Restore Your WordPress Site, No Matter What! – WP Reset Tutorial

April 28, 2020

• 10 min read

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Introduction

WordPress is a powerful and versatile content management system, but like any complex software, it can sometimes encounter issues that leave website owners frustrated and struggling to recover their sites. Enter WP Reset, a robust WordPress plugin designed to address these challenges and provide website owners with powerful tools for site management, recovery, and optimization.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the features and capabilities of WP Reset, a game-changing plugin that offers four primary functionalities: an emergency recovery system, snapshots for incremental backups, one-click plugin collections, and various reset options. Whether you’re a developer looking to streamline your workflow or a website owner seeking peace of mind, WP Reset offers solutions that can save you time, effort, and potential headaches.

We’ll walk through each feature in detail, demonstrating how to use WP Reset effectively and exploring real-world scenarios where this plugin can be a lifesaver. From performing a complete site reset to recovering from a catastrophic failure, you’ll learn how WP Reset can become an indispensable tool in your WordPress toolkit.

Get WP Reset

What is WP Reset?

WP Reset is a powerful WordPress plugin designed to provide users with a comprehensive set of tools for managing, resetting, and recovering their WordPress websites. It offers four primary features that cater to different aspects of website management and troubleshooting:

Emergency Recovery System: This feature ensures that you can always access and retrieve your data, even if your website has been severely compromised or hacked.
Snapshots: Similar to Apple’s Time Machine, this incremental recovery system allows you to create and restore backups of your site at specific points in time.
One-Click Plugin Collections: This feature enables you to install entire sets of plugins with a single click, streamlining the process of setting up new WordPress sites or recovering existing ones.
Site Reset Options: WP Reset offers various levels of site reset, from partial resets that preserve certain data to complete “nuclear” resets that wipe the slate clean.

Key Features of WP Reset:

Emergency recovery for compromised websites
Incremental backup system through snapshots
One-click installation of plugin collections
Multiple reset options for different scenarios
User-friendly interface integrated into the WordPress dashboard
Compatibility with various themes and plugins
Option to keep specific data during resets
Automatic snapshot creation before updates or plugin manipulations

Benefits of Using WP Reset:

Saves time when setting up new WordPress sites
Provides peace of mind with easy recovery options
Simplifies the process of testing plugins and themes
Allows for quick resolution of conflicts or issues
Enables easy rollback to previous site states
Streamlines development and testing workflows
Offers a safety net for inexperienced users

Demonstrating a Site Reset

To showcase the power of WP Reset, let’s walk through the process of performing a site reset on a demo website. This demonstration will help you understand how the plugin works and what to expect when using its reset features.

Setting Up the Demo Site:

A demo site using the Astra starter theme is prepared
The site is for a personal trainer, featuring photos and well-crafted copy
The site looks professional and fully functional before the reset

Installing WP Reset:

Navigate to the WordPress dashboard
Go to Plugins > Add New
Search for “WP Reset”
Install and activate the free version of WP Reset

Locating WP Reset in WordPress:

WP Reset is found under the Tools menu in the WordPress dashboard
Select Tools > WP Reset to access the plugin’s interface

Types of Resets Available:

Options Reset (Pro version only): Resets WordPress options while leaving most of the site intact
Site Reset (Available in free version): Performs a partial reset, keeping some elements while removing others
Nuclear Reset (Pro version only): Completely wipes the site, removing all content and settings

Performing a Site Reset:

Select the Site Reset option
Review the table showing what will be kept and what will be removed
Choose to keep the current theme active (optional)
Decide whether to reactivate WP Reset and existing plugins after the reset
Type “reset” in the confirmation field
Click the “Reset Site” button

Results of the Site Reset:

The homepage now displays a default WordPress site
Plugins are still present but deactivated
The site has been stripped down to a basic WordPress installation

This demonstration shows how quickly and easily WP Reset can transform a fully-developed website back to its basic state, providing a clean slate for development, testing, or troubleshooting.

Upgrading to WP Reset Pro

After experiencing the capabilities of the free version of WP Reset, it’s time to explore the additional features and benefits offered by WP Reset Pro. This section will guide you through the process of upgrading to the Pro version and highlight some of its advanced functionalities.

