Sometimes fixing problems, applying updates, or troubleshooting can conflict with WordPress plugins installed on your WordPress website, this can require updating or reinstalling the plugin. Should the usual techniques prove ineffective, you may have to update or forcibly reinstall WordPress plugins. This tutorial shows you how to accomplish this efficiently.

This article is an addition to our You Tube video linked below, please note that this article assumes that you are logged to your WordPress website Dashboard.

How to Forcefully Update WordPress Plugins

Method 1: Manual Update via the WordPress Dashboard

Deactivate & Delete the Old Plugin

1. Before making any changes, it’s very important to back up your WordPress site, including the database and files..

2. Visit the WordPress plugin repository or the plugin developer’s website and download the latest version of the plugin as a .zip file.

3. Deactivate the plugin by going to your WordPress dashboard and navigate to: Plugins > Installed Plugins.

4. Find the relative plugin that you wish to update and click “Deactivate”.

5. In the same plugins section, find the plugin again and click “Delete” to remove the old version of that WordPress plugin.

Upload & Install the New Plugin

6. Go to Plugins > Add New, click “Upload Plugin”.

7. Choose the .zip file of the Plugin you just downloaded. Click “Install Now”.

8. To create a custom display name, enter a new Nickname in “Nickname” and select it from the dropdown menu.

9. Activate the Plugin once the installation is complete.

Method 2: Manual Update via FTP

1. As always, back up your WordPress site before making changes.

2. Download the latest version of the plugin from the official source

3. Use an FTP client (like FileZilla) to connect to your site and go to wp-content/plugins folder in your FTP client.

4. Find the folder corresponding to the plugin you wish to update and delete the entire folder.

5. Extract the .zip file you downloaded previously and upload that new WordPress plugin folder to the wp-content/plugins directory.

6. Activate the plugin via the WordPress dashboard, navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins and find the updated Plugin and click “Activate”.

How to Forcefully Reinstall WordPress Plugins

Method 1: Reinstall via WordPress Dashboard

1. As always, ensure you have a backup of your WordPress website and any databases, before proceeding, if you have already deactivated and deleted the plugin the please proceed to point.

2. Deactivate the Plugin by going to Plugins > Installed Plugins, click “Deactivate” for the plugin you wish to reinstall.

3. Delete the plugin by going to “Installed Plugins” list, click “Delete” next to the plugin.

4. Reinstall the Plugin – go to Plugins > Add New.

5. Search for the plugin in the repository or use the “Upload Plugin” option if you have a .zip file, click “Install Now” and then “Activate” after installation

Method 2: Reinstall via FTP

1. Back up your WordPress website files and database.

2. Download the latest version of the plugin from the official site.

3. Connect using an FTP client and navigate to wp-content/plugins folder.

4. Delete the folder for the plugin you want to reinstall.

5. Extract the new plugin .zip file and then upload the extracted folder to wp-content/plugins.

6. Return to your WordPress dashboard and go to Plugins > Installed Plugins.

7. Find the plugin and click “Activate”.

You Tube Video: How to Forcefully Update or Reinstall a WordPress Plugin

Additional Information

Common Pitfalls & How to Avoid Them

• Ignoring Backup – To prevent data loss, always make a backup of your website before updating or reinstalling it.
• Skipping the Compatibility Checks – Ensure the Plugin is compatible with other Plugins and the version of WordPress you are currently using.
• Overwriting Plugin Settings – Reinstalling a Plugin usually overwrites its settings. After you reinstall the Plugin, check and adjust its settings.
• Not Testing Changes – Before making any changes to your live site, test updates and reinstallations in a staging environment.

Login to Domains.co.za Account

1. Go to the Domains.co.za website Account Login page.

2. Enter your Email and Password.

3. Then click the “Sign In” button.

Access WordPress from your Domains.co.za Dashboard

4. On the right of the Dashboard under the “Manage Account” menu, click “Manage Services” on the drop-down menu and select your Hosting plan, our example uses Web Hosting.

5. Scroll down to the “Quick Manage” section (below “Product Information”) and click on the WordPress icon. If you haven’t yet installed WordPress, it will ask you to first do so.

Access WordPress via cPanel from your Domains.co.za Account

6. On the right of the Dashboard under the “Manage Account” menu, click “Manage Services” on the drop-down menu and select your Hosting plan, our example uses Web Hosting. (refer image above).

7. Click “Manage” next to the website domain you wish to access in cPanel.

8. The Product Information section will display – click the “Login” button next to Control Panel.

9. On the cPanel Dashboard, in the menu on the right, select “WP Toolkit”, or if you haven’t yet installed WordPress “WordPress Management”.

10. There is also a WordPress icon under the “Popular Applications” section on the cPanel Dashboard.

WordPress can be Accessed Online via cPanel

1. Go to your cPanel URL or cPanel Login page.

2. Enter your “Email” and “Account Password” and click “Log In”

3. On the cPanel Dashboard, in the menu on the right, select “WP Toolkit”, or if you haven’t yet installed WordPress “WordPress Management”. There is also a WordPress icon under the “Popular Applications” section on the cPanel Dashboard.