WPBeginner

Beginner's Guide for WordPress

  • Blog
    • Beginners Guide
    • News
    • Opinion
    • Showcase
    • Themes
    • Tutorials
    • WordPress Plugins
  • Start Here
    • How to Start a Blog
    • Create a Website
    • Start an Online Store
    • Best Website Builder
    • Email Marketing
    • WordPress Hosting
    • Business Name Ideas
  • Deals
    • Bluehost Coupon
    • SiteGround Coupon
    • WP Engine Coupon
    • HostGator Coupon
    • Domain.com Coupon
    • Constant Contact
    • View All Deals »
  • Glossary
  • Videos
  • Products
X
☰
Beginner's Guide for WordPress / Start your WordPress Blog in minutes
Choosing the Best
WordPress Hosting
How to Easily
Install WordPress
Recommended
WordPress Plugins
View all Guides

WPBeginner» Blog» Plugins» How to Reset Your WordPress Database to Default Settings

How to Reset Your WordPress Database to Default Settings

Last updated on August 31st, 2020 by Editorial Staff
61 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share
Pin
Free WordPress Video Tutorials on YouTube by WPBeginner
How to Reset Your WordPress Database to Default Settings

Do you want to reset your WordPress database to its original settings?

If you’re working on a local server or a test site, then you might need to restore your database back to how it was when you first started.

In this article, we’ll show you how to reset your WordPress database to default settings with just a few clicks.

Easily reset WordPress database to default settings

Before Resetting your WordPress Database

WordPress stores all your website content in a database. This includes your posts, pages, media file data, plugin and theme settings, and more.

If you have been working on a test a site on a local server or staging site, then sometimes you may wish to reset and just go back to the fresh install.

Resetting your WordPress database is the fastest way to do this. It deletes all your WordPress data without deleting any files stored on your web hosting server.

Important: If you reset your WordPress database, all the data will be gone forever. It cannot be undone.

You can make a complete WordPress backup before you proceed any further. You can also backup your WordPress database alone if you don’t want to backup your entire website.

Video Tutorial

Subscribe to WPBeginner

If you prefer written instructions, then please continue reading.

Reset Your WordPress Database to Default Settings

First, you need to install and activate the WordPress Database Reset plugin. For more details, see our step by step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, you need to visit the Tools » Database Reset page. From here, you can select the database tables you want to reset, or click on the ‘Select All Tables’ link to reset all tables.

Select tables you want to reset in your WordPress database

When you select all tables, you’ll have the option to reactivate your current WordPress theme and active plugins. The plugin will also preserve your current WordPress user account.

Reset database options

Finally, you’ll need to confirm the reset by entering the security code in the text box and click on the Reset Tables button.

You’ll see a warning popup appear on the screen, click on the OK button to continue.

Warning popup

The plugin will now delete all data in your WordPress database tables. You’ll see a success message on the plugin’s settings page.

Database reset complete

After a few seconds, you’ll be logged out of the WordPress admin area. You can login again using same old account to continue working on your website.

We hope this article helped you learn how to reset your WordPress database to default settings. You may also want to check out our beginner’s guide to WordPress database management, and our infographic on how WordPress works behind the scenes.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

61 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share
Pin
Popular on WPBeginner Right Now!
  • Revealed: Why Building an Email List is so Important Today (6 Reasons)

    Revealed: Why Building an Email List is so Important Today (6 Reasons)

  • How to Start Your Own Podcast (Step by Step)

    How to Start Your Own Podcast (Step by Step)

  • Google Analytics in WordPress

    How to Install Google Analytics in WordPress for Beginners

  • How to Properly Move Your Blog from WordPress.com to WordPress.org

About the Editorial Staff

Editorial Staff at WPBeginner is a team of WordPress experts led by Syed Balkhi. Trusted by over 1.3 million readers worldwide.

The Ultimate WordPress Toolkit

36 Comments

Leave a Reply
  1. Jackson says:
    Feb 6, 2019 at 1:58 am

    Wow, thank you so much!
    You saved the life of my fingernails and allot of frustration!

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Feb 6, 2019 at 10:35 am

      Glad our guide could help :)

      Reply
  2. dai says:
    Jun 18, 2018 at 10:09 am

    hi there.. i see i face same issue as many others here.
    since i resat it all..i have and error while trying to get to my wordpress page : “Sorry, you are not allowed to access this page.”

    how to fix it up ???
    thanks.

    Reply
  3. maurice says:
    Feb 28, 2017 at 9:56 am

    hey I wonder if I have a subdomain such as test.example.com and i reset the whole db with this tool. Will the DB for example.com stay untouched or will this also be resetted?
    Want to reset just the testpage so I can check a new theme but want to leave the live page untouched…
    thx

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Mar 2, 2017 at 1:26 am

      Hey Maurice,

      They will remain untouched. But as a precaution you should always create complete database backups before performing any operations on your WordPress database. It is also recommended that you use different database for each WordPress website.

      Reply
  4. Villy says:
    Sep 14, 2016 at 6:54 pm

    I used the database reset on my site , and now I can’t log in. I think it’s because I deleted the wP-users file. I tried to change passwords but didn’t receive an email. How do I fix this..

