Removing W3 Total Cache without issue is impossible

  • Resolved nickmade

    (@nickmade)


    6 years, 7 months ago

    I’ve tried manually uninstalling/deleting via the Plugins page, manually deleting the /cache, /w3tc-config folder, advanced-cache.php, object-cache.php, and db.php (which had .zip versions). The site can’t be logged into via admin.

    I’ve reinstalled via WP CLI, reactivated via WP CLI, and I’m able to get back to the admin dashboard.

    I’ve tried WP CLI uninstall and deactivate but it throws an error of:
    Fatal error: Uncaught Error: Class 'W3TC\Util_Content'

    I’ve tried adding define( 'WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M' ); to wp-config.php to remedy that but it made no difference.

    I’ve removed everything from .htaccess related to #W3-total-cache.

    When the W3 Total Cache plugin is installed but not activated, it shows headers were already sent errors at the top of the dashboard.

    If the plugin is installed and activated, the site is usable but removing it has serious ramifications and has been a nightmare to get rid of it so that other options can be explored.

    How can I uninstall W3 Total Cache?

Viewing 2 replies - 1 through 2 (of 2 total)
  • Joseph W

    (@joe9663)

    6 years, 7 months ago

    Hi @nickmade,

    Sorry to hear you are having some trouble uninstalling W3TC and I hope that we can help.

    I will talk to the development team about this problem and any additional information you can provide related to error log messages or other plugins used on your site will help us narrow down the cause quicker.

    In the meantime there are some other steps you can try to get W3TC uninstalled and I suggest taking a backup of your site before making any further changes to your files.

    Try replacing your entire .htaccess file with the WordPress default to ensure there are no other rules present there.

    Next, rename your plugins directory in /wp-content to prevent any potential conflicts from other sources.

    Lastly you can try replacing all of WordPress core files using a WP CLI command:

    wp core download --force

    Once those steps are finished manually remove any remaining W3TC folders and files.

    Replacing the .htaccess and the W3 plugin details should not cause any breakage, but following the above steps will help us diagnose whether or not a more pervasive problem exists.

    Please let us know how your attempt to uninstall goes and if there is anything else that we can do to help.

    Plugin Contributor Marko Vasiljevic

    (@vmarko)

    6 years, 7 months ago

    No activity for a week.
    Marking topic as resolved.

Viewing 2 replies - 1 through 2 (of 2 total)

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