{"id":2616,"date":"2025-08-21T10:31:27","date_gmt":"2025-08-21T10:31:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hostrago.com\/knowledge-base\/?p=2616"},"modified":"2025-08-21T10:31:28","modified_gmt":"2025-08-21T10:31:28","slug":"delete-trash-in-wordpress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hostrago.com\/knowledge-base\/delete-trash-in-wordpress\/","title":{"rendered":"Learn to Delete Trash in WordPress Automatically"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>By default, WordPress keeps trashed items for <strong>30 days<\/strong> before permanently deleting them. While this feature can be useful if you accidentally remove content, it may affect your website\u2019s performance, especially if you are running an eCommerce store, a blog with thousands of posts, or a business website. In this guide, we\u2019ll explain how to delete trash in WordPress automatically, why it\u2019s important, and the best methods to keep your site optimized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When you manage a WordPress website, you might often delete posts, pages, comments, or media files. But did you know these items don\u2019t disappear right away? Instead, they are moved into the <strong>Trash<\/strong> folder. Over time, this stored data can slow down your site and take up unnecessary database space. That\u2019s why it\u2019s essential to learn how to <strong>delete trash in WordPress automatically<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why Should You Delete Trash in WordPress Automatically?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Every extra piece of data in your <a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">WordPress <\/a>database impacts performance. Let\u2019s look at the key reasons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Improved Website Speed<\/strong> \u2013 A lighter database means faster queries and a quicker website.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Better SEO Rankings<\/strong> \u2013 Search engines favor websites with fast load times.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Reduced Database Size<\/strong> \u2013 Helps prevent hosting storage from being filled with junk files.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cleaner User Experience<\/strong> \u2013 Avoids clutter in your WordPress dashboard.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udc49 If you are running your site on <strong>shared hosting or WordPress hosting<\/strong>, regularly cleaning trash is even more important. At <a href=\"https:\/\/hostrago.com\/\">Hostrago<\/a>, we always recommend database optimization as part of site maintenance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to Change Trash Deletion Settings in WordPress<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>WordPress has a built-in function that allows you to control how long trashed items stay before deletion. This can be done by editing the <code>wp-config.php<\/code> file.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s how:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Access Your WordPress Files<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Use cPanel\u2019s File Manager or an FTP client to open your website files.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Locate wp-config.php<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Find the <code>wp-config.php<\/code> file in your WordPress root directory.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Add the Code<\/strong><ul><li>Insert the following line before the \u201cThat\u2019s all, stop editing!\u201d comment:<\/li><\/ul><code>define('EMPTY_TRASH_DAYS', 7);<\/code> In this example, trashed items will be deleted automatically every <strong>7 days<\/strong> instead of the default 30.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Set to Zero for Instant Deletion<\/strong><ul><li>If you want items to skip the Trash folder and be deleted immediately, set the value to <code>0<\/code>:<\/li><\/ul><code>define('EMPTY_TRASH_DAYS', 0);<\/code><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Automating Trash Deletion with a Plugin<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re not comfortable editing files, you can use a plugin. Several WordPress plugins help you optimize and delete trash automatically:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>WP-Optimize<\/strong> \u2013 Cleans your database and removes unnecessary junk.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Advanced Database Cleaner<\/strong> \u2013 Offers scheduling for automatic trash deletion.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>WP-Sweep<\/strong> \u2013 Deletes revisions, trash, spam comments, and more.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Best Practices to Keep WordPress Database Clean<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Regular Backups:<\/strong> Always back up your site before making changes. You can use plugins like UpdraftPlus or Jetpack Backup.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Use Reliable Hosting:<\/strong> Hosting plays a huge role in performance. At <a>Hostrago<\/a>, our optimized WordPress hosting ensures faster speeds and better resource handling.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Monitor Performance:<\/strong> Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or GTMetrix to check site health.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Limit Post Revisions:<\/strong> Add a line in your wp-config.php file to reduce stored revisions. Example: <code>define('WP_POST_REVISIONS', 5);<\/code><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Final Thoughts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Learning how to delete trash in WordPress automatically is a small but powerful step in optimizing your website. A clean database improves speed, SEO, and overall performance, which directly benefits your visitors and business. Whether you prefer using the <code>wp-config.php<\/code> method or a plugin, the key is to ensure that your trash is regularly emptied without manual effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At <a href=\"https:\/\/hostrago.com\/\">Hostrago<\/a>, we provide <strong>high-performance WordPress hosting<\/strong> with tools that make database management easier, so you can focus on growing your website while we handle the technical side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want to explore more tutorials, check out our <a href=\"https:\/\/hostrago.com\/knowledge-base\">Knowledge Base<\/a> for guides on WordPress optimization, security, and hosting tips.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By default, WordPress keeps trashed items for 30 days before permanently deleting them. While this feature can be useful if you accidentally remove content, it&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2617,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[852,853,851],"class_list":["post-2616","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wordpress","tag-delete-trash-in-wordpress","tag-wordpress-optimization","tag-wordpress-trash-settings"],"menu_order":0,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hostrago.com\/knowledge-base\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2616","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hostrago.com\/knowledge-base\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hostrago.com\/knowledge-base\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hostrago.com\/knowledge-base\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hostrago.com\/knowledge-base\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2616"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hostrago.com\/knowledge-base\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2616\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2618,"href":"https:\/\/hostrago.com\/knowledge-base\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2616\/revisions\/2618"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hostrago.com\/knowledge-base\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2617"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hostrago.com\/knowledge-base\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2616"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hostrago.com\/knowledge-base\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2616"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hostrago.com\/knowledge-base\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2616"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}