# Retire WordPress®

Once your site is live on WranglePress, you don't have to keep WordPress at all. Retiring it means the site stays online **exactly as it was at its last build**, served from Cloudflare, while you cancel the hosting for WordPress. There's no WordPress, PHP or plugin left to update, patch or pay for.

## Is it right for this site?

| Retire WordPress if… | Keep WordPress (private) if… |
|---|---|
| The site rarely or never changes | You publish posts or edit pages regularly |
| Nobody maintains it anymore | Your form plugin's saved entries, CRM or Mailchimp links matter |
| You want to stop paying for its hosting | You want changes to go live by themselves |

You can change your mind later: if a retired site needs an update, restore WordPress from your backup (step 2), point WranglePress at it and build again.

## Before you start

- The site is **live** on WranglePress, and you've checked it in a private browser window.
- The newest build looks right. That's the version that will stay online. If you've made recent changes in WordPress, click **Build now**, check the result, and make sure it's the live build.

## 1. Switch forms to email mode

In the site's **Settings**, set **Forms** to **Email submissions to me** and save. Forward mode sends submissions to WordPress, which won't be there anymore. Then send a test message through each form on your live domain.

## 2. Make a full backup of WordPress

Keep a copy of the files and the database somewhere safe, so you can bring the site back for changes. Most hosts offer a download in their control panel; plugins like UpdraftPlus or All-in-One WP Migration can do it too. Keep the backup even after you cancel the hosting.

## 3. Download a copy of the site

Under **Download a copy** on the site page, prepare and download a ZIP of the live build, and keep it with your backup. See [Download your site](https://wranglepress.com/docs/download-your-site).

## 4. Switch WordPress off

- Cancel the hosting, or delete the WordPress site from it.
- Leave your **domain** where it is, and don't touch its DNS records: the domain must keep pointing at WranglePress, and its email (MX) records keep working as before.
- If WordPress used a `wp.` address, you can delete that DNS record.

## 5. Check the site

Open your domain in a private browser window, click through a few pages and send a test form.

## What changes after retiring

- **The site doesn't change by itself anymore.** There's nothing to rebuild from. Don't click **Build now**: with WordPress gone, the build fails, and the live site stays as it is.
- **You can still edit it here.** Turn on [editing on WranglePress](https://wranglepress.com/docs/editing) to change text, pictures, links and pages, in the dashboard or with your AI assistant.
- **Rollback still works** to any earlier build.
- **Your plan still counts the site,** because WranglePress is now the only thing serving it.

## Bringing WordPress back

Restore your backup on any WordPress host, update **WordPress address** in the site's Settings to where it now lives, and click **Build now**. To keep editing from then on, follow [Make WordPress private](https://wranglepress.com/docs/private-wordpress).

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Canonical page: https://wranglepress.com/docs/retire-wordpress · Last updated 2026-10-27