How to Remove WordPress from Domain (Step-by-Step Guide)

Here are the key steps to remove “wordpress” from your domain:

Change the “Site Address” in your WordPress dashboard:
Go to Settings > General in your WordPress admin
Remove the “/wordpress” part from the “Site Address (URL)” field
Click “Save Changes”
Download the .htaccess and index.php files from the “/wordpress” folder:
Access your website’s root folder (usually “public_html”)
Download the .htaccess and index.php files from the “/wordpress” subfolder
Update the index.php file:
Open the downloaded index.php file in a text editor
Change the line that loads wp-blog-header.php to point to the correct location: require( dirname( __FILE__ ) . '/wordpress/wp-blog-header.php' );
Save the updated index.php file
Upload the .htaccess and updated index.php files to the root folder:
Use FTP or your hosting’s file manager to upload these files to the root folder

After completing these steps, your WordPress site should be accessible without the “/wordpress” in the URL.

Keep in mind that your media files may still use the “/wordpress” path, so you may need to update those links manually or use a plugin to fix them.

The key is to update the WordPress address settings, download the necessary files, modify the index.php, and then upload the files back to the root folder.

This allows you to remove the “/wordpress” from your domain name.

Table of Contents

What are the steps to completely remove WordPress from a domain?

Based on the search results provided, here are the steps to completely remove WordPress from a domain:

Steps to Completely Remove WordPress

Log into your hosting account’s control panel (e.g. cPanel) and locate the WordPress manager or auto-installer tool.
In the WordPress manager, find the domain where WordPress is installed and click the “Uninstall” or “Delete” option.
This will remove the WordPress software, including the files and database, from your hosting account.
If WordPress was installed in a subdirectory (e.g. example.com/wordpress/), you may also need to manually delete the subdirectory folder from the root public_html or www directory using the file manager or an FTP client.
After removing the WordPress files, you may still need to delete the associated MySQL database. Access the MySQL Databases section in your hosting control panel, locate the WordPress database, and delete it.
If you had content or settings configured in your WordPress site, you may want to first create a backup of your website files and database before deleting everything.
Once WordPress is fully removed, you can then reinstall it in the root directory of your domain to get a fresh WordPress installation without the subdirectory.

By following these steps, you can completely remove WordPress from your domain and start fresh with a new WordPress installation if desired.

The key is to use the hosting control panel tools to uninstall WordPress, and then manually clean up any remaining files or database.

How do I delete the WordPress database and files from my web server?

Based on the search results provided, here are the steps to delete the WordPress database and files from your web server:

Delete WordPress Files

Access your web server’s file manager or use an FTP client to connect to your server.
Locate the WordPress installation directory, usually named public_html or www.
Delete all the WordPress-related files and folders inside this directory, including wp-admin, wp-content, and wp-includes.

Delete WordPress Database

Access your web hosting control panel, usually through cPanel or a similar interface.
Locate the MySQL databases section and find the database associated with your WordPress site.
Select the database and click the “Delete” or “Drop” option to remove it completely.

After completing these steps, your WordPress installation and its associated database will be fully removed from your web server.

Remember to always back up your site’s files and database before proceeding with any deletions.

Is there a way to remove WordPress without losing my website content?

Based on the search results provided, here are the key steps to remove and reinstall WordPress without losing your website content:

Backup your WordPress site
Download your wp-content folder, which contains your posts, pages, media, themes, and plugins.
Export your WordPress database to an XML file.
These backups will ensure you don’t lose any of your existing website content.
Remove the WordPress core files
Connect to your website via FTP or cPanel File Manager.
Delete all the WordPress core files, but leave the wp-content folder intact.
You can also delete the existing WordPress database, but this is optional.
Reinstall a fresh copy of WordPress
Download the latest version of WordPress from WordPress.org.
Upload the new WordPress core files to your server, but do not overwrite the wp-content folder.
You can use a one-click WordPress installer provided by your web host, or manually install WordPress.
Restore your website content
Import your WordPress database backup.
Upload your wp-content folder back to the server, overwriting the new wp-content folder.

By following these steps, you can completely remove and reinstall WordPress without losing any of your website’s content, such as posts, pages, media, themes, and plugins.

The key is to backup your wp-content folder and database first before deleting the WordPress core files.

What are the potential risks or consequences of removing WordPress from a domain?

Based on the search results provided, here are the key potential risks and consequences of removing WordPress from a domain:

Loss of SEO and website traffic: The existing HTML site is well-optimized and ranks highly on Google, so there is a risk of losing that SEO ranking and traffic by switching to a new WordPress site, even if the content is similar.
Data loss: Deleting a WordPress site permanently erases all content, settings, and configurations, which could lead to irreversible data loss if proper backups are not made beforehand.
Domain hijacking: After deleting the domain, someone else could register the same domain name and use it for fraudulent or malicious purposes, taking advantage of the site’s previous reputation and visibility.
Email disruption: If the domain was used for email addresses, those emails would no longer be accessible after the domain is deleted, potentially causing issues with clients and business partners.
Downtime and website unavailability: There is a risk of website downtime and unavailability during the migration process from the existing HTML site to the new WordPress site, which could impact business operations.
Broken links and URLs: The migration process could lead to broken links and URLs if not handled properly, negatively impacting the user experience and SEO.

