Open Plugins → Inactive. That screen is your unused-plugin list: those plugins can’t run, don’t load, and do nothing but sit on disk. Finding them takes a minute. Deciding takes the month. Deleting is permanent, and leaving them makes the Plugins screen look neglected. There is a third state: archive. The folder moves out of wp-content/plugins into a protected archive, files and database settings untouched, and one click puts it back.
- Plugins → Inactive is the list. WordPress already keeps it for you.
- Inactive plugins don’t slow your site: they don’t run. But their files are still on the server, which is why scanners and IT questionnaires count them.
- Judge by dates, not memory: last updated, and how long something has sat unused.
- Archivum moves the folder into a protected archive and leaves the plugin’s options in the database alone.
- Deleting is the only step you can’t undo. Deleted plugins can only be recovered from a backup.
Two kinds of unused, and people mix them up
Inactive, archived, deleted
The first kind is inactive: deactivated, sitting under Plugins → Inactive, not loaded on any request. The second is active but unneeded: still switched on, still loading, but nothing calls it anymore. The gallery shortcode that appears in no post. The form plugin kept alive for a form rebuilt elsewhere.
WordPress has no screen for the second kind. You find those by checking the site, not the list. This guide is mostly about the first kind, because that’s where the pile is.
Step one: the filters you already have
Go to Plugins → Installed Plugins. The links across the top, All, Active, Inactive, are the fastest inventory available. Click Inactive and you have the count.
- Note the Inactive count. That number is the backlog.
- Read each description and author. If you can’t say in one sentence why it’s there, flag it.
- Check update badges. An inactive plugin three versions behind still reads as neglect to a client logging in.
- On multisite, check each site, not just the network. A plugin can be inactive network-wide and active on one subsite.
That gets you a list. It does not get you a decision, which is where cleanup usually stalls.
Step two: use dates, not memory
Nobody remembers why old plugins are there. Last year’s Black Friday page. A plugin the previous developer tried once. It gets worse when staff change, and worse again on a site you inherited.
Dates survive staff turnover. Once a plugin is archived, the Archived Plugins screen shows name, description, version and author, then three things memory can’t supply:
- Last updated: when its files were last changed on this site, usually when it was installed or updated. Archiving does not change this date.
- Archived, or First archived and Last archived if it has been archived, restored and archived again.
- In the archive for: how long it has sat there since it was last archived.
A plugin not updated in years that has sat in the archive for months is unlikely to be needed. That’s a judgment you can defend to a client. “I didn’t recognize it” is not.
The advice you’ve probably read is wrong about why
“Delete inactive plugins, they slow your site down.” They don’t. An inactive plugin doesn’t run and doesn’t execute a line of PHP on a page request. Speed isn’t the reason to clean up.
The real reasons are plainer. The files are still on the server, so security scanners, insurance questionnaires and client IT teams count them, and you explain every one. And a Plugins screen half switched off and badged for updates is visible evidence, to the person paying you, that the site isn’t being kept.
So the answer to “should I delete unused plugins?” isn’t yes or no. Get them out of the plugins folder, and keep the ability to bring them back.
Step three: archive instead of guessing
From inactive list to a decision you can defend
Archiving is a move, not a delete. Deactivate the plugin if it’s active (active plugins have no Archive link), then click Archive under the plugin name, or tick several and use Bulk actions. The folder moves out of wp-content/plugins into an archive unique to your site, with web access blocked. The files are never edited. The settings stay in the database.
Restore puts it back inactive, in its original place, optionally updated from WordPress.org as it returns. If you deactivate or remove Archivum itself, the archive stays on disk, and reinstalling Archivum finds it again.
On one site I look after, 73 plugins were inactive: I archived all of them, restored 2, deleted about 50 once I was sure, and left 20 in the archive, inside a month.
The two that came back are the point. A Gravity Forms add-on returned because a critical form that couldn’t be replaced stopped working properly. A slider plugin returned because the slider broke and had to be swapped for a native one deliberately, not accidentally. I didn’t know in advance which two it would be. That’s why I didn’t delete first.
| State | Where the files are | Runs? | Can you undo it? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inactive | In wp-content/plugins | No | Nothing to undo |
| Archived | Protected archive folder, web access blocked | No | Yes, one click, settings intact |
| Deleted | Gone | No | Only from a backup |
Delete only the ones you have stopped wondering about. On that site, that took a month of normal running with everything archived.
The inherited-site case
Taking over a site from another developer is the hardest version of this. You want to swap their plugins for ones you know, but you can’t be sure the replacement covers every setting, shortcode and small feature the client relies on.
