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How to Delete a Website on WordPress: Step-by-Step Guide

Posted on by William Zheng

Thinking about moving on from your current WordPress website? Whether you’re rebranding, starting fresh, or simply tidying up your digital space, knowing how to delete a website on WordPress is a valuable skill.

Deleting your site isn’t just about clicking a button—it’s about protecting your content, privacy, and reputation online. This article will walk you through each step to safely and completely remove your WordPress website, along with helpful tips and things to consider before taking the plunge.

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How to Delete a Website on WordPress: The Complete Guide

Deleting a WordPress website might sound daunting, but with a clear, step-by-step plan, the process is much more straightforward than you might think. Whether your site is hosted on WordPress.com or self-hosted via WordPress.org, there are ways to completely remove your website and all of its data from the internet.

This guide takes you through everything you need to know: what deleting your site means, how to do it, practical tips, best practices, and answers to the most common questions. By the end, you’ll feel confident about making your WordPress site vanish, and you’ll understand how to handle any potential challenges along the way.

Understanding What It Means to Delete a WordPress Website

Before diving into the steps, it’s important to clarify what “deleting” a WordPress website involves.

  • “Deleting” means erasing all of your website’s content, files, databases, themes, and plugins.
  • Search engines may still have your site cached briefly, but after deletion, new visitors won’t be able to access your site.
  • For self-hosted sites, it may involve working with your web hosting account.
  • If you have a domain attached to your website, deleting the site does not always cancel your domain ownership.

Take a few minutes to consider if you want to permanently delete the site or simply unpublish it temporarily.

Step-by-Step Instructions for WordPress.com Sites

WordPress.com handles the hosting and management for you. Deleting a website from WordPress.com is easier in some ways, but you need to be aware of all connected accounts.

1. Backup Your Site

Before you hit delete, think about whether you might need your content in the future.
– Export all of your posts and pages using the Export tool.
– Save copies of your media and important files.
– Download any custom themes or code.

2. Access Your Website Settings

  1. Log in to your WordPress.com account.
  2. On your dashboard, select the website you want to delete.
  3. Click on ‘Settings’ in the left menu.

3. Begin the Deletion Process

  1. Scroll down in the ‘Settings’ tab.
  2. Find the “Delete your site permanently” option at the bottom of the page.
  3. WordPress.com will prompt you to confirm and explain which data will be removed forever.

4. Confirm Deletion

  • Click through the confirmation steps. You may need to enter your password.
  • Your website and all content will be erased.
  • If you also want to delete your WordPress.com account and/or cancel domains or paid plans, be sure to tackle those separately.

Step-by-Step Instructions for Self-Hosted WordPress.org Sites

If you run a WordPress.org site (installed via a hosting provider), you have a bit more responsibility.

1. Backup Everything

  • Use a plugin or your host’s control panel to back up your entire site.
  • Download a copy of your database and files.
  • Save email accounts and logs if needed.

2. Remove All WordPress Files

  1. Use FTP software like FileZilla or your web host’s file manager.
  2. Navigate to your site’s root directory (often called ‘public_html’).
  3. Delete every file and folder related to your site.

3. Drop the Database

  1. Log in to your hosting control panel (like cPanel).
  2. Access ‘phpMyAdmin’ or a similar tool.
  3. Find your site’s database and choose ‘Drop’ or ‘Delete’ to remove it completely.

4. Unlink Add-ons and Clean Up

  • Remove any email addresses tied to your domain.
  • Disconnect apps, third-party plugins, and CDN services.
  • Cancel SSL certificates if they won’t be reused.

5. Remove Your Domain (If Required)

  • Review whether your domain was purchased through your hosting provider, WordPress.com, or a registrar like GoDaddy.
  • Decide if you want to keep, sell, transfer, or cancel your domain subscription.

6. Inform Search Engines (Optional)

  • If you wish, you can request search engines like Google to de-index your website.
  • Use Google Search Console to remove outdated URLs.

