How to Fix “Yoast Redirect Not Deleting” Issue in WordPress

Yoast SEO is an excellent plugin for WordPress. It helps optimize websites for search engines. But sometimes, it has issues. One common problem is the Yoast redirect not deleting issue.

When you try to remove a redirect, it stays there. This can be frustrating. But don’t worry! Let’s go step by step to fix it.

Why Does This Happen?

There are a few reasons this issue occurs:

• Cache problems
• Database conflicts
• Plugin conflicts
• Server-side settