How to automatically clear WordPress bins

Do you want the junk on your WordPress website to be automatically emptied?

By default, WordPress automatically deletes everything in the trash for 30 days. However, some users may prefer to clear the garbage more or less.

In this article, we will show you how to automatically clear the garbage every day, weekly, or at any time interval you want.

What is garbage in WordPress?

WordPress added the trash function as early as version 2.9. It works like a recycling bin or trash can on a computer.

In other words, the posts you delete are not deleted immediately, but are sent to the trash. Therefore, you can restore them before you permanently delete them after a period of time.

Anyone could accidentally click on the “Delete” link on the post. That's why WordPress can easily recover deleted posts and pages.

Your WordPress website will automatically delete everything in the trash after 30 days so that they don't pile up and continue to use server resources.

If you want to prevent WordPress from automatically clearing the bin, you can follow our guide to how to disable automatic clearing the bin in WordPress.

But what if you want to empty the trash regularly instead of once a month?

Let's see how to automatically clear the trash in WordPress after a while.

We will introduce two methods. You can use the link below to jump to your preferred method:

• Method 1: Use WPCode to automatically clear WordPress trash bin (recommended)
• Method 2: Use plugins to automatically clear WordPress trash

Method 1: Use WPCode to automatically clear WordPress trash bin (recommended)

For this method, we will automatically clear the trash in WordPress using a custom code snippet.

You can add this code snippet to the functions.php file of the WordPress theme. However, a tiny bug in the code can break your website and make it inaccessible.

This is why we recommend using WPCode. It is the best code snippet plugin for WordPress, allowing you to safely add custom code to your website without breaking it.

First, you need to install and activate the free WPCode plugin. For more details, see our WordPress plug-in installation guide.

Note: WPCode also has a paid plan that you can install to unlock amazing features such as code snippet libraries, conditional logic, creating custom blocks, and more.

Once activated, access the Code Snippets » Add Snippets page from the WordPress Management sidebar.

From here, you have to click the Use Code Snippet button under the "Add Custom Code (New Code Snippet)" option.

This will lead you to the Create Custom Code Snippets page where you can start typing the title of the code snippet. It can be anything that can help you identify it.

After that, select the "PHP Snippet" option as "Code Type" from the drop-down menu on the right.

Next, just copy and paste the following code into the Code Preview box:

However, if you set the number of days to 0, the WordPress trash feature will be completely removed. WordPress will then permanently delete posts and pages without putting them in the trash.

Note: Before activating this feature, make sure to back up your WordPress site so that you can recover any accidentally deleted pages or posts.

Next, scroll down to the Insert section and select “Auto Insert” mode. Now, as long as you save the code snippet, the custom code will take effect on your website.

After that, scroll to the top of the page and switch the Inactive switch to Active.

Finally, don't forget to click the "Save Fragment" button to store your settings and execute code on your website.

Method 2: Use plugins to automatically clear WordPress trash

If you don't want to add code to your website, this method is for you.

First, you need to install and activate the Change Empty Junk Time plugin. For more details, see our step-by-step guide on how to install WordPress plug-ins.

Once activated, go to the Settings » General page from the WordPress admin area.

Once there, scroll down to the bottom of the page where you will find the new "Time to Empty Trash" option.

Here, just enter the number of days it takes for WordPress to empty the bin. For example, you can type 1 for daily, 7 for weekly, or 30 for monthly.

If you enter 0, deleted posts and pages will be permanently deleted instead of being placed in the trash.

Note : Be very careful when setting the clear time to 0. Recovering permanently deleted posts and pages can be difficult. Make sure you use the backup plugin just in case. To do this, we recommend using a replicator.

When you are done, don't forget to click the "Save Changes" button to store your settings.

We hope this tutorial helps you understand how to automatically clear the trash in WordPress. You may also want to learn how to get a free SSL certificate or view a list of the best WooCommerce plugins for your online store.

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