How to Completely Remove WooCommerce: A Step-by-Step Guide
Introduction
WooCommerce is a powerful and popular e-commerce plugin for WordPress, but sometimes you might need to remove it entirely. Perhaps you’re changing your business model, switching to a different e-commerce solution, or simply want to declutter your website. Completely removing WooCommerce requires more than just deactivating and deleting the plugin. It involves removing associated data, tables, and settings to ensure a clean and optimized WordPress installation. This guide will walk you through the process of how to remove all traces of WooCommerce safely and effectively. Failure to remove all components can lead to conflicts with other plugins or a bloated database, so paying attention to detail is crucial.
Main Part: Steps to Purge WooCommerce
Removing WooCommerce completely involves several steps, ensuring no leftover data or configurations remain. Follow these steps carefully to achieve a thorough removal:
1. Backup Your Website (Crucial!)
Before making any changes, create a complete backup of your WordPress website. This includes your database, themes, plugins, and uploads. This ensures you can restore your site if anything goes wrong during the removal process. Use a plugin like UpdraftPlus, BackupBuddy, or your hosting provider’s backup tool.
2. Deactivate WooCommerce and its Add-ons
- Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins in your WordPress dashboard.
- Deactivate WooCommerce and all associated WooCommerce add-ons or extensions. This is important because add-ons often create their own data and settings that need to be removed alongside the core plugin.
- After deactivating, delete the WooCommerce plugin. This removes the plugin files from your server.
- Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins.
- Find WooCommerce and click Delete.
- Navigate to Pages in your WordPress dashboard.
- Find the WooCommerce pages.
- If you want to delete them, move them to the Trash and then permanently delete them from the Trash.
- `wp_woocommerce_sessions`
- `wp_woocommerce_api_keys`
- `wp_woocommerce_attribute_lookups`
- `wp_woocommerce_downloadable_product_permissions`
- `wp_woocommerce_log`
- `wp_wc_product_meta_lookup`
- `wp_wc_tax_rate_classes`
- `wp_wc_download_log`
- `wp_wc_orders`
- `wp_wc_order_addresses`
- `wp_wc_order_operational_data`
- Select the table.
- Click the “Operations” tab.
- Click “Drop the table (DELETE)”.
- Confirm the deletion.
- Check the box next to the option.
- Click the “Delete” button.
3. Delete WooCommerce Plugin
4. Delete WooCommerce Pages (If Applicable)
WooCommerce automatically creates pages like Shop, Cart, Checkout, and My Account. Decide if you want to keep these pages or delete them.
5. Remove WooCommerce Database Tables
This is the most crucial step. WooCommerce stores data in several custom database tables. You need to remove these tables to completely eliminate its footprint. Warning: Incorrectly modifying your database can break your website. Proceed with caution. It is strongly recommended to use a plugin specifically designed for this purpose rather than directly modifying the database unless you are experienced with phpMyAdmin or similar tools.
Option 1: Using a Plugin (Recommended)
Several plugins can help you remove WooCommerce data and tables. One popular choice is “Uninstall WooCommerce”.
1. Install and activate the “Uninstall WooCommerce” plugin.
2. Navigate to WooCommerce > Status > Tools.
3. You should see an option to “Remove WooCommerce Data” (or similar wording).
4. Carefully read the warnings and confirm you have a backup.
5. Click the button to remove the data.
6. Deactivate and delete the “Uninstall WooCommerce” plugin after use.
Option 2: Manual Database Removal (Advanced – Use with Caution)
If you prefer to do it manually, you’ll need access to phpMyAdmin or a similar database management tool.
1. Log in to your hosting account and access phpMyAdmin.
2. Select your WordPress database.
3. Identify the WooCommerce tables. They typically start with `wp_woocommerce_` or `wp_wc_`. Common tables include:
4. Before deleting any table, double-check its name to ensure you’re not deleting something important.
5. For each table you want to remove:
6. Remove WooCommerce Options from wp_options Table
WooCommerce also stores settings in the `wp_options` table. You need to remove these options to completely clear the plugin’s configuration.
Option 1: Using a Plugin (Recommended)
The “Uninstall WooCommerce” plugin, mentioned above, often handles this step. Double-check its functionality to ensure it removes options.
Option 2: Manual Option Removal (Advanced – Use with Caution)
1. In phpMyAdmin, select the `wp_options` table.
2. Click the “Search” tab.
3. In the “option_name” field, enter `%woocommerce%` or `%wc_%` (using the % as a wildcard) and run the search. This will find all options containing “woocommerce” or “wc_”.
4. Carefully review the search results. Only delete options that are clearly related to WooCommerce.
5. For each option you want to remove:
Alternatively, you can use an SQL query:
DELETE FROM wp_options WHERE option_name LIKE '%woocommerce%' OR option_name LIKE '%wc_%';
Remember to replace `wp_options` with your actual table prefix if you’ve changed it.
7. Clear Transients
Transients are temporary data stored in the database to improve performance. WooCommerce uses transients, so clearing them is a good practice.
DELETE FROM wp_options WHERE option_name LIKE ('%_transient_%woocommerce%');
DELETE FROM wp_options WHERE option_name LIKE ('%_transient_timeout_%woocommerce%');
8. Remove WooCommerce Snippets (if applicable)
If you’ve added any custom code snippets related to WooCommerce to your `functions.php` file or a code snippets plugin, remove them. This ensures there are no leftover code fragments that could cause issues.
9. Reinstall your Theme (Optional)
In rare cases, WooCommerce might have modified your theme’s files. Reinstalling your theme (after backing it up!) can ensure a completely clean slate. Download a fresh copy of your theme from the developer and replace your current theme files. This is an extreme step and should only be done if you suspect significant theme modifications.
10. Clear Cache
Clear your WordPress cache (using a caching plugin or your hosting provider’s caching tools) to ensure the changes are reflected on your website.
Conclusion
Removing WooCommerce completely can seem daunting, but by following these steps carefully, you can ensure a clean and optimized WordPress installation. Remember the importance of backing up your website before making any changes to the database. While manually removing data is possible, using a dedicated plugin like “Uninstall WooCommerce” is generally recommended for its ease of use and safety features. By thoroughly removing all traces of the plugin, you’ll avoid potential conflicts and keep your website running smoothly. Always double-check each step and proceed cautiously, especially when dealing with the database. Now you can confidently move forward with your website’s new direction.
