize removes old files, compresses images, and cleans the database.

Other plugins are available or you can do it by hand if you prefer.

Clear Out Old Media Files

Do you have too many images, videos, and other media files? If so, you don’t need to erase your entire site.

You can bulk delete media files to make space for new ones.

You can either use a plugin like Media Cleaner or you can do it by yourself.

To do it manually, go to Media > Library.

Choose Bulk Select at the top of the page. Select all the images you want to delete and select Delete Permanently.

If you want to quickly delete a large number of files at once without having to manually click them all, select the List Mode icon at the top left.

Then, click Screen Options in the top right corner. You can increase the number of items displayed to make life a little easier.

Check the box next to the items you want to delete and select Bulk Actions > Delete permanently to remove them.

Reset WordPress Themes and Plugins

If you want to keep all of your content and media but delete themes and plugins, you can do that too.

You can remove unused themes and plugins without a tool:

• Themes: Appearance > Themes > Select a theme and hit Delete.
• Plugins: Plugins > Installed Plugins > Deactivate > Delete.

It’s easiest to do it manually but you can also use the WP Reset plugin.

Use these features within the plugin:

• Delete Widgets (Pro)
• Delete themes
• Delete plugins

You’ll need to leave one theme activated but you can delete all the others.

You don’t need to have any plugins, so you can freely delete them all.

How To Delete a WordPress Website Entirely

Want to completely remove your site? That’s possible too!

Typically, this is done through your host control panel and each works a little differently.

Here are some links to popular host control panels:

• SiteGround
• DreamHost
• GoDaddy

As always, we recommend backing up your site before deleting anything!

WordPress Reset or Reinstall: Which Is Best?

With all this talk about resetting WordPress, is a reset better than reinstalling? Which should you choose?

The answer, in our opinion, depends on the situation.

If you just want to start over or clean up, either will do:

• Resetting is faster
• Reinstalling is more thorough but takes longer

If your site has been hacked or has suffered from malware, reinstallation is best.

• A reset clears specific data, but a hacker may have left malware or a backdoor somewhere else.
• A reinstallation wipes the whole directory, and likely, any malware or backdoor.

It’s entirely up to you which you do, but the above is how we approach it.

Conclusion

Hopefully your site is now reset and ready to go!

While the reset process can seem complicated, it’s actually fairly straightforward if you follow the steps in this post.

It’s not something you’ll need to do often, but you may need to do it. Which is what this guide is for.

Bookmark it so it’s always available when you need it.

Did you use this guide to reset WordPress? Did it go according to plan? Have any other techniques to share? Let us know in the comments!

Reset WordPress FAQs

Still have questions about resetting WordPress?

How do I completely reset a WordPress site?

You can completely reset a WordPress site in a few ways. It’s fastest and easiest to use a plugin but you can also use CLI or delete the database. We recommend using a plugin as it’s simple, doesn’t require technical knowledge or involve code.

How do I reset managed WordPress?

You can reset a managed WordPress website using a plugin, CLI or deleting and recreating the database. It’s exactly the same process as resetting non-managed WordPress. Some managed web hosts also have a dedicated WordPress or site reset option available within the control panel.

Can I delete WordPress and start over?

Yes, you can delete WordPress and start over. This guide walks you through resetting WordPress using a plugin, CLI or manually deleting the database. To delete WordPress completely, you’ll need to log into your web host and delete everything in the public_html/ folder and then delete your WordPress database. Some hosts also have a reset everything option.

How do I manually restore WordPress?

To manually restore WordPress, you’ll need a backup. We constantly recommend regular backups so we hope you have one. If you use a backup plugin, open it and choose the ‘Restore from backup’ option. If your host manages backups, log into the control panel and choose restore from there.

Can I undo a WordPress site reset if I change my mind?

No, you cannot undo a WordPress site reset if you change your mind. Once it’s done, it’s done. The data is deleted, never to return. That’s why we recommend taking regular backups.