    Reply
    • Latha says:
      Oct 19, 2016 at 12:03 am

      How to get rid of your problem.Bcoz still I’m facing that problem:(

      Reply
  5. Joe says:
    Aug 31, 2016 at 7:36 pm

    My wordpress post didnt show date and time and cant change the site timezone, can it solve my problem?

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Sep 1, 2016 at 10:23 am

      We can’t say that it would. First, you should try to find out why you are unable to change the site timezone. Time settings can be found on Settings » General page inside WordPress admin area. You may also want to try these WordPress troubleshooting tips first.

      Reply
  6. Nathan says:
    May 6, 2016 at 7:41 pm

    I used this plugin-in and after I reset everything, my site no longer exist. How do I get it back? I can’t get into my admin permissions.

    Reply
  7. Gozie Prosper says:
    Feb 22, 2016 at 9:24 am

    What option can i select so as to reset my WordPress without loosing my users, my plugins and my pages. Even if I loose my themes, I have no issue with it.

    Thanks a lot

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Feb 22, 2016 at 8:16 pm

      Your WordPress database contains all your data like posts, pages, comments, users, etc. Make sure you backup your WordPress database. You also need to backup your plugins folder.

      Reply
      • Gozie Prosper says:
        Feb 23, 2016 at 10:00 am

        Please guide me on the tables I can select using this plugging and reset large part of my data base without loosing my pages and plugins only.

        Thanks

        Reply
      • Gozie Prosper says:
        Feb 23, 2016 at 10:04 am

        please guide me on which tables to select in the list of tables as the pluggin displays which when selected will reset large parts of my WordPress site without resetting my pages.

        Reply
  8. Jan says:
    Dec 12, 2015 at 12:20 am

    Will this delete original blog posts on WordPress? I want to get rid of my duplicates but I do not want to lose my work :(

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Dec 13, 2015 at 7:20 am

      It will delete all your blog posts. You will have an empty WordPress site with clean DB.

      Reply
  9. Louise says:
    Oct 29, 2015 at 6:35 am

    After reading reams of information which might as well have been written in a foreign language, I came across this and it solved my problem beautifully. Thank you.

    Reply
  10. Asim Khan says:
    Oct 5, 2015 at 7:28 am

    Hi i have a problem that when i go to add new post my HTML and Text buttons are hidden and i cannot type my text so plz help me

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Oct 5, 2015 at 3:23 pm

      Please see how to fix white text and missing buttons in WordPress visual editor.

      Reply
  11. Mohammed says:
    Sep 21, 2015 at 6:46 pm

    I have reset the wordpress. But now i cant visit my site iam worried if i click on my site its coming white empty pls help

    Reply
  12. Special says:
    Aug 15, 2015 at 3:16 am

    Apparently I am a complete idot and I just wiped my clients entire website. Nope, apparently not smart enough to create a back and it is due next week. First big project…I need help….ASAP!!!

    Reply
  13. hass annac says:
    Jun 17, 2015 at 3:50 pm

    Thank you for this tip, save me time and hassle.

    Thank you

    Reply
  14. Gerrit Smit says:
    Aug 7, 2014 at 8:34 am

    I have users reset with the plugin, now I can not login to wordpress.

    I get message
    “” You do not have enough rights for this page ‘

    Who can help me please

    thanx

    Reply
  15. Gerrit Smit says:
    Aug 7, 2014 at 8:24 am

    for me is unable to login, what did i do wrong

    Reply
  16. Muhammad Amir says:
    Jul 1, 2014 at 6:40 am

    it worked .. but once signed out ..unable to login its nt accepting my current password or the 1st one :( ..

    Reply
    • Villy says:
      Sep 14, 2016 at 6:58 pm

      How did you resolve this

      Reply
  17. Joe says:
    Apr 9, 2014 at 8:22 pm

    If this works you’re a lifesaver! Thanks.

    Reply
  18. Joe says:
    Dec 30, 2013 at 9:31 am

    Is there a plugin/way to delete all content on a site but keep themes and plugins intact?

    Thanks.

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Dec 31, 2013 at 5:27 pm

      You can go to phpmyAdmin and empty your database tables. Keep a backup in case you want to revert back.

      Reply
  19. Luke says:
    Oct 3, 2013 at 10:22 pm

    Thanks a lot. I was doing my head in over my messed up site. Time to start again!
    Big help

    Reply
  20. stacy says:
    Sep 11, 2013 at 6:07 pm

    Any chance this can be run from a cron job so it’s automated? I’m trying to setup a demo site and would like the content to be reset once an hour.

    On that note, any ideas on how to get the wordpress site to also delete any new images that were uploaded during that time?

    Thanks for your help!

    Reply
  21. Joseph says:
    Nov 14, 2012 at 5:31 am

    Hi, really cool post but I do have a question…will this affect my themes? I have some premium themes i don’t want to lose.

    Reply
    • Editorial Staff says:
      Nov 14, 2012 at 10:02 am

      Yes it will.