The sequence that works: install your replacement, archive the old plugin rather than delete it, let the site run, and delete only once the new one has proved itself. The old plugin’s options sit in the database the whole time, so a restore gives you back a working configuration, not a blank install.
Doing this across many sites
One site is a morning. Forty client sites is a different problem, and it’s the one that never appears on a monthly report as work done.
Archivum Pro is a paid add-on that requires the free Archivum plugin installed. It adds automatic archiving after a period you choose (days, weeks or months inactive, with a tick to keep any plugin out), email reports, an activity log, WP-CLI commands, abandoned-plugin flags from WordPress.org, and network-wide automation on multisite. On a network it checks every site before archiving anything.
Pro checks archived plugins against WordPress.org once a week, a few a day, and flags ones closed there or with no release for two years. Plugins in a single file, and plugins that update from somewhere else (premium plugins usually do), are not looked up.
The activity log is what care-plan buyers ask for by name: a record you can show the client of what was archived and when. Pro is sold per site per year in tiers, with current figures on the Pricing page.
About automatic deletion
Pro can also delete what has sat too long. Read this part slowly.
It is off until you turn it on, and turning it on means ticking a box confirming you understand that deleted plugins can only be recovered from a backup. Once on, a plugin due for deletion is announced in the email report and in a notice on the Plugins and Archived Plugins screens that cannot be dismissed. It is deleted no sooner than a week after that email reached an address that may delete plugins, or the notice was shown to someone who may. If the email fails and nobody logs in, nothing is deleted.
Folders it does not recognize as plugins are never touched, and anything ticked Never delete automatically stays. Back up first, and try it on a staging copy. Archivum is not a backup tool and not a security scanner, and nothing here replaces either. The boundaries are set out on the safety page.
FAQ
How do I find unused plugins in WordPress?
Go to Plugins → Installed Plugins and click the Inactive filter. That’s your list of plugins that aren’t running. For active-but-unneeded plugins there’s no built-in list: you check whether anything on the site still uses each one. Once plugins are archived, the Archived Plugins screen adds dates (last updated, when it was archived, how long it has been there) so you can judge by evidence rather than memory.
Do inactive plugins slow down WordPress?
No. An inactive plugin doesn’t run and doesn’t load on page requests, so it has no effect on speed. Its files are still on the server, which is why security scanners and client IT teams still count it and why update badges still appear. Clean up for clarity and for the questions you get asked, not for performance.
Is it safe to delete unused plugins, or should I keep them?
Deleting is safe only when you’re certain, and it’s the one step you cannot undo: deleted plugins can only be recovered from a backup. Archiving is the middle option. The folder leaves wp-content/plugins for a protected archive, settings stay in the database, and one click restores it inactive and in its original place.
What happens to a plugin’s settings when I archive it?
Nothing. Archiving moves the folder and nothing else. The files are never edited or overwritten, and the plugin’s options stay in the database exactly as they were. Restore brings it back inactive, with its settings intact, optionally updated from WordPress.org.
Can I archive unused plugins automatically across all my client sites?
Yes, with Archivum Pro, which needs the free Archivum plugin installed. It archives automatically after a period of inactivity you choose, runs network-wide on multisite, works from WP-CLI, sends email reports and keeps an activity log. On a network it checks every site first, and you can tick any plugin to keep it out.
What if I uninstall Archivum, do I lose the archive?
No. If you deactivate or remove Archivum, the archived folders stay on disk, and reinstalling Archivum finds the archive again. See the docs for where the folder lives and how the web-access check works.
Reviewed by John Kirker - last updated October 18, 2026.
Sources for this article
- Plugins screen filters and the Archive link: Home and User guide (archive singly or in bulk, active plugins skipped)
- Archived Plugins screen fields: last updated, archived/first and last archived, in the archive for, folder name
- Archiving moves the folder into an archive unique to the site; files untouched, settings in the database untouched
- Restore puts the plugin back inactive, optionally updated from WordPress.org
- Archive stays on disk if Archivum is deactivated or removed; reinstalling finds it again
- 73-inactive-plugin site: all archived, 2 restored (Gravity Forms add-on, slider plugin), about 50 deleted, 20 still archived, over one month
- Pro feature list: automatic archiving after a chosen period, automatic deletion with a week's notice, email reports, clean up and delete, abandoned-plugin flags, activity log, WP-C
- Automatic deletion is off until turned on, requires a backup confirmation tick, week's notice that must be seen, nothing deleted if email fails and nobody logs in, unrecognized fol
Facts drawn from this site's own documented knowledge and first-hand experience.
