Have you ever had to reinstall an old plugin or a theme that you used to have on your WordPress website only to discover an error that says Destination Folder Already Exists? Well, you’re not alone.
This is a common error among many WordPress users, especially among bloggers who install and work with lots of plugins and themes. The “Destination Folder Already Exists” can be a frustrating error because it will prevent you from installing the plugin you want and that can interfere with your website development.
Don’t worry, there’s a really easy fix for this issue. We’ll walk you through the solution. Keep reading.
What Is Destination Folder Already Exists Error?
Before we get down to fixing the problem, it’s important to understand what this error is and why it happens so that you can take necessary steps to avoid the issue in the future.
As you may know, WordPress uses a structured folders system to organize its core files. There are different folders for themes and plugins. WordPress also creates specific sub-folders inside them for each plugin and theme you install on your website.
Sometimes, when you run into an issue while installing a plugin or a theme and fails to complete the installation, it can leave the folders and some files for that plugin or theme behind on your server.
If you try to install that same plugin again, it confuses WordPress since there is already a folder by that same name. This is what causes the Destination Folder Already Exists error in WordPress.
The error can also occur when a plugin or a theme is deleted or when you try to recover your website from a backup as well.
How To Fix It
To fix this error, all you have to do is find the plugin or theme folder that keeps you from installing the plugin you want and remove it. It’s that simple.
To do this, you have to login to your server where all the core WordPress files for your website is located. You can login to your server using either the CPanel or an FTP client. We’ll show you how both methods work.
Method 1: Use CPanel
If you’re using a managed WordPress hosting platform or shared hosting to host your website, you can easily access your WordPress files using the CPanel. Here’s a detailed beginner’s guide to cPanel by Colin Newcomer
Step 1: Login To CPanel
You can locate CPanel by simply typing /cpanel at the end of your website URL (eg: yourwebsite.com/cpanel). If that doesn’t work, login to your web hosting platform dashboard to find the link to access CPanel.
Then enter your username and password for CPanel. These login details are provided to you when you first register with the web hosting service. You can find it in their welcome email.
Once you’re inside the CPanel, you’ll notice a dashboard full of apps. Find the File
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This article was written by Editorial Staff and originally published on WPKube.