There have been times when we’ve completely cluttered a test site with too many plugins, themes, and demo content. Instead of fixing things one by one, we just wanted to wipe the slate clean and start over.
That’s where resetting the WordPress database comes in handy. It instantly removes all content, settings, and customizations—basically giving you a fresh install without the hassle of reinstalling WordPress.
If you’re a developer or trying out different plugins and themes, this can save a ton of time. It’s also a useful way to clean up a site before handing it off to someone else.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to reset your WordPress database safely using a plugin. That way, you can start fresh without losing access to your site or breaking anything important.
Here is a quick overview of the steps we will cover in this tutorial:
Why Reset WordPress Database to Default Settings?
We often use a local server or a staging site to test new plugins, themes, or design ideas without risking a live website. If you’re doing the same, then resetting your WordPress database can be a big help.
It’s common to fill a development site with dummy content and settings during a project. After a while, it all starts to pile up and slow things down.
Manually deleting everything is tedious, and it’s easy to miss something. We’ve been there, spending way too much time trying to clean up a messy test site.
That’s why we prefer using a plugin to reset the database all at once. It’s faster, easier, and gives you a clean slate without the stress.
Step 1: Prepare a WordPress Backup Before Reset 💾
WordPress stores everything—from your posts and pages to plugin settings—inside the database. When you reset it, all of that gets wiped out.
We’ve accidentally lost work before by skipping the backup step, and trust us, it’s not fun 😔. A reset can’t be undone ⚠️, so you’ll want a safety net.
We recommend creating a full WordPress backup before moving forward. If you’re only interested in saving your database, you can just back up the database instead.
Method 1: Make WordPress Database Backup Using Duplicator
Duplicator is our go-to tool when we need to back up WordPress sites quickly. It’s also featured in our backup plugin roundup for a reason—it just works.
We use it regularly on WPBeginner and other test sites. It makes it easy to store backups securely and restore them with a single click. You can also check out our full review to learn more about what it offers.
To get started, install and activate the Duplicator plugin. If you need help, follow our guide on how to install a plugin.
Note: You can use the free version of Duplicator, but we recommend the paid plan if you want access to advanced features like scheduled backups and cloud storage.
After activation, head over to Duplicator » Backups in your dashboard and click the ‘Add New’ button.
Give your backup a name. Duplicator also lets you use dynamic tags, such as the date or site name, to create it automatically.
Once you’re ready, click the ‘Next’ button to continue.
Duplicator will scan your site and show a summary of the results. You might see notices like missing a security plugin or using an older WordPress version.
You can ignore those if they don’t apply to your setup. If everything looks good, go ahead and click the ‘Create Backup’ button.
Once the backup is complete, Duplicator will show download options for both the Archive and Installer files.
Click ‘Download’ and then select ‘Both Files’ to save them to your computer.
That’s it! Your WordPress database is safely backed up, and you’re ready for the next step.
Method 2: Create a Database Backup Using Advanced WP Reset
If you’re planning to reset your WordPress site using the Advanced WP Reset plugin, you can use it to create a quick database snapshot first.
We’ve used this method for smaller test sites where we didn’t need a full backup plugin. It’s lightweight and does the job, but there’s a catch.
If you use this method, you’ll need to restore your database manually using phpMyAdmin. It’s not hard, but it’s definitely more technical than using Duplicator.
First, install and activate the Advanced WP Reset plugin. Once activated, go to Tools » Advanced WP Reset and click on the ‘Snapshots’ tab.
Give your snapshot a name, then hit the ‘Take Snapshot’ button. It only takes a moment.
The plugin will create a backup of your database and show it under the “Available Snapshots” section.
Important: if you reset your site without saving the snapshot, it’ll be deleted too. You’ll want to download it before moving on.
Click the plus [+] icon to expand snapshot options, then click ‘Download’.
Your backup will download as a .sql file. Hang onto that file, you’ll need it if you ever want to restore your database manually.
Step 2: Reset Your WordPress Database to Default Settings 🔃
To reset your WordPress database, you’ll need the Advanced WP Reset plugin. If you haven’t installed it yet, go ahead and do that first. You can follow our guide on how to install a plugin if needed.
Once it’s activated, head to Tools » Advanced WP Reset and click on the ‘Reset’ tab.