      Reply
  22. jim says:
    Apr 28, 2012 at 7:20 pm

    AMAZING, thank you so much, solved my problem when i pretty much ruined my wp.

    Reply
  23. Zaadu says:
    Nov 4, 2011 at 5:33 am

    Thanks for this! All the times before I used to make changes to the db and make anew install of wordpress…No more from now on

    Reply
  24. namaserajesh says:
    Nov 3, 2011 at 3:55 pm

    Useful plugin for me, I’m using WordPress on localhost so It’ll help me to reset database to default settings.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Thanks for choosing to leave a comment. Please keep in mind that all comments are moderated according to our comment policy, and your email address will NOT be published. Please Do NOT use keywords in the name field. Let's have a personal and meaningful conversation.

Over 1,320,000+ Readers

Get fresh content from WPBeginner

Featured WordPress Plugin
All in One SEO logo
All in One SEO
Improve website SEO rankings with AIOSEO plugin. Learn More »
How to Start a Blog How to Start a Blog
I need help with ...
Starting a
Blog
WordPress
Performance
WordPress
Security
WordPress
SEO
WordPress
Errors
Building an
Online Store
Useful WordPress Guides
    • 7 Best WordPress Backup Plugins Compared (Pros and Cons)
    • How to Fix the Error Establishing a Database Connection in WordPress
    • Why You Need a CDN for your WordPress Blog? [Infographic]
    • 30 Legit Ways to Make Money Online Blogging with WordPress
    • Self Hosted WordPress.org vs. Free WordPress.com [Infograph]
    • Free Recording: WordPress Workshop for Beginners
    • 24 Must Have WordPress Plugins for Business Websites
    • How to Properly Move Your Blog from WordPress.com to WordPress.org
    • 5 Best Contact Form Plugins for WordPress Compared
    • Which is the Best WordPress Popup Plugin? (Comparison)
    • Best WooCommerce Hosting in 2020 (Comparison)
    • How to Fix the Internal Server Error in WordPress
    • How to Install WordPress - Complete WordPress Installation Tutorial
    • Why You Should Start Building an Email List Right Away
    • How to Properly Move WordPress to a New Domain Without Losing SEO
    • How to Choose the Best WordPress Hosting for Your Website
    • How to Choose the Best Blogging Platform (Comparison)
    • WordPress Tutorials - 200+ Step by Step WordPress Tutorials
    • 5 Best WordPress Ecommerce Plugins Compared
    • 5 Best WordPress Membership Plugins (Compared)
    • 7 Best Email Marketing Services for Small Business (2020)
    • How to Choose the Best Domain Registrar (Compared)
    • The Truth About Shared WordPress Web Hosting
    • When Do You Really Need Managed WordPress Hosting?
    • 5 Best Drag and Drop WordPress Page Builders Compared
    • How to Switch from Blogger to WordPress without Losing Google Rankings
    • How to Properly Switch From Wix to WordPress (Step by Step)
    • How to Properly Move from Weebly to WordPress (Step by Step)
    • Do You Really Need a VPS? Best WordPress VPS Hosting Compared
    • How to Properly Move from Squarespace to WordPress
    • How to Register a Domain Name (+ tip to get it for FREE)
    • HostGator Review - An Honest Look at Speed & Uptime (2020)
    • SiteGround Reviews from 4196 Users & Our Experts (2020)
    • Bluehost Review from Real Users + Performance Stats (2020)
    • How Much Does It Really Cost to Build a WordPress Website?
    • How to Create an Email Newsletter the RIGHT WAY (Step by Step)
    • Free Business Name Generator (A.I Powered)
    • How to Create a Free Business Email Address in 5 Minutes (Step by Step)
    • How to Install Google Analytics in WordPress for Beginners
    • How to Move WordPress to a New Host or Server With No Downtime
    • Why is WordPress Free? What are the Costs? What is the Catch?
    • How to Make a Website in 2020 – Step by Step Guide
Deals & Coupons (view all)
LiveChat logo
LiveChat Inc Coupon
Get a 30 day free trial and 30% OFF LiveChat, one of the best live chat service providers for WordPress users.
ConvertKit Coupon Code
ConvertKit Coupon
Get a 14-day no risk FREE trial with this powerful email marketing software.
Featured In
About WPBeginner®

WPBeginner is a free WordPress resource site for Beginners. WPBeginner was founded in July 2009 by Syed Balkhi. The main goal of this site is to provide quality tips, tricks, hacks, and other WordPress resources that allows WordPress beginners to improve their site(s).
Join our team: We are Hiring!

Site Links
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • FTC Disclosure
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Free Blog Setup
  • Free Business Tools
Our Sites
  • OptinMonster
  • MonsterInsights
  • WPForms
  • SeedProd
  • Nameboy
  • RafflePress
  • Smash Balloon

Copyright © 2009 - 2021 WPBeginner LLC. All Rights Reserved. WPBeginner® is a registered trademark.

Managed by Awesome Motive | WordPress hosting by SiteGround | WordPress CDN by MaxCDN | WordPress Security by Sucuri.