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WPBeginner» Blog» Tutorials» How to Fix Destination Folder Already Exists Error in WordPress

How to Fix Destination Folder Already Exists Error in WordPress

Last updated on May 7th, 2018 by Editorial Staff
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How to Fix Destination Folder Already Exists Error in WordPress

Are you seeing ‘Destination folder already exists’ error in WordPress? This error usually occurs during the installation of a theme or a plugin which prevents you from finishing the installation process. In this article, we will show you how to fix destination folder already exists error in WordPress.

 How to Fix Destination Folder Already Exists Error in WordPress

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If you don’t like the video or need more instructions, then continue reading.

What Causes Destination Folder Already Exists Error in WordPress?

This error occurs when you are trying to install a WordPress theme or plugin. WordPress extracts your plugin or theme’s zip file into a folder named after the file itself.

If a folder with the same name already exists, then WordPress aborts the installation with the following error message:

Destination folder already exists. /home/user/example.com/wp-content/plugins/wpforms/

Plugin install failed.

Destination folder already exists error

The first thing that you should do is visit your themes or plugins page to see if you have it already installed on your site.

If it isn’t already installed, then this could mean two things:

1. A previous attempt to delete the plugin or theme didn’t succeed, and it left the plugin / theme folder behind.

2. A previous installation attempt was interrupted and left an empty destination folder.

In either case, there is a folder with the same name as the theme or plugin you are trying to install. This folder is stopping WordPress from completing the installation.

That being said, let’s take a look at how to easily solve destination folder already exists error in WordPress.

Fixing Destination Folder Already Exists Error in WordPress

First you will need to connect to your WordPress site using an FTP client or cPanel File Manager.

Once connected, you need to go to the /wp-content/plugins/ or /wp-content/themes/ folder (depending on what you were trying to install).

Now, look for the folder named after the plugin or theme that you were trying to install and then delete it.

Delete folder

You can now go back to your WordPress admin area and retry installing the plugin or theme like you would normally do.

You should be able to install your WordPress plugin or theme without any error.

We hope this article helped you learn how to easily fix destination folder already exists error in WordPress. You may also want to see our ultimate list of the most common WordPress errors and how to fix them.

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.

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46 Comments

Leave a Reply
  1. Vighnesh Acharya says:
    Jan 17, 2021 at 9:54 pm

    Instad of delete you can also rename for the backup purpose (like woocommerce to woocommerce backup )

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Jan 19, 2021 at 11:41 am

      That is another option as well but normally if there is an issue with a plugin it would be better to delete the files that are causing the problem.

      Reply
  2. Feli says:
    Nov 13, 2020 at 5:38 pm

    Is there a way to fix this without using an FTP client? I’ve never used one before but believe the issue I am having is due to deleting a plug in that I should not have deleted.

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Nov 16, 2020 at 2:29 pm

      Your hosting provider may have a file manager that would work as an FTP that you could use if you reach out to them for assistance.

      Reply
  3. Fallon says:
    Aug 23, 2020 at 8:32 pm

    I am a little apprehensive about deleting the Woocommerce folder as I had a bunch of things setup in my Woocommerce shop already-products, etc. Will doing this restore those or will I have to start over? I lost Woocommerce in my plugin list after WordPress update and now I get this message when trying to install. Thanks.

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Aug 25, 2020 at 10:32 am

      You should keep your content but if you are worried, you can create a backup using one of the tools in our article below:
      https://www.wpbeginner.com/plugins/7-best-wordpress-backup-plugins-compared-pros-and-cons/

      Reply
  4. asif majeed says:
    Jul 27, 2020 at 5:51 am

    I had a problem with my website
    after using this method, now it is fine.
    thanks for such a great article.

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Jul 28, 2020 at 10:02 am

      Glad our guide was helpful :)

      Reply
  5. shibaprasad says:
    Jun 27, 2020 at 12:02 am

    thank you very much. this article solves my problem. thankyou again

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Jun 30, 2020 at 10:10 am

      You’re welcome, glad our article was helpful :)

      Reply
  6. Ubaid says:
    Jun 19, 2020 at 3:53 am

    I do as you said, but my woocommerce plugin not installing.. same as beft

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Jun 19, 2020 at 9:03 am

      If you are still receiving the error, we would recommend reaching out to your hosting provider and they should be able to assist.

      Reply
  7. Ashish Gupta says:
    May 17, 2020 at 2:14 am

    Thank you so much for this post, i am solve this issues facing few days,,

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      May 18, 2020 at 3:57 pm

      Glad we were able to help :)

      Reply
  8. skip Cross says:
    Mar 27, 2020 at 12:54 pm

    Wow! Great Help

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Mar 30, 2020 at 8:46 am

      Thank you, glad you liked our article :)

      Reply
  9. Tricia R says:
    Jan 19, 2020 at 11:00 am

    Thanks so much for posting this. This fixed my problem!!

