Remove entirely or just deactivate a plugin?
We are constantly being warned to keep plugins to a minimum on our sites. I see that some plugins need to be used only rarely and then deactivated, such as WP Optimize. Is simply deactivating a plugin enough or does it need to be completely uninstalled from the website dashboard? My question is really this, does having several deactivated plugins present on the dashboard slow down the site loading time? Aren't deactivated plugins just ignored?
Thanks for the help.
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Each plugin that you have on your website that isn't actively in use is a potential security vulnerability. You never know if someone has found an exploit in the plugin.
If you only use once a year, then I would lean towards deleting it and reinstalling it when you need to use it.
If you use once a month I would probably keep it installed.
If it's once every few months that it is installed you would have to weigh the convenience of not having to install it each time you use it over having an extra plugin that could potentially be exploited.
Thanks for asking the question. I hadn't really thought about it but I'd like to know the answer myself.
I also went onto the chat for the first time since becoming a WA member and within 3 minutes had my answer. No, can just deactivate a plugin and it is not then counted in site speed. Great helpful place here, love it!
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Hello Joan, one of the downsides of keeping a deactivated plugin is having to always update it or having a notification constantly on your site if you do not. I personally would uninstall.