How to disable a broken plugin when locked out of wp-admin

If a plugin update locks you out of the dashboard, you can disable plugins without logging in. There are two safe ways.

Method 1 — Rename the plugins folder (easiest). In the DirhamHost File Manager, go to wp-content and rename the plugins folder to plugins-off. This deactivates every plugin at once. Log in, rename it back to plugins, then re-enable plugins one by one to find the faulty one.

Method 2 — Disable one plugin in the database. To target a single plugin:

1. Open phpMyAdmin in DirhamHost and select your site’s database.
2. Open the wp_options table and find the active_plugins row.
3. Take a backup, then edit the value to remove the broken plugin’s entry (or clear the field to disable all).

Always back up before editing the database. Once you are back in, delete or replace the problem plugin and update the rest. Not comfortable with phpMyAdmin? Our team can do it for you — contact WhatsApp +971 58 553 6767.