How do I disable WooCommerce demo store?

How do I disable WooCommerce demo store?

If you are running a WooCommerce-powered WordPress site, you may have seen a banner or message indicating that your store is in “Demo Store” mode. This feature is often used for testing, but you’ll want to disable it for any production or live site to ensure customers can make real purchases.

In this article, I’ll walk through how to disable the WooCommerce Demo Store feature directly via your database, especially using cPanel and phpMyAdmin.

1. Why is My Store in Demo Mode?

WooCommerce’s “Demo Store” option places a temporary banner on your site and prevents payment processing. It is usually enabled in testing phases, but if you’re unable to disable the “Demo Store”, real transactions could not be possible. Disabling it is crucial for a fully functional e-commerce site.

2. Disabling the Demo Store via cPanel and phpMyAdmin

Below are step-by-step instructions on how to disable the WooCommerce Demo Store feature from within your database:

Step 1: Log in to Your cPanel

1. Open your web browser and type in the cPanel URL provided by your hosting company (commonly yourdomain.com/cpanel).
2. Enter your username and password to access your hosting account.

Step 2: Access phpMyAdmin

1. Inside the cPanel dashboard, look for the Databases section.
2. Click on phpMyAdmin. This will open the phpMyAdmin interface in a new tab or window.

Step 3: Select Your WordPress Database

1. In the left-hand panel of phpMyAdmin, find and select the database used by your WordPress site.
   • If you are unsure which database belongs to your WordPress installation, check your site’s wp-config.php file (located in the root directory) for the DB_NAME entry.

Step 4: Locate the options Table

1. In your chosen database, look for the table typically named wp_options. (If your WordPress tables have a custom prefix, it might be something like mywp_options.)

Step 5: Run the SQL Command

1. Click on the SQL tab in phpMyAdmin, or select the Query window (depending on your version).
2. Copy and paste the following SQL command:
   UPDATE `options` SET `option_value` = 'no' WHERE `options`.`option_name` = 'woocommerce_demo_store';
3. Click Go or Submit to execute the query.

Step 6: Confirm the Change

1. Once the query runs successfully, navigate back to your WordPress site and refresh the page.
2. The “Demo Store” banner and functionality should now be disabled. If you still see a demo notice, clear your WordPress cache or your browser cache and check again.

3. Conclusion

Disabling WooCommerce’s Demo Store mode is a straightforward process once you know where to look in your WordPress database. Whether you use cPanel’s phpMyAdmin or a different database management tool, the SQL command is the same. By setting woocommerce_demo_store to 'no', you ensure your online store is live and ready for real customer transactions.

Tip: Always back up your database before making any direct changes. This precaution keeps your site safe and allows you to quickly restore it if something goes wrong. Once demo mode is disabled, you can confirm your store is ready for business by testing a simple checkout transaction.