Removing software like WordPress or Joomla from your cPanel hosting is a manual process that involves two main stages: deleting the application's files and deleting its database.
This guide will walk you through the advanced steps to completely remove an installation from your account.
Important: Back Up First!
Warning: The following steps will permanently delete your website's files and database. This action cannot be undone. Before you proceed, please make sure you have a complete backup of your website if you ever wish to restore it.
How to Manually Remove Your Application
This method requires you to delete two separate parts: the website files and the database.
Step 1: Delete the Website Files
- Log in to your cPanel and open the File Manager.
- Navigate to the folder where your software is installed. If it was your main website, this will be
public_html. If it was in a sub-folder (likepublic_html/blog), navigate to that folder. - Find the Database Name (Crucial!): Before you delete anything, find your software's configuration file.
- For WordPress, this is
wp-config.php. - For Joomla, this is
configuration.php.
DB_NAME), and write it down. You will need this for Step 2. - For WordPress, this is
- Once you have the database name, select all files and folders associated with the installation and click Delete.
Step 2: Delete the Database
- Go back to your main cPanel dashboard.
- Scroll to the Databases section and click on MySQL Databases.
- Find the exact database name you wrote down in the previous step. In the Actions column, click Delete next to that database.
- (Optional but Recommended): On the same page, scroll down to the Current Users section. If the database user associated with that database is not being used by any other sites, you can delete that user as well to keep your account clean.
Once you have completed both steps, your software will be completely removed.
