WordPress Maintenance: Clean Up Old Plugins

admin — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 02:38:21 +0000

All websites and software programs require some routine maintenance from time to time in order to remain up to date. WordPress is no exception but often people install WordPress, continually add plugins and then forget about them. However, this can be cumbersome at best and possibly damaging if left unchecked. Therefore, a great WordPress tip that should be adhered to is to clean up old plugins. You should schedule monthly maintenance on your WordPress site to ensure this occurs with regularity. Simply add it to your calendar and take a few minutes each month to accomplish it. If you keep up with it, it should only take a short amount of time each session.

There are two types of plugins that should be considered for clean up, plugins that are no longer used and plugins that are outdated. Start off by cleaning up unused plugins first. This is easy to accomplish and will help you when you want to add more plugins or update the ones you already have. You won’t need to scroll through endless lists of plugins that you don’t use and possibly do not even know what they are for. You will be sure to have only the plugins you use.

Next, make sure your plugins are updated to suit your site. As up update WordPress, you may find that certain plugins fail to work or start to have problems. Typically a plugin may need to be updated as well as the parent software to be used correctly. A danger of keeping these outdated plugins in your software is that it may contribute to security vulnerabilities and expose your site to hacking or malicious use.

Removing old and outdated plugins is a fairly simple process. First, make a list of all the plugins you want to remove and then go to the author’s site. Check to see if there are some specific uninstall instructions available. If there are, follow them so that you uninstall the plugin correctly. However, if there are no specific uninstall requirements you can remove it easily through your admin panel. First deactivate it then uninstall it. If you keep up this maintenance, you will find you have a secure and clean WordPress administration site.

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WordPress Maintenance: Clean Up Old Plugins