Deactivating and Removing the Free Version:

Go to the Plugins section in the WordPress dashboard
Deactivate the free version of WP Reset
Delete the free version to prepare for the Pro installation

Obtaining WP Reset Pro:

Visit the official WP Reset website
Purchase a license for WP Reset Pro
Download the Pro version plugin file

Installing WP Reset Pro:

In the WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins > Add New
Click on “Upload Plugin”
Choose the WP Reset Pro file you downloaded
Install and activate the plugin

Activating WP Reset Pro:

WP Reset offers two methods for activating the Pro version:

Traditional License Key:

Copy and paste the license key provided after purchase
Enter the key in the activation field within the plugin settings

Keyless Activation (Recommended):

Log in to your WP Reset account on their website
Add a new license for your domain
Choose between a temporary or permanent license
Enable additional features like white labeling and cloud reset options
Use the keyless activation option within the plugin for a cleaner setup

Performing a Nuclear Reset:

Navigate to Tools > WP Reset Pro in the WordPress dashboard
Select the Nuclear Reset option
Follow the prompts to confirm the reset
Wait for the process to complete, resulting in a completely clean WordPress installation

Benefits of WP Reset Pro:

Access to all reset options, including Nuclear Reset
Advanced snapshot and recovery features
Cloud service integration for plugin and theme management
White labeling options for agencies and developers
Enhanced security features
Priority support from the WP Reset team

By upgrading to WP Reset Pro, you gain access to a more comprehensive set of tools for managing your WordPress site, providing greater flexibility and control over your website’s development and maintenance processes.

Using Collections for Quick Site Setup

One of the most powerful features of WP Reset Pro is the ability to create and use Collections. Collections allow you to group together multiple plugins and themes, enabling you to install and activate them all with a single click. This feature is particularly useful for developers and agencies who frequently set up new WordPress sites or need to quickly restore a site to a specific configuration.

Accessing Collections:

Go to Tools > WP Reset Pro in the WordPress dashboard
Navigate to the Collections tab

Setting Up Cloud Service:

Before creating collections, it’s recommended to set up the cloud service:

Go to the Settings tab in WP Reset Pro
Choose your preferred cloud service (WP Reset Cloud, Dropbox, Google Drive, or pCloud)
Follow the prompts to connect your chosen cloud service

Creating a New Collection:

In the Collections tab, click “Create New Collection”
Give your collection a name (e.g., “My Favorite Plugins”)
Search for and add your preferred theme (e.g., Astra)
Add plugins from the WordPress repository (e.g., Elementor, Starter Sites, Anti-Spam Bee)
For premium plugins, use the “Upload ZIP file” option and enter the license key

Adding Premium Plugins to a Collection:

Click on “Upload ZIP file”
Select the premium plugin’s ZIP file from your computer
Enter the license key for the premium plugin
Add the plugin to your collection

Installing a Collection:

Select the collection you want to install
Click “Install and Activate Collection”
Wait for the process to complete, which installs and activates all items in the collection

Benefits of Using Collections:

Saves time when setting up new WordPress sites
Ensures consistency across multiple projects
Simplifies the process of recreating a specific site configuration
Allows for easy testing of different plugin combinations
Streamlines the workflow for agencies and developers

Best Practices for Collections:

Create separate collections for different types of projects
Regularly update your collections to include the latest versions of plugins and themes
Use descriptive names for your collections to easily identify their purpose
Consider creating a “core” collection with essential plugins you use on every site
Periodically review and optimize your collections to remove unused or outdated items

By leveraging the Collections feature in WP Reset Pro, you can significantly reduce the time and effort required to set up new WordPress sites or restore existing ones to a desired state. This powerful tool allows you to maintain consistency across projects and quickly deploy your preferred site configurations with just a few clicks.

Understanding and Using Snapshots

Snapshots are a crucial feature of WP Reset Pro that allow you to create incremental backups of your WordPress site. Similar to Apple’s Time Machine, snapshots provide a way to roll back your site to a previous state quickly and easily. This feature is invaluable for testing changes, troubleshooting issues, and ensuring you always have a recent backup of your site.

