Plugin Blocking all access

Hi @ljfent,

Thanks for reaching out, and I’m sorry to hear you’re experiencing a lockout. Please don’t worry, your website is completely safe.

What you are experiencing is normal behavior when a strict rule is accidentally triggered. When you rename the plugin folder, you disable it at the PHP level, which restores your access. However, when you delete and reinstall the plugin, WordPress keeps the plugin’s settings safely stored in your database. As soon as you activate the fresh copy, it reads those old settings and applies the same block again.

The most common causes for this are:

1. You had “Restrict login to Whitelisted IPs” enabled, and your internet service provider assigned you a new IP address.
2. Your current IP or Country was accidentally caught in a strict security rule (like Geo-blocking or the WAF).

How to fix this and start fresh: Since you cannot access the plugin settings to unblock yourself, we need to clear the plugin’s configuration directly from the database to perform a true “clean reset”.

Method 1 (Using phpMyAdmin from your cPanel):

1. Ensure the plugin is currently deactivated (or the folder is renamed so you can access your site).
2. Log into your hosting cPanel and open phpMyAdmin.
3. Select your WordPress database and navigate to the wp_options table.
4. Search for the row where option_name is advaipbl_settings.
5. Delete that row.
6. Now, change the plugin folder name back to normal (or reinstall it) and activate it. The plugin will start with its default, safe settings, and you won’t be blocked.

Method 2 (Using a temporary snippet if you don’t want to use the database):

1. Keep the plugin folder renamed so you can access your WP Admin.
2. Install a free “Code Snippets” plugin or temporarily edit your theme’s functions.php.
3. Add this single line of code: delete_option('advaipbl_settings');
4. Load your website once (this fires the code and deletes the old settings).
5. Remove that line of code immediately.
6. Rename the Advanced IP Blocker folder back to normal and activate it.

Once you have access again, make sure to add your current IP to the Whitelist tab before enabling any strict login restrictions or country blocks!

Let me know if this helps you get back in control!