How to Delete a WordPress Site: Complete Removal Guide

Whether you’re closing down an old project, starting fresh, or consolidating multiple sites, knowing how to delete a WordPress site properly is essential. The process varies significantly depending on your hosting setup, and skipping critical steps can leave behind remnants that affect your hosting resources or search engine visibility.

This guide walks you through the complete deletion process for both WordPress.org (self-hosted) and WordPress.com sites, helping you remove everything cleanly and permanently.

---

Table of Contents

1. Understanding the Difference: WordPress.com vs WordPress.org
2. Important Considerations Before Deleting Your WordPress Site
3. How to Delete a WordPress.org Site (Self-Hosted)
4. How to Delete a WordPress.com Site

---

Understanding the Difference: WordPress.com vs WordPress.org

Before you start deleting files, you need to know which version of WordPress you’re using. The deletion process is completely different for each platform.

WordPress.org is the self-hosted version where you have full control over your files, database, and hosting environment. You manage everything yourself, from installing WordPress to maintaining backups. If you access your site through cPanel, FTP, or directly manage your hosting account, you’re using WordPress.org.

WordPress.com is a managed hosting service that handles all the technical details for you. You don’t have direct access to files or databases. The platform provides a simplified dashboard where you manage everything through their interface.

Here’s how to tell which version you have:

• Check your domain structure. If it ends with .wordpress.com, you’re on WordPress.com
• Look at your dashboard. WordPress.com has an “Upgrades” or “Plans” menu item
• Try accessing your hosting cPanel. If you can’t find one, you’re likely on WordPress.com
• Custom domains work on both platforms, so the domain name alone isn’t always reliable

The rest of this guide provides separate instructions for each platform.

---

Important Considerations Before Deleting Your WordPress Site

Is Deletion Really Necessary?

Most users consider deletion when they want to stop their site from being public or start completely fresh. But permanent deletion isn’t always the answer.

Common reasons for wanting to delete include abandoning a project, rebranding completely, reducing hosting costs, or removing outdated content. Before proceeding, consider whether your situation truly requires full deletion.

Alternatives to Complete Site Deletion

You have several options that don’t involve permanent deletion:

• Make your site private. Password protect your entire site using security plugins or built-in WordPress features. This keeps content accessible to you while hiding it from the public.
• Use maintenance mode. Display a “coming soon” page while keeping your site’s foundation intact. This works well if you plan to relaunch later.
• Reset instead of delete. WordPress reset plugins remove all content and settings while keeping the core installation intact. You get a clean slate without losing your hosting setup or having to reinstall WordPress.

The Irreversibility of Deletion

Once you delete your WordPress files and database, recovery becomes extremely difficult or impossible. Your content, settings, user data, media library, and years of work can vanish permanently.

Beyond data loss, deletion affects your search engine rankings. Your site disappears from Google, existing backlinks break, and you lose any SEO authority you’ve built. If there’s any chance you’ll want this content again, deletion is the wrong choice.

Create a Complete WordPress Backup

Never delete a WordPress site without backing it up first. Even if you’re certain you want everything gone, circumstances change. A backup gives you options.

Your backup serves as insurance against regret. Maybe you’ll want to reference old content, restore specific posts, repurpose your design, or recover customer data for legal reasons. Without a backup, these options disappear.

Backups also protect against accidental deletions during the removal process. If you accidentally delete the wrong database or remove files from a different site on your server, a backup prevents disaster.

A complete backup needs multiple components:

• WordPress files: Your entire wp-content folder, including themes, plugins, and uploads
• MySQL database: All your posts, pages, comments, settings, and user data
• Media library: Every image, video, and document you’ve uploaded
• Configuration files: wp-config.php and .htaccess contain important settings

💡 Related guide: For detailed instructions on different backup methods, see our comprehensive WordPress backup guide.

---

---

How to Delete a WordPress.org Site (Self-Hosted)

Self-hosted WordPress deletion requires removing files from your server, deleting the database, and optionally canceling your hosting account. The process takes 15-30 minutes, depending on your site size.

Step 1: Delete WordPress Files from Your Server

You need to remove all WordPress files from your web server. There are two main methods, depending on what tools you prefer.

Method 1: Using cPanel File Manager

Most hosting providers offer cPanel, a web-based control panel for managing your server.

1. Log in to your hosting account and access cPanel

2. Find and click “File Manager” under the Files section

3. Navigate to the public_html directory (or your domain’s root folder)

4. Select all WordPress folders: wp-admin, wp-content, wp-includes

5. Also, select all WordPress core files in the root directory (like wp-config.php, index.php, and others)

6. Click “Delete” and confirm the removal

This method works well if you only have one site on your hosting account. If you’re running multiple sites, be careful to delete only the correct directories.

