Sleep Mode

Sleep mode is a quick way to stop an active plugin from running without uninstalling it and without using the normal WordPress deactivate action. You can trigger it from the plugin row in the WordPress Plugins page by clicking Sleep.

FDP Sleep Mode

Where to find it

Go to the standard WordPress Plugins page and look at the action links under an active plugin. If FDP PRO is enabled, you will see an additional action link:

  • Sleep

After clicking it, the same action becomes:

  • Unsleep

What Sleep mode does

When a plugin is put to sleep, it remains installed on the site, but FDP PRO prevents it from being loaded and executed. In practical terms, the plugin stays present in WordPress, but it no longer runs.

This makes Sleep mode useful when you want to temporarily stop a plugin globally while keeping it available for later reactivation.

How to use Sleep mode

  1. Open the WordPress Plugins page.
  2. Find the active plugin you want to stop.
  3. Click Sleep in the plugin row actions.
  4. The page reloads and the plugin is marked as asleep.
  5. If you want to enable it again later, click Unsleep.

What changes after clicking Sleep

Once a plugin is asleep:

  • It remains installed
  • It is still recognized by WordPress as a plugin
  • FDP PRO prevents it from being loaded and executed
  • It can be restored at any time with Unsleep

This is different from deleting a plugin, and it is also conceptually different from a standard deactivate workflow because FDP PRO handles the “do not run” behavior directly, and no actions hooked to the deactivation are triggered.

The “Asleep” view

FDP PRO adds a custom filter in the Plugins page called:

  • Asleep

This lets you quickly see only the plugins currently in Sleep mode.

Sleep vs Deactivate

Use Sleep when you want FDP PRO to keep the plugin installed but stop it from running.

Use Deactivate when you want to use the standard WordPress plugin deactivation behavior.

In short:

  • Sleep: plugin stays installed and is prevented from running by FDP PRO
  • Deactivate: standard WordPress deactivation flow

When Sleep mode is useful

Sleep mode is useful when you want to:

  • Temporarily stop a plugin without removing it
  • Troubleshoot a plugin conflict
  • Test site behavior without a specific plugin running
  • Disable a plugin globally in a reversible way
  • You don’t want to trigger any actions hooked to its deactivation (database changes, file removals, etc.).

Important notes

  • Sleep mode is available only for plugins that are currently active.
  • Sleeping a plugin affects it globally, not only on specific pages.
  • A sleeping plugin can be restored at any time using Unsleep.
  • Because the plugin stops running, site behavior may change immediately after the action, but no actions hooked to its standard deactivation will be triggered (database changes, file removals, etc.)

Best practice

Use Sleep mode carefully, especially for plugins that provide critical frontend or backend functionality. Test the site immediately after putting it to sleep.

Example

If you suspect that an active plugin is causing a problem, you can click Sleep from its row in the Plugins page, verify whether the issue disappears, and then click Unsleep if you want to restore it quickly.