Disabling plugins in Elgg

Sometimes Elgg may fail to load or display a blank page due to plugin conflicts or errors. In such cases, you can disable all plugins to regain access and troubleshoot. On ruachost.com, this can be done quickly through the file system.

Why Disable Plugins?

• Troubleshoot issues when Elgg fails to load.
• Identify conflicts between plugins.
• Regain access to the admin dashboard.

Steps to Disable All Plugins

1. Log in to your hosting account via cPanel or SSH.

2. Navigate to the directory where Elgg is installed:

   • If installed in the document root → public_html
   • If installed in a subdirectory → navigate to that folder.

3. Open the mod directory inside your Elgg installation.

4. Create a new file named:

   disabled

   (no extension, just the word “disabled”)

5. Save the file.

✅ All plugins are now disabled, and you should be able to log in to Elgg.

Re‑Enabling Plugins

1. To re‑enable plugins, simply delete or rename the disabled file in the mod directory.
2. Log back in to Elgg.
3. Enable plugins one by one from the Administration → Plugins panel to identify which one caused the issue.

Important Notes

• Always back up your site before disabling or removing plugins.
• Disabling plugins does not delete them; it only prevents them from loading.
• If a specific plugin is problematic, disable it individually from the admin dashboard once you regain access.