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Jan 21, 2020 at 1:13 pm

      Glad our article was helpful :)

      Reply
  10. adam h says:
    Jul 20, 2019 at 10:50 am

    Thank you so much for this simple solution!

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Jul 22, 2019 at 12:47 pm

      You’re welcome :)

      Reply
  11. Marlene says:
    Apr 3, 2019 at 12:23 pm

    Thank you for your article. Saved me hours of troubleshooting! :)

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Apr 4, 2019 at 10:58 am

      You’re welcome, glad our article could help :)

      Reply
  12. Lohith jayashancar says:
    Mar 17, 2019 at 12:03 pm

    Thank you for helping. Jetpack plugin was unable to install with your help i downloaded filezilla in PC and solved the issue.

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Mar 19, 2019 at 1:17 pm

      Glad our article could help :)

      Reply
  13. Dimitris Mar says:
    Mar 4, 2019 at 4:23 pm

    I use an older version of WPBakery plugin on my site. The updated version of it is included in my template that I use. What can I do? I tried to upload it but I did not make it.

    Can I delete the old version via FTP method and upload I again? Any risk of losing my current settings on the front-end of my site?

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Mar 5, 2019 at 11:29 am

      While normally that shouldn’t be an issue, you would want to reach out to WPBakery for if you can safely do that with their settings.

      Reply
  14. Steve says:
    Feb 21, 2019 at 6:02 am

    Thank you, Thank you.
    A really clear explanation with helpful links, that solved the problem with no fuss.

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Feb 21, 2019 at 10:45 am

      Glad our article could help :)

      Reply
  15. Tameka M says:
    Feb 2, 2019 at 12:08 pm

    This was a very helpful video! Solved my problem in less than 10 minutes. Thanks so much! My Jetpack plugin is working again!

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Feb 4, 2019 at 2:34 pm

      Glad our video could help :)

      Reply
  16. Armando says:
    Dec 30, 2018 at 10:28 pm

    Thank you. Problem solved!!

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Dec 31, 2018 at 2:28 pm

      Glad our article could help fix the problem :)

      Reply
  17. Ellie says:
    Sep 4, 2018 at 9:00 am

    The credentials are correct yet i still cant connect!

    Reply
  18. Vivek says:
    Jul 7, 2018 at 12:50 am

    this works i have deleted the folder through FTp and reinstalled visual composer plugin and it worked

    thanks
    vivek

    Reply
  19. Chris says:
    Mar 29, 2018 at 3:08 pm

    I am installing a DIFFERENT plugin that uses the same folder name (I guess) so there’s no real solution…? They are both ‘accordions’ and it seems crazy WordPress struggles with this at all.

    Reply
  20. Jessica says:
    Mar 18, 2018 at 1:52 am

    I received this error message when trying to update a plugin (Modern Events Calendar) to its newer version because an auto-update option is not available.

    If did this manually through the cpanel and deleted the old folder, would I lose my existing content?

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Mar 19, 2018 at 5:59 pm

      Hi Jessica,

      We can’t say how the plugin stores data and whether it would still be there. Just to be safe create a complete WordPress backup and then manually update the plugin.

      Reply
      • Ricky Spanish says:
        May 16, 2018 at 10:02 am

        To be on the safe side, you can rename the existing plugin folder. I usually just add an underscore and the word “old” (_old) to the end of the directory name. Run the new install and test to see if it’s working. If it doesn’t work properly you can just delete it and then go back and change the name of the original folder to its original name. If it does work properly I leave the old folder there for a month or so just to be on the safe side.

        Reply
  21. Nadine says:
    Feb 23, 2018 at 8:03 pm

    Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! This fix is exactly what I needed.

    Reply
  22. Elsa says:
    Feb 13, 2018 at 7:55 pm

    This only works for wordpress.org sites. Do you have a solution for wordpress.com site where FTP and cPanel are not available?

    Reply
  23. Beth says:
    Jan 15, 2018 at 10:58 am

    What an amazing post! I have been waiting for support from my plugin provider for 3 days!!!!! And when speaking to my hosting provider this morning they suggested I Google the error, saying that it was quite common. And you guys came through once again, providing simple and to the point guidance. I’m new to WordPress and appreciate what you do so much.

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Jan 16, 2018 at 10:37 am

      Hi Beth,

      Thanks for kind words. We are glad you found WPBeginner helpful :)

      Reply
  24. Vikas Yadav says:
    Nov 23, 2017 at 3:32 pm

    Thanks for the solution!

    Reply
  25. Dylan says:
    Nov 17, 2017 at 6:20 am

    Great post. Helped me solve a problem.

    Reply
  26. Randal Byrd says:
    Nov 3, 2017 at 10:32 am

    I’ve deleted the offending folder both through FTP, and through my provider’s back end file manager.

    I STILL get the error. I’m stumped.

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Nov 3, 2017 at 1:14 pm

      Hi Randal,

      As an alternate, you can try to manually install a WordPress plugin through FTP.

      Reply

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