If you mean via FTP yes. This is okay but not advised because there is a record in the database that tracks what plugins are active… so if you just delete it from FTP it will not get removed from that record and could cause other problems later on.
Generally, you want to remove the plugin by deactivating it first so that any database records it adds are tagged as inactive. Depends on the plugin though. Some plugins do not actually add anything of importance to the database.
WordPress has hooks for when a plugin is deactivated and when the Delete link for a plugin is clicked. Many plugins use these hooks for important things. Deleting a plugin manually without deactivating and then clicking the delete link can lead to disaster.
For example, many plugins add their own code to .htaccess files and to the wp-config.php file. If you manually delete such plugins, the code they added to these important files will not be removed. That could result in a site broken so badly that you will need to pay someone to fix it!
@diondesigns is correct. The disable function is also used to remove stuff from the database, so manually removing can leave lots of junk in your database. However that said, if a plugin is preventing you from logging in, you may have no other option but to manually remove it. Other than those circumstances, deactivate first.
I meant DELETING from WORDPRESS DashBoard, not from FTP but I guess there is noway to do it while a plugin is active
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This reply was modified 7 years, 9 months ago by
drkfuture15.
