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How to Deactivate WooCommerce from WordPress
If you no longer need an online store, or you have decided to switch to a different plugin, you may want to deactivate WooCommerce from WordPress. The process is simple, but there are a few things you should do first to avoid breaking your site or losing important data.
This guide walks you through how to properly deactivate and remove WooCommerce, step by step.
Why Would You Deactivate WooCommerce?
There are several reasons you might want to turn off WooCommerce on your WordPress site:
- You are closing your online store.
- You want to switch to a different eCommerce plugin like Easy Digital Downloads or Ecwid.
- You installed WooCommerce to test it but decided not to use it.
- Your site has performance issues and you want to reduce the number of active plugins.
- You are converting your site from a store to a blog or portfolio.
Whatever the reason, it is important to follow the right steps so you do not lose order data or break pages that depend on WooCommerce.
Before You Deactivate: Back Up Your Site
Before making any changes, create a full backup of your WordPress site. This includes your database and all files. If something goes wrong, you can restore everything.
You can use plugins like UpdraftPlus, BlogVault, or your hosting provider’s built-in backup tool. Make sure the backup is complete and saved to an external location like Google Drive or Dropbox.
Step 1: Deactivate WooCommerce
Go to your WordPress dashboard and navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. Find WooCommerce in the list and click Deactivate.
This will turn off WooCommerce but keep all its data in your database. Your products, orders, and settings are still saved. You can reactivate it anytime and everything will be right where you left it.
If you also have WooCommerce extensions installed (like WooCommerce Subscriptions, WooCommerce Payments, or Stripe for WooCommerce), deactivate those too.
Step 2: Delete WooCommerce (Optional)
If you are sure you will not need WooCommerce again, you can delete it. After deactivating, a Delete link will appear under the plugin name. Click it to remove the plugin files.
Deleting the plugin removes its files from your server, but it does not remove the database tables and data that WooCommerce created. That requires a separate step.
Step 3: Remove WooCommerce Data from the Database
WooCommerce stores a lot of data in your WordPress database: products, orders, coupons, settings, and custom tables. If you want a clean removal, you need to delete this data.
Option A: Use WooCommerce’s Built-in Setting
Before deactivating, go to WooCommerce > Settings > Advanced > WooCommerce.com and look for the option to remove all data on uninstall. Enable this setting, then deactivate and delete the plugin. WooCommerce will clean up after itself.
Option B: Manual Database Cleanup
If you already deleted WooCommerce without enabling that setting, you can manually remove the data. Use phpMyAdmin or a database management tool from your hosting panel.
Look for tables that start with wp_wc_ and wp_woocommerce_. There are also entries in the wp_options table with option names starting with woocommerce_. Be careful when working directly with the database. Make sure you have a backup before deleting anything.
Step 4: Clean Up WooCommerce Pages
WooCommerce creates several pages during setup: Shop, Cart, Checkout, and My Account. After deactivating WooCommerce, these pages will still exist but they will not work properly. They will show shortcodes as plain text instead of functioning store elements.
Go to Pages in your dashboard and either delete these pages or repurpose them with new content.
Step 5: Remove WooCommerce Widgets and Menu Items
Check your sidebars and menus for WooCommerce-related items:
- Go to Appearance > Widgets and remove any WooCommerce widgets (like Cart, Product Search, or Product Categories).
- Go to Appearance > Menus and remove links to Shop, Cart, Checkout, or My Account pages.
Step 6: Check Your Theme Compatibility
Some themes are built specifically for WooCommerce and may not work well without it. If your theme depends on WooCommerce, you might see errors or broken layouts after deactivating.
Check your theme’s documentation to see if WooCommerce is required. If it is, you may need to switch to a different theme. Themes like Developer starter theme by Wbcom Designs work great with or without WooCommerce.
What Happens After You Deactivate WooCommerce?
Here is what changes on your site after WooCommerce is deactivated:
- The WooCommerce admin menu disappears from your dashboard.
- Store pages (Shop, Cart, Checkout) stop working.
- Product pages return a 404 error.
- WooCommerce-specific widgets stop displaying.
- Any WooCommerce shortcodes in your content will show as plain text.
- Your product and order data stays in the database unless you manually remove it.
Can You Reactivate WooCommerce Later?
Yes. If you only deactivated WooCommerce (without deleting it or removing database data), you can reactivate it anytime. All your products, orders, and settings will still be there. This is why backing up and understanding each step matters. Deactivating is reversible. Deleting data is not.
Wrapping Up
Deactivating WooCommerce from WordPress is straightforward, but doing it cleanly takes a few extra steps. Back up your site first, deactivate and optionally delete the plugin, clean up leftover pages and widgets, and remove database tables if you want a complete removal.
If you are switching to a different eCommerce solution, make sure you export your product and order data before removing WooCommerce. Once the data is gone from the database, there is no way to get it back without a backup.
Interesting Reads:
How to Install WooCommerce in WordPress
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