As a WordPress owner myself, I sometimes feel like I want a fresh start or want to reset everything and experience a new beginning.
Do you ever feel that? Whatever your reason is to reset your WordPress, this guide will surely help you. Moreover, If you ever need to go back to the default settings on your WordPress site, you can do it effortlessly by resetting your website. This is especially useful when you’re trying out different plugins and themes, running a demo site, or simply want to undo all your recent changes.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through the swift process of restarting or resetting your WordPress site.
Why Reset Your WordPress?
There are a few reasons why you might want to reset your WordPress site to its original settings. Let’s explore them below:
- Security Concerns:
If your site has been hacked and there’s suspicious code or spam in various parts like plugins, themes, or posts/pages, resetting can be a quick way to get rid of it. Instead of manually searching through every corner of your site, a reset can help.
Also read: WordPress Security Checklist: 15 Ways to Secure Your WordPress Website
- Demo Site on Your Computer:
If you’ve set up WordPress on your computer for testing (localhost) and have finished building a site, resetting becomes useful when you want to move it from your computer to a live server. For developers constantly testing themes and plugins, resetting every quarter can provide a fresh start.
- Starting Over with a New Design:
Perhaps you’ve been working on a blog or website but aren’t satisfied with the customizations. Rather than undoing each change, resetting WordPress allows you to start afresh with a new design quickly.
- Site Crashes:
In the event of a site crash, typically, you’d access the site through your control panel or via FTP/SFTP. However, if you can still access the WordPress panel, using a reset plugin can be helpful. It allows you to delete unnecessary plugins and themes, reset their settings, or revert to a previous version of your site.
How to Reset your WordPress Site
Let’s go through the process of resetting your WordPress site using the WP Reset plugin. WP Reset plugin is a popular tool available for free on the WordPress Repository, but some advanced features require a paid plan.
Step 1: Backup Your Site
Before you erase anything, it’s crucial to back up your site. Check our guide for instructions on how to do this – Manual Backup Of Your Website Without Any Plugin.
Step 2: Activate the plugin
Once you’ve installed and activated the WP Reset plugin, find it in the Tools menu on your WordPress sidebar.
Note: WP Reset offers various plans, each providing access to different tools. Check which features are free and which require a PRO plan.
Step 3: Perform a Basic Reset
Scroll down to the “Site Reset” panel.
A basic site reset will remove most data, including posts, pages, comments, media, users, user roles, widgets, transient data, settings, and options from plugins and themes.
It won’t touch certain default WordPress database tables.
Before proceeding, consider taking a Snapshot, essentially a backup at the current moment. Click the “Create snapshot” button.
Snapshots act as backups within the WP Reset plugin, making the restoration process easier. If you’ve already backed up your site using other methods, this step is optional.
- Ready to reset? Type “reset” into the box and click “Reset Site.”
- Confirm the action and wait a moment for the reset to complete.
Wp Reset – Tools
More Tools to Start Fresh: Themes, Plugins, and More
Now, let’s explore some other handy tools. Go back up and click on the second tab labeled “Tools.”
Once there, you’ll find a list of various tools within WP Reset. Most of them are free, but a few may require you to pay for a premium plan. To check out all the premium plans, click on the “PRO” tab or visit WP Reset’s website.
These tools allow you to:
- Reset your theme settings
- Reset user roles
- Delete posts, pages, widgets, and other content
- Remove themes and plugins
- Empty or delete specific parts of your database
- Clean certain folders like wp-content
… and much more!
Collections
Now, let’s quickly discuss WP Reset’s Collections feature. It’s like the opposite of wiping everything clean. This useful addition lets you save a “recipe” of plugins and themes. You can then quickly install this set after resetting your site.
If your routine involves resetting a site and then installing (or reinstalling) the same group of plugins or themes, this tool can save you a lot of time.
For instance, if you’re a freelancer setting up new WordPress sites frequently for clients, you likely use a specific set of plugins for each site. The Collections tool can make this process take seconds instead of hours.
Keep in mind that you’ll need to be a PRO user to use this feature.
Conclusion
Making backups of your website is crucial and shouldn’t be overlooked. It’s especially useful when your website crashes.
To ensure the safety of your content, it’s recommended to back up your website more frequently. Store at least three copies of your content in various locations, such as a CD, desktop, cloud, or hard drive.
By having backups in different places, you create a safety net. If one backup becomes corrupted or you lose a file, you still have another one available.
FAQs on Resetting Your WordPress
1. Why would I need to reset my WordPress site?
Resetting your WordPress site can be necessary for various reasons. It might be to troubleshoot issues, clean up a cluttered website, or start fresh after testing different themes and plugins. By resetting, you can return your site to its default state, resolving problems or allowing you to set it up anew.
2. What happens to my content when I reset my WordPress site?
When you reset your WordPress site, all content, including posts, pages, media, and settings, is generally deleted or reverted to the default. It’s crucial to back up your site before resetting if you want to preserve any data. Make sure to understand the implications, as resetting is a comprehensive action that can’t be undone.
3. Are there different methods to reset a WordPress site?
Yes, there are various methods to reset a WordPress site. Some involve using plugins designed for this purpose, while others may require manual steps, such as accessing the database. The method you choose may depend on your technical comfort level and the extent to which you want to reset your site. Always follow recommended procedures and make backups before initiating a reset.