Configuring Snapshot Settings:

Go to Tools > WP Reset Pro in the WordPress dashboard
Navigate to the Settings tab
Enable “Automatically create snapshots before running WP Reset tools”
Enable “Automatically create snapshots when doing updates and manipulating plugins and themes”
Save the settings

Creating Snapshots:

Snapshots can be created manually or automatically:

Manual: Go to the Snapshots tab and click “Create Snapshot”
Automatic: Snapshots are created before major actions (as configured in settings)

Viewing and Managing Snapshots:

Go to the Snapshots tab in WP Reset Pro
View a list of all created snapshots, including date, time, and size
Each snapshot has options to restore, compare, or delete

Restoring from a Snapshot:

Locate the desired snapshot in the list
Click the “Restore” button next to the snapshot
Confirm the restoration process
Wait for the site to be rolled back to the selected snapshot state

Comparing Snapshots:

Click the “Compare” button next to a snapshot
View the differences between the snapshot and the current site state
See changes in database tables, schema modifications, and file system alterations

Benefits of Using Snapshots:

Provides a safety net when making changes to your site
Allows for easy rollback if something goes wrong
Helps identify changes made by plugin installations or updates
Enables quick recovery from errors or unwanted modifications
Serves as an additional layer of backup alongside your regular backup solution

Best Practices for Snapshots:

Create snapshots before making significant changes to your site
Regularly review and delete old snapshots to save space
Use descriptive names for manual snapshots to easily identify their purpose
Combine snapshots with your regular backup strategy for comprehensive protection
Familiarize yourself with the comparison feature to understand the impact of changes

Example: Using Snapshots to Test a Plugin

Create a manual snapshot before installing a new plugin
Install and activate the plugin (e.g., ShortPixel)
Review the automatically created snapshot
Compare the new snapshot to the previous one to see changes made by the plugin
If needed, restore the previous snapshot to remove the plugin and its changes

By effectively using the Snapshots feature in WP Reset Pro, you can maintain greater control over your WordPress site’s state and easily recover from unwanted changes or issues. This powerful tool provides peace of mind and flexibility when managing your website, allowing you to experiment and make changes with confidence.

Emergency Recovery Script

The Emergency Recovery Script is a crucial feature of WP Reset Pro that serves as a lifeline when your WordPress site becomes inaccessible or severely compromised. This tool allows you to regain access to your site and perform essential recovery tasks, even when you can’t log in through the normal WordPress interface.

Accessing the Emergency Recovery Script:

There are two ways to access the Emergency Recovery Script:

For production sites:

Generate the script from the WP Reset website when needed
Upload the script via FTP to your website’s root directory

For development sites:

Go to the Support tab in WP Reset Pro
Enable the Emergency Recovery Script option

Generating the Emergency Recovery Script:

Log in to your WP Reset account on their website
Navigate to the Emergency Recovery Script section
Generate a new script for your specific domain
Copy the script’s path and password for future reference

Using the Emergency Recovery Script:

Access the script through your website’s URL (e.g., yourdomain.com/recovery-script.php)
Enter the password you generated or copied earlier
You’ll see an interface with various recovery options

Features of the Emergency Recovery Script:

Reinstall missing core files
Activate or deactivate plugins
Install a new theme
Create a new administrator account
Update WordPress URL settings
Access basic site information

Example: Recovering from a Compromised Site

Simulate a compromised site by deleting core WordPress files
Access the Emergency Recovery Script URL
Log in using the generated password
Use the script to reinstall missing core files
Install and activate a theme (e.g., Astra)
Verify that the site is now functional

Benefits of the Emergency Recovery Script:

Provides a way to recover your site when standard access methods fail
Allows for quick resolution of critical issues
Offers a safety net for inexperienced users or in case of accidental file deletions
Enables site recovery without needing extensive technical knowledge
Serves as a last resort when other recovery methods are unavailable

Best Practices for Using the Emergency Recovery Script:

Keep the script’s path and password in a secure, accessible location
Only enable the script on development sites or when absolutely necessary
Use the script in conjunction with other security measures and regular backups
Familiarize yourself with the script’s features before an emergency occurs
After using the script, review your site’s security and make necessary improvements

The Emergency Recovery Script is a powerful tool that can save your WordPress site in critical situations. By understanding how to use this feature effectively, you can ensure that you’re prepared for worst-case scenarios and can quickly recover your site when standard methods fail.