Key Aspects, Benefits, and Challenges of Deleting a WordPress Site

Benefits

  • Removes unwanted or outdated online presence.
  • Protects privacy by erasing sensitive data.
  • Can clear the way to start fresh with a new project or business.

Challenges

  • Site deletion is permanent; accidental removal cannot be reversed.
  • Data remnants may exist in search engine caches or internet archives for a time.
  • Subscriptions, connected services, and domains may still incur costs unless managed.

Consider Before Deleting

  • Are you sure you want to lose all your posts, pages, comments, and uploads?
  • Do you have legal, tax, or record-keeping needs that require you to retain content?
  • Would it be wiser to unpublish or “hide” your site instead?

Practical Tips & Best Practices

  • Backup Is Essential: Always save a complete backup. You may regret not having a copy months later.
  • Double-Check Domain Subscriptions: Deleting the site doesn’t always cancel domain charges. Manage these separately.
  • Cancel Paid Plans: Subscriptions to plugins, hosting, or other services should be canceled to stop billing.
  • Handle Email Accounts: If you use a domain-based email (like [email protected]), migrate or save your emails before deleting.
  • Notify Users or Customers: If your site has visitors, members, or customers, communicate your plans so they aren’t surprised.
  • Legal Compliance: If you deal with customer data, ensure you’re legally allowed–and required– to delete all collected information.
  • Clear Browser and Site Cache: After deletion, you and your visitors might still see old versions due to caching. Clear your browser history, and use incognito mode to check.

Common Scenarios: Deletion vs. Unpublishing

Sometimes, you may not need to permanently delete your site.

  • Unpublishing Temporarily: You can set your site’s status to “private” or use a maintenance mode plugin. This hides your content but keeps everything safe.
  • Deleting Only Content: You might want to bulk-delete posts and files while keeping the structure for a future relaunch.
  • Full Deletion: Only do this if you are absolutely certain you won’t need anything from your site again.

Cost and Domain Considerations

Free WordPress.com Sites

  • Deleting the site is free, but ongoing domain costs will remain unless you cancel the domain.
  • Paid plans are not refunded by default upon deletion, so check billing terms.

Self-Hosted WordPress Sites

  • No extra cost to delete, but domain registration and hosting do not automatically cease.
  • Explicitly cancel all subscriptions, including hosting, domains, email, and premium plugins, to avoid ongoing charges.

Shipping and Moving Data

  • There’s no “shipping” in the traditional sense, but moving your data (site export) is easy before deletion.
  • Use WordPress’s built-in export tool to transfer data to a new site if you wish to start over.

Final Thoughts

Deleting a WordPress website is a serious decision—one that requires careful preparation. Always back up your files, double-check all connected services, and know exactly what will be removed and what won’t. Deletion is often permanent, so only proceed once you’re confident. If you want to hide your site or just take a break, consider unpublishing temporarily instead.

By following the steps and tips above, you can say goodbye to your WordPress site confidently and cleanly, freeing up your resources for new digital adventures.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Can I recover a deleted WordPress website?
Once a WordPress site is permanently deleted, recovery is generally not possible. Some hosts keep backups for a short time, but you should never rely on this. Always back up your site before taking any deletion steps.

2. Will deleting my WordPress site cancel my domain registration automatically?
No, deleting the site does not cancel your domain subscription. You need to manage the domain separately—either transfer it, keep it for later, or cancel it through your domain registrar.

3. What happens to my site’s SEO rankings after deletion?
Deleting your WordPress site removes its content from the internet, and your SEO rankings will be lost. Search engines may show cached versions briefly, but eventually, your site will disappear from search results.

4. Can I delete just part of my site or make it private instead?
Yes, you can delete posts, pages, or media individually. Alternatively, set your site to private or use a maintenance mode plugin if you want to make it invisible without full deletion.

5. Are there any hidden costs when deleting a WordPress site?
Deleting your site is free, but ongoing costs for domains or hosting may continue unless you cancel those services separately. Review all associated subscriptions to prevent unwanted charges.

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