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wp theme delete

Overview

Remove theme files from wp-content/themes/. This is a permanent action — use it to clean up inactive, unused, or deprecated themes to reduce server clutter and potential security risks from outdated code.

What It Does​

wp theme delete removes the theme's directory and all its files from the server. It will not allow you to delete the currently active theme.

Syntax​

wp theme delete <slug>... [OPTIONS]
| --all

Options​

FlagDescription
SLUG...One or more theme slugs to delete
--allDelete all themes EXCEPT the active one

Basic Usage​

Delete a single theme​

wp theme delete twentytwenty

Delete all unused themes (Hardening)​

wp theme delete $(wp theme list --status=inactive --field=name)

Alternative using --all:

wp theme delete --all

Safety Notes​

  • The active theme cannot be deleted. Use wp theme activate to switch first.
  • Deletions are permanent. No "Trash" for theme files.

Quick Reference​

wp theme delete <slug>                 # Delete one
wp theme delete slug1 slug2            # Delete many
wp theme delete --all                  # Delete all except active

Next Steps​