How to Delete A Post in WordPress: A Comprehensive Guide

How to delete posts in WordPress?

Are you looking for a way to delete a post in WordPress? In this article, we will demonstrate how easy it is to delete a post in WordPress.

Creating and managing your website efficiently is crucial. WordPress, a powerful content management system, offers various features to streamline this process.

However, one common query from users is how to delete posts in WordPress. Whether you want to delete a single blog post, delete all posts, or even purge posts directly from the database, this guide will walk you through each process step-by-step.

You will learn how to permanently delete and recover your WordPress posts from the trash.

Please remember, to always backup your website before making any significant changes. This ensures that you can restore your site to its previous state if something goes wrong.

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How to Delete a Post in WordPress?

Deleting a single post in WordPress is quite straightforward. Below are the steps to follow to delete a single post in WordPress.

  1. Login to your WordPress admin dashboard.
  2. Navigate to Posts > All Posts in the left-hand menu. A page with all your posts should load on the right-hand side of the page.
    All Posts in WordPress Dashboard
  3. Locate the post you want to delete. You can also use the Search Posts at the top right to find the post you want to delete.
  4. Hover over the post title to reveal all the options beneath it. Click on Trash.
    Trash Posts Option in WordPress
  5. Once clicked, the post will be moved to Trash. The trashed post will remain in the Trash for 30 days.
  6. To delete it immediately, go to Posts > Trash, locate the post, hover over the post again, and click on Delete Permanently option.
    Delete A Post In WordPress

This will delete a single post from the WordPress database permanently.

How to Delete All Posts in WordPress?

Let’s now examine how to delete all the posts in WordPress. This is useful if you intend to completely revamp the content of your website.

  1. From your WordPress dashboard, go to Posts > All Posts like in Step 2 of “How to Delete a Single Post in WordPress”.
  2. Check the checkbox at the top of the list to select all posts displayed on the page.
    Checkbox to Select All the Posts in WordPress
  3. From the Bulk Actions drop-down menu, select Move to Trash and click Apply. This will move all posts on the current page to Trash.
  4. You can now go to the Trash page to empty your trash quickly or wait 30 days to get it deleted automatically.
  5. To empty the Trash page all at once, you can click on the Empty Trash button. Or you can select the checkbox that will select all the posts and from the Bulk Actions drop-down, select Delete Permanently and click Apply.
    Permanently Delete All Posts in WordPress
  6. To delete all posts, you’ll need to repeat these steps for each page of posts.
  7. WordPress only allows you to delete 20 posts at a time by default. To delete more posts simultaneously, go to Screen Options at the top of the page and increase the number in the Number of items per page field, and click on the Apply button.
    Increase Number Of Posts To Display On The All Posts Page In WordPress
    This will increase the number of posts visible on the All Posts page in the WordPress backend and help you delete posts faster.

There you go, you have successfully deleted the post permanently.

How to Restore WordPress Posts?

Consider that you have accidentally deleted your post and wanted to restore that particular post. Note that you can only restore WordPress posts if they exist in the Trash.

Here, we are going to show how you can restore posts in WordPress that are in the Trash.

Now that you have posts already in the Trash, follow the steps below to restore the posts.

  1. From your WordPress Admin Dashboard go to Posts >> All Posts.
  2. Go to the Trash page which is above the Posts Table.
  3. Hover over the posts that you want to restore and click on the Restore link.

Congratulations! You have recovered your post and it will be available in the All Posts page.

To restore posts in bulk, it is similar to how to delete all posts in bulk.

  1. To select all the posts, check the checkbox at the top-left of the table on the Trash page.
  2. From the Bulk Actions drop-down menu, select Restore and click Apply. This will move all posts on the Trash page to the All Posts page.
    Restore a single posts or restore posts in bulk in WordPress

Conclusion: How To Delete A Post In WordPress

In conclusion, knowing how to delete posts in WordPress is a fundamental skill for any website owner. Whether you’re removing unnecessary items from your site, rebranding, or dealing with a massive amount of outdated content, these methods will help you manage your posts effectively.

Remember, always take a backup of your site before making significant changes, and proceed cautiously when directly interacting with your website’s database.

FAQ: Deleting A Post In WordPress

How long do WordPress posts remain in the Trash?

By default, WordPress will delete everything permanently that has been in Trash for 30 days. However, you can use a plugin like Change Empty Trash Time to change the time when WordPress empties the Trash.

Can I delete posts directly from the WordPress database?

Yes, you can delete posts directly from the WordPress database using phpMyAdmin, a tool usually available in your web hosting control panel. Once in phpMyAdmin, select your WordPress database, click on the ‘wp_posts’ table, and you’ll see a list of all your posts. You can delete a single post or all posts from here.
However, this should be done with caution as it is irreversible, bypasses the Trash folder and might leave some custom field data of the posts in the database.

Do I need to back up my site before deleting posts in WordPress?

Yes, it’s always a good practice to back up your site before making significant changes like deleting posts, especially when deleting posts directly from the database. This ensures that you can restore your site to its previous state if something goes wrong.