Here, you’ll see a list of everything the plugin will delete when you run the reset. This includes:
- All posts, pages, and comments
- Custom database tables created by plugins or manually
- All user accounts except the current admin
- Plugin data from Advanced WP Reset, including your snapshots
It also shows you what won’t be deleted. These are things like:
- Your current admin user account
- Uploaded files, themes, and plugins (note: plugin/theme data in the database will be erased)
- Basic WordPress settings like site title, timezone, and language
- Non-WordPress tables with different prefixes
If everything looks okay, scroll down to the warning area. Type ‘Reset’ into the field, then click the ‘Reset’ button.
You’ll see a popup asking you to confirm.
Click ‘Reset Now’ to continue.
The plugin will now reset your database and take you back to a clean WordPress state.
When it’s done, you’ll see a success message confirming the reset was completed.
You can now start fresh with your site using the default WordPress database settings.
📝Note: After the reset, WordPress adds its default sample content again. This includes a ‘Hello World’ post, a sample page, and a comment. You can delete those manually if you like.
Step 3: Restore WordPress Database From Backup (Optional)
If resetting your WordPress database didn’t go as planned, don’t worry. You can roll things back by restoring the backup you created earlier.
Method 1: Restore Duplicator Database Backup
If you used the Duplicator plugin to back up your site, here’s how to bring it back safely.
After the reset, the Advanced WP Reset plugin deactivates all your plugins. So first, go to the Plugins page in your dashboard and reactivate Duplicator.
Once activated, go to Duplicator » Import Backups.
Upload the Archive file you downloaded when you first created the backup.
Duplicator will scan the archive and show you the backup details.
If everything looks good, click the ‘Continue’ button.
You may be asked whether you want to proceed without creating a recovery point.
Since you already have a backup, it’s safe to continue.
Scroll down, and you’ll see a summary of your content.
Click ‘Launch Installer’ to move forward.
The Duplicator installer will now launch.
It will automatically select ‘Restore single site’ as the import type.
Scroll to the Validation section.
Now, check the box to confirm you’ve read the terms and notices.
You need to click ‘Next’ to begin the restoration process.
Duplicator will show you a confirmation popup with your selected settings. Just click ‘OK’ to proceed.
The plugin will now begin restoring your backup and importing your original database.
Once it’s done, you’ll see a success message with an option to log back into your WordPress admin area.
Method 2: Restore Database Backup from SQL File
If you used the Snapshots tool in the Advanced WP Reset plugin, your backup is saved as an SQL file. Here’s how you can restore it using phpMyAdmin or a similar database tool.
Start by opening phpMyAdmin. It’s a web-based app that lets you manage databases with a simple interface.
If your site is hosted online, log into your WordPress hosting control panel (usually cPanel).
Look for the Database section and click on the ‘phpMyAdmin’ option.
This will open phpMyAdmin in a new browser tab.
If you’re working locally, open phpMyAdmin or whatever database tool came with your local site setup.
We recommend using Local for local WordPress development. It doesn’t include phpMyAdmin, but it uses Open Adminer instead, which works just as well.
Once inside phpMyAdmin, select your WordPress database from the left sidebar.
Scroll down, click ‘Check all’ to select all tables, then choose ‘Drop’ from the dropdown to delete them.
This will clear out your current database so you can import the backup.
Next, switch to the ‘Import’ tab at the top and click the ‘Choose File’ button to upload your saved SQL file.
You can leave the default settings as-is for most sites. They usually work just fine.
Scroll down and click the ‘Import’ button to run the process.
phpMyAdmin will upload and run your SQL file. This usually only takes a few seconds.
Once complete, you’ll see a success message at the top of the screen.
You can now visit your website and log in. Your WordPress database should be back to how it was before the reset.
🛠️ Keep Your WordPress Site Running Smoothly with Expert Maintenance!
Do you need help with database resets, updates, backups, or security checks? Our WordPress Maintenance Service ensures your site is always in top shape, saving you time and hassle.
More Helpful Resources on WordPress Databases
Once you’re familiar with resetting and restoring your site, it’s a good idea to learn more about how the WordPress database works behind the scenes. It can save you time, prevent mistakes, and help you fix issues faster.
