Deactivate a plugin or theme without access to WP Admin

If a plugin or theme causes a critical error in WordPress that prevents access to your site’s web pages or WP Admin area, you can still deactivate it by accessing your site’s files directly on the server—no WP Admin login required. This guide walks you through that process using any plugin or theme as an example, but it also applies specifically to Jetpack if the error is caused by the code in the Jetpack folder.

Critical errors in plugins and themes on WordPress sites

A plugin or theme can sometimes trigger a fatal error that breaks your site and locks you out of the WP Admin. This usually happens because of a bug or conflict in the plugin or theme’s code, which prevents your server from processing requests.

Deactivate plugins and themes via file transfer protocol (FTP)

Note: You should use this approach only if you cannot access your site’s WP Admin area in the browser. Please start by double-checking if your /wp-admin/ is accessible.

Step 1: Identify the plugin or theme causing the error

Before you can deactivate anything, you need to know what’s causing the problem. Try the following:

• Check your email. WordPress automatically sends an email to the site admin with details about the error, including which plugin or theme is responsible.
• Review PHP error logs. You can usually find these in your web hosting account. If you’re not sure how to access them, your hosting provider’s support team can help. Look for errors that mention specific plugins or themes.
• Enable WordPress debug mode. Follow this guide to turn on debug mode. Then, revisit your site to see detailed error messages.

If you have no hints, you can systematically deactivate plugins one by one until you identify which one is causing the problem.

Step 2: Get Your FTP, SFTP, or SSH credentials

These credentials give you direct access to your website’s files on the server. Here’s how to find them:

• Look in your hosting account’s dashboard, control panel, or admin center.
• If you can’t find them, contact your hosting provider’s support team.
• Note: These credentials are different from your WP Admin login or hosting account login.

Step 3: Install an FTP client

Use a file transfer app like FileZilla to connect to your site’s server.

Step 4: Connect to your server

• Open the FTP client and enter your credentials.
• If you’re unsure how to do this, refer to the app’s documentation.
• Click Connect once everything is set up.

You should now see a list of files and directories on your server.

Step 5: Locate and rename the plugin or theme folder

1. Navigate to the /wp-content/ directory.
2. To disable a plugin, open the /plugins/ folder.
   To disable a theme, open the /themes/ folder.
3. Find the folder for the plugin or theme you want to deactivate.
4. Right-click the folder and choose Rename (or the equivalent option in your FTP client).
5. Add .deactivate to the end of the folder name.

Step 6: Check If the Site Is Back Online

If the plugin or theme you renamed was responsible for the critical error, your site should now be accessible again. You should also be able to log in to WP Admin.

Inside WP Admin, go to Plugins. You’ll see a message saying the plugin has been deactivated because its file no longer exists.

Next Steps

Now that you’re back in, you can contact the plugin or theme’s developer for help troubleshooting the issue.

If you had to deactivate Jetpack specifically:

• Please contact support with as much information as you can gather from your error logs.
• While we’re happy to advise, our support scope doesn’t include logging into your site or deactivating plugins or themes on your behalf.