---
title: Deactivate or delete BugTrace
description: What happens when you deactivate or delete BugTrace, and what stays on your site.
url: "https://docs.prefixwp.com/docs/bugtrace/bugtrace-troubleshooting/deactivate-or-delete-bugtrace/"
updated: "2026-11-10"
category: Troubleshooting
---

# Deactivate or delete BugTrace

This guide shows what BugTrace changes when you deactivate or delete it. It also shows how to clean up.

## When you deactivate BugTrace

BugTrace turns all four debug settings **off** in `wp-config.php`:

```
define( 'WP_DEBUG', false );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_LOG', false );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false );
define( 'SCRIPT_DEBUG', false );
```

It saves a copy of the file first, called `wp-config-backup.php`.

This happens even if debug mode was on before you installed BugTrace. If you need debug mode after you deactivate BugTrace, turn it on again in `wp-config.php`.

If `wp-config.php` is not writable, BugTrace does not change it.

## When you delete BugTrace

BugTrace deletes its plugin files. These things stay on your site:

| What stays | Where |
| --- | --- |
| The four debug lines (set to off) | `wp-config.php` |
| The copy of your config file | `wp-config-backup.php`, next to `wp-config.php` |
| Your debug log | `wp-content/debug.log` |
| BugTrace settings (four small options) | Your database |

The settings in the database are small. They do nothing when BugTrace is deleted.

## Clean up after you delete BugTrace

1. Open your host's **File Manager**.
2. Delete `wp-config-backup.php` if you do not need it.
3. Delete `wp-content/debug.log` if you do not need the old errors.
4. You can keep the four debug lines in `wp-config.php`. They are set to off.

## Do and don't

- Do download your log before you delete BugTrace, if you need it.
- Don't delete `wp-config.php`. Delete only `wp-config-backup.php`.