Method 2: Using an FTP Client

FTP clients like FileZilla give you direct access to your server files through a desktop application.

1. Download and install FileZilla (or your preferred FTP client)
2. Connect to your server using FTP credentials from your hosting provider
3. Navigate to your WordPress installation directory
4. Select all the WordPress folders and files
5. Right-click and choose “Delete”

FTP is especially useful if you have a slow internet connection, since you can queue deletions and let them run in the background. It’s also more reliable for very large sites with thousands of files.

Step 2: Delete Your WordPress Database

Removing files isn’t enough. Your WordPress database contains all your content, and it takes up hosting resources even after files are gone.

Deleting via phpMyAdmin

phpMyAdmin is a database management tool included with most hosting plans.

1. Open cPanel and click “phpMyAdmin“

2. Find your WordPress database name (it’s listed in your backup or in wp-config.php if you still have access)

3. Click on the database name in the left sidebar

4. Check all the tables and click “Drop” from the “With selected” drop-down menu.

5. Confirm that you want to drop (delete) the database

The database disappears immediately. Make absolutely sure you’re deleting the correct database—this action is permanent.

Deleting via cPanel MySQL Databases

Some hosting panels offer a simpler deletion method.

1. In cPanel, navigate to “MySQL Databases”

2. Scroll to the “Current Databases” section

3. Find your WordPress database in the list

4. Click “Delete” next to the database name

5. Confirm the deletion

You should also remove the database user associated with your WordPress installation. In the same MySQL Databases section, scroll to “Current Users” and delete the user that was connected to your WordPress database.

Step 3: Cancel Your Hosting Account

If you’re not hosting any other sites, you might want to cancel your hosting plan to avoid future charges.

1. Log in to your hosting provider’s billing area
2. Find your active hosting plan
3. Look for “Cancel” or “Request Cancellation”
4. Follow the prompts to complete cancellation
5. Save any confirmation emails

Some hosts require 30 days notice before cancellation. Others may offer prorated refunds if you’re canceling early in your billing cycle. Check your hosting provider’s cancellation policy before proceeding.

Keep in mind that canceling hosting also affects your domain name if it’s registered through the same provider. Verify your domain registration status before canceling. You might want to transfer your domain to a different registrar if you plan to use it elsewhere.

---

How to Delete a WordPress.com Site

WordPress.com makes deletion simpler since you don’t manage files or databases directly. The platform handles all technical aspects through their dashboard.

Step 1: Export Your WordPress.com Content

Before deleting, download your content in case you need it later.

1. Log in to your WordPress.com dashboard
2. Go to “Tools” in the left sidebar
3. Click “Export”
4. Select “Export All” to download everything

This XML file contains all your posts, pages, comments, and settings. You can import it into another WordPress site later if needed. It doesn’t include media files, so download those separately if you want to keep images and videos.

Step 2: Cancel Active Subscriptions

WordPress.com sites often have active subscriptions for premium plans, custom domains, or other services.

1. Go to “Upgrades” > “Plans” in your dashboard
2. Review all active subscriptions
3. Cancel any premium plans or add-ons
4. If you have a custom domain, decide whether to cancel it or transfer it elsewhere

Canceling subscriptions before deletion prevents unexpected charges. WordPress.com usually offers refunds for unused subscription time, but policies vary.

Step 3: Permanently Delete Your Site

Once you’ve exported content and canceled subscriptions, you can delete the site.

1. Click on the WordPress icon in the left top corner of the screen and click on your site.

2. Go to Settings, scroll down and click “Delete“.

WordPress.com gives you a 30-day grace period after deletion. During this time, you can restore your site if you change your mind. After 30 days, the deletion becomes permanent and restoration is impossible.

Screenshot suggestion: Show the WordPress.com export tool and the site deletion confirmation screen.

---

Start Fresh with Professional WordPress Themes

Deleting a site often means you’re ready for something better. Whether you’re building a new project from scratch or finally launching that idea you’ve been planning, the right theme makes all the difference.

WPZOOM offers professionally designed WordPress themes built for creators, businesses, and bloggers who want their sites to stand out. Every theme includes responsive design, extensive customization options, and dedicated support to help you succeed.

From photography portfolios to business sites to online stores, our WordPress themes collection gives you the foundation to create something you’re proud of. Start building your next WordPress site the right way.