To mitigate these risks, the search results recommend thoroughly backing up the existing site, carefully planning and executing the migration to WordPress, setting up proper 301 redirects, and ensuring a smooth transition to minimize any disruption or data loss.

Professional assistance may also be advisable for a complex migration.

How do I redirect my domain to a new website platform after removing WordPress?

Based on the search results provided, here are the steps to redirect your domain to a new website platform after removing WordPress:

Update the Site Address in WordPress Settings (if possible):
If you still have access to the WordPress admin panel, go to Settings > General and update the “Site Address (URL)” field to the new domain.
This is the easiest way to fix the redirection issue, but if the URL fields are greyed out, you’ll need to use one of the other methods.
Change the Site URL in the WordPress Database:
If you have access to the WordPress database, you can directly update the “siteurl” and “home” options in the wp_options table.
Log in to your hosting control panel, access the phpMyAdmin tool, and update these two options with the new domain.
Flush the DNS Cache:
If the above methods don’t work, the issue may be related to outdated DNS records.
Flush the DNS cache on your local machine to ensure it’s using the latest DNS information.
Implement a 301 Permanent Redirect:
If you no longer have access to the WordPress site, you can set up a 301 permanent redirect at the server level.
Log in to your new hosting account, locate the domain management settings, and configure a 301 redirect from the old domain to the new domain.
Use the .htaccess File:
Alternatively, you can create an .htaccess file in the root directory of your old domain and add the necessary redirect code.
This will permanently redirect all traffic from the old domain to the new domain.
Consider DNS Redirection:
As an additional option, you can update the DNS settings for the old domain to point to the new domain.
This will redirect visitors without the need for server-level or .htaccess configurations.

The key is to use a 301 permanent redirect to ensure search engines and users are properly directed to the new domain, and your SEO rankings are preserved.

Can I remove WordPress and switch to a different CMS or website builder?

Based on the search results provided, here is a summary on how to switch from WordPress to a different CMS or website builder:

Key Points

Switching from WordPress to another CMS or website builder is possible, but it requires rebuilding your website from scratch rather than just migrating the content.
The process involves deleting your existing WordPress-based website and setting up a new website using the new platform. This means you will lose all your existing content and design, so you need to recreate everything.
Some important considerations when switching platforms:
Website builders like Squarespace are generally easier to set up quickly, but offer less customization than a CMS like WordPress.
CMSs like WordPress provide more flexibility and customization options, but require more technical expertise to set up and maintain.
Migrating content from one CMS to another can be challenging and may require custom development work to preserve your existing URLs and SEO rankings.
You’ll need to ensure you can properly redirect your old URLs to the new platform to avoid losing search engine rankings.
If you have a large existing website with thousands of pages, switching platforms can be a major undertaking. It may be worth evaluating whether the benefits of the new platform outweigh the effort required.
When moving to a new platform, it’s best to keep your old WordPress site live until the new site is fully built and ready to launch, to avoid downtime.

In summary, switching from WordPress to another CMS or website builder is possible but requires rebuilding your entire website from scratch.

The difficulty and effort involved will depend on the size and complexity of your existing WordPress site.

Careful planning and execution is required to preserve your content, URLs, and SEO when making the switch.

Are there any WordPress plugins or tools that can help with the removal process?

Based on the search results provided, there are several WordPress plugins and tools that can help with the process of removing unused data and optimizing the WordPress database:

WP-Optimize: This plugin works by cleaning, compressing, and caching your WordPress database. It has features like automatic CSS and JavaScript minification, and can help remove unused data like drafts, spam comments, and transients.
Smart Cleanup Tools: This plugin is a suite of database optimization tools that can help remove a wide range of unused data, including orphaned data, WooCommerce sessions, and more. It has over 40 different cleanup settings.
WP Cleaner Pro: This plugin can remove over 25 types of data items and optimize the database to improve site performance. It also has scheduling tools and can backup the entire database.
Media Cleaner: This plugin helps clean up the WordPress media library by deleting unused media entries and files, as well as fixing broken image references.
MalCare Security: While not specifically a database cleanup tool, this plugin is a comprehensive WordPress malware removal solution that can scan for and clean up malware infections on your site.

The search results indicate that using a dedicated WordPress database cleanup plugin is generally recommended over manual SQL commands, as the plugins can automate the process and provide more advanced features.

The Smart Cleanup Tools and WP Cleaner Pro plugins seem to offer the most comprehensive set of database optimization and cleanup tools based on the information provided.