How to Disable All WordPress Plugins via phpMyAdmin Print

Overview

Disabling plugins via phpMyAdmin is useful when the WordPress dashboard is inaccessible due to plugin conflicts or errors. This method works by resetting the active plugins directly in the database.

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Log in to Plesk

• Access your hosting control panel (Plesk)
• Navigate to Databases
• Click phpMyAdmin next to your WordPress database

2. Locate the Options Table

• In phpMyAdmin, find your database on the left
• Look for the table named:

⚠️ Note: The prefix wp_ may be different (e.g., abc_options)

3. Find the Active Plugins Row

• Click on the options table
• Locate the row with:

4. Edit the Value

• Click Edit next to active_plugins
• In the option_value field, replace everything with:

5. Save Changes

• Click Go to save
• This will instantly deactivate all plugins

What This Does

• WordPress stores active plugins as a serialized array
• Setting it to a:0:{} means zero active plugins
• All plugins will remain installed but disabled

Important Notes

• This does not delete plugins, only disables them
• You can re-enable plugins later from the WordPress dashboard
• Useful for fixing:
  • White screen errors
  • Plugin conflicts
  • Login issues

Alternative Method (If Table Prefix is Unknown)

• Check the wp-config.php file
• Look for:

• Use that prefix to identify the correct options table

Best Practice

• After disabling all plugins:
  • Log into WordPress
  • Reactivate plugins one by one
  • Identify the plugin causing the issue

Summary

• Go to phpMyAdmin → options table
• Edit active_plugins
• Set value to a:0:{}
• Save to disable all plugins instantly