Disable Plugins Without Deleting — Archive and Restore in One Click

hackrepair

The Hack Repair Guy

<p>Archive any plugin with one click. Archived plugins are hidden from your Plugins list and safely moved out of wp-content/plugins into a dedicated archive directory for easy restore later. Ideal for preventing accidental re-activation, testing different plugin sets, and keeping occasional-use tools out of sight until needed.</p>
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<h4>Features</h4>
<ul>
<li>One‑click Archive link on the Plugins screen</li>
<li>Bulk Archive / Unarchive / Delete actions</li>
<li>Optional auto‑deactivate before archiving (recommended)</li>
<li>Manage multiple archive directories and switch between them</li>
<li>“Unarchive All” button on the Archived Plugins tab</li>
<li>Non‑destructive: archiving does not remove a plugin’s settings/data</li>
<li>Uses the built‑in WordPress Filesystem API with capability and nonce checks</li>
</ul>
<h4>How it works</h4>
<ul>
<li>When you Archive a plugin, its folder is moved from wp-content/plugins to your chosen archive directory (e.g., wp-content/plugins-archive-xxxxxx).</li>
<li>Archived plugins are removed from the Plugins list, so they can’t be accidentally activated.</li>
<li>You may switch the active archive directory or create new ones in Settings <span aria-hidden="true" class="wp-exclude-emoji">→</span> Plugin Archiver.</li>
</ul>
<h4>Common use cases</h4>
<ul>
<li>Maintain a “toolbox” of favorite utilities you don’t need to see every day</li>
<li>Quarantine buggy or compromised plugins to avoid accidental activation</li>
<li>Test different plugin stacks by pulling sets into and out of the archive</li>
<li>Share management with others while reducing “oops, I clicked Activate” incidents</li>
</ul>


The Hack Repair Guy's Plugin Archiver

Found this plugin by chance and have since found it handy when testing/developing multiple versions of a plugin. Thanks!



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