Here are some of our most useful guides to help you understand and manage your WordPress database with confidence:
- Beginner’s Guide to WordPress Database Management with phpMyAdmin
- How to Optimize Your WordPress Database (One Click)
- Fixing the ‘Error Establishing a Database Connection’ in WordPress
- How to Restore a WordPress Site Using Only a Database Backup
- Find and Replace Text in Your WordPress Database (The Easy Way)
We hope this article helped you learn how to reset your WordPress database to default settings. You may also want to check out our WordPress security guide to keep your data safe or look at our pick of the best WordPress database plugins for easier database management.
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.
A Owadud Bhuiyan
I have heard that our database will automatically take back up from our hosting.
How do I find out where is my database backup file?
WPBeginner Support
It would depend on your hosting provider for if they do that and where the backup would be located. If you reach out to your host they should be able to let you know!
Admin
Jiří Vaněk
It’s different for every provider. Backups are usually available in an FTP folder, which is embedded there as a symlink to the backup server. Another option is in the form of a control panel, which is available for the website (but does not have to be). Another possibility is that backups are available from the service administration of your web hosting provider. And the last option is on request. This means that backups are not available, but the provider will provide them to you upon request, or, if it is better and has excellent customer support, it can restore the database directly from the backup. It’s more of a web provider question.
Konrad
Thanks for simplyfing the process, it may come in handy someday. Also remember that backup is crucial!
WPBeginner Support
Creating a backup in case it is needed is very important.
Admin
THANKGOD JONATHAN
Please if I choose to use the ADVANCE WP RESET plugins to backup my database, can I still use it to restore the database? Because I didn’t hear you mention it.
And secondly please, if for instance I thing my wordpress site has been compromised can I use this method to remove the maliciouse codes?
Thank you for considering this question.
WPBeginner Support
The plugin has recently added a way to restore your backup created with the plugin.
For a hacked WordPress site, we would recommend taking a look at our article below
https://www.wpbeginner.com/beginners-guide/beginners-step-step-guide-fixing-hacked-wordpress-site/
Admin
Jiří Vaněk
Isn’t it easier to delete the database content through PHPmyAdmin? After calling the domain or localhost, a reinstallation will take place, and everything should be reset. The data on FTP will remain, including the folder with plugins, which can simply be activated if necessary.
Backup DB can be done also in PHPmyAdmin.
WPBeginner Support
If you are comfortable with using the editing interface then you can use phpmyadmin’s interface but for most beginner users we would recommend the route from our article to prevent accidental deletion of something that they would want to keep
Admin
Jiří Vaněk
I understand, sometimes I forget that you design your articles perfectly so that everyone can understand them. I found it easier to operate through the phpmyadmin interface, but you are right that not everyone has experience with it.
Jackson
Wow, thank you so much!
You saved the life of my fingernails and allot of frustration!
WPBeginner Support
Glad our guide could help
Admin
dai
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.
maurice
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
WPBeginner Support
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.
Admin
Villy
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..
Latha
How to get rid of your problem.Bcoz still I’m facing that problem:(
Joe
My wordpress post didnt show date and time and cant change the site timezone, can it solve my problem?
WPBeginner Support
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.
Admin
Nathan
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.
Gozie Prosper
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
WPBeginner Support
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.
Admin
Gozie Prosper
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
Gozie Prosper
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.
Jan
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
WPBeginner Support
It will delete all your blog posts. You will have an empty WordPress site with clean DB.
Admin
Louise
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.
Asim Khan
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
WPBeginner Support
Please see how to fix white text and missing buttons in WordPress visual editor.
Admin
Mohammed
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
Special
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!!!
hass annac
Thank you for this tip, save me time and hassle.
Thank you
Gerrit Smit
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
Gerrit Smit
for me is unable to login, what did i do wrong
Muhammad Amir
it worked .. but once signed out ..unable to login its nt accepting my current password or the 1st one
..
Villy
How did you resolve this
Joe
If this works you’re a lifesaver! Thanks.
Joe
Is there a plugin/way to delete all content on a site but keep themes and plugins intact?
Thanks.
WPBeginner Support
You can go to phpmyAdmin and empty your database tables. Keep a backup in case you want to revert back.
Admin
Luke
Thanks a lot. I was doing my head in over my messed up site. Time to start again!
Big help
stacy
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!
Joseph
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.
Editorial Staff
Yes it will.
Admin
jim
AMAZING, thank you so much, solved my problem when i pretty much ruined my wp.
Zaadu
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
namaserajesh
Useful plugin for me, I’m using WordPress on localhost so It’ll help me to reset database to default settings.