Ways to Disable File, Plugin, and Theme Editor in WordPress

I am sure you have been reading articles about adding plugins and making changes in theme editors until now. But did you know that disabling files, plugins, and theme editors is equally important? 

You might be wondering why I am saying this. Let me tell you;

• If you don’t disable plugins or theme editors, the chances of security breaches increase. Let’s say you are using the XYZ plugin, and it has some bug, and someone else who is using the same plugin found that bug, then he can attack your website very easily. 
• If you are an agency and make web pages for your clients, then you should disable file, plugin, or theme editor. If the client alters any code or makes some changes by mistake, then it could crash the whole site. ( I have faced the same issue with my clients)
• If you don’t disable the file, plugin, and theme editor in WordPress, it will automatically update, which can change the outlook of your website and be a big reason for its crash. 

Therefore, to avoid this, it is very important to disable the file, plugin, or theme editor in WordPress. In this article, I have shared a step-by-step guide by which you can achieve this.

Let’s look at them one by one!

Different Methods by Which You Can Disable File, Plugin, & Theme Editor in WordPress

I am sure you must be excited to know how you can disable the file, plugins, and theme editor after reading the above section. There are two ways by which you can disable the file, plugins, and theme editors, which are as follows:

• By making changes in the wp-config.php file
• By using plugins

I have provided both of these methods in this article. I can assure you after reading this article, you won’t need to refer to any other article. 

Disabling File, Plugin & Theme Editor in WordPress by making Changes in the wp-config.php File

I highly recommend this method to my fellow blogger friends. It is an easy and efficient method. Moreover, adding a code instead of adding a plugin is far better because too many plugins at the end of the day can slow down the speed of your website. 

Don’t worry; this method doesn’t involve hard-core coding. I am here for your help. Just follow the steps I have mentioned, and you will realize how easy it is to disable files, plugins, and theme editors. 

The steps are as follows:

• Step 1: Log in to the cPanel server. 
• Step 2: After logging in, click on the “File Manager”. 
• Step 3: Inside the File Manager, hover over “Websites Directory”, open it, and look for “wp-config.php file.”

• Step 4: Right-click on “wp-config.php” and select Edit. 
• Step 5: Add the following code define( ‘DISALLOW_FILE_EDIT’, true ); to the code editor before the line “That’s all, stop editing! Happy publishing”; you can refer to the below image. 

• Step 5: In the last step, save the changes by clicking on the button “Save Changes” on the right corner at the top of the page. 

Disabling File, Plugin & Theme Editor in WordPress by Using Plugins

Another method for disabling the file, plugin, and theme editor in WordPress is to use WordPress security plugins. I am explaining the procedure using two plugins: iThemes Security and Disable File Editor.

1. By Using iThemes Security Plugin

You can use this plugin for free, and it is one of the best security plugins used by many users. Although the premium is also available for this plugin, I am sharing the tutorial for the free version. 

You can follow the below steps for using iTheme Security Plugin:

 Just like other plugins, you first need to install “iTheme Security Plugin” as well. To install this plugin, open your WordPress dashboard by logging in to your account. Then go to the “Plugin” option on the left and select “Add New”. 

Type iTheme Security in the search box and hit on search. Now, you will see the iTheme security plugin, install and activate it by clicking “Install now”.

Once installation is done, proceed with the following steps:

• Step 1: Go to the “Security” option (present below the Settings on the left)
• Step 2: Click “Set Up” under the “Security Option.”

Complete the setup process before proceeding. 

• Step 3: Now again, go to “Security Option” and click “Settings.”
• Step 4: Next, go to “Advanced Options” and then “WordPress Tweaks.”
• Step 5: In the last, check on “Disable File Editor” and save the changes.

And Voila! It’s done. Wasn’t it a piece of cake? And you know what the best part is? You can follow the same steps for other security plugins as well. 

2. By Using the Disable File Editor Plugin

If you find the above method easy, then you will find this one even easier. In this method, you don’t need to make any settings; only installation is required to disable the file, plugins, and theme editors. 

For this method, you can proceed with the following steps:

• Step 1: Open your WordPress website by logging in. 
• Step 2: Now, hover over the “Plugin” section and select the “Add New” option. 
• Step 3: Type “Disable File Editor” in the search box and hit the search button.  
• Step 4: You will see the plugin, “Install” and “Activate” it. 

A few more steps are written below…. 

I’m just kidding. Your work is done! The plugin will now automatically perform its task. Didn’t I say it’s easier than the previous one? 

These are the methods that you can follow to disable the files, plugins, and theme editors.

Wrapping Up!

To conclude, you can disable the files, plugins, and theme editors in WordPress by using any of the above methods. Both of these methods are easy and can be proceeded with just a few clicks. 

Being a professional in the field, I would also like to make a statement that you must consider disabling the files, plugins, and theme editors in WordPress to safeguard your site from future consequences. You can follow either method, but in my view, making changes to the wp-config.php is highly reliable. 

That’s all from my side. I hope I was able to answer all your queries. If you find this article helpful, don’t forget to share it with your fellow blogger friends. 

Thank you for being present till the end. 

Have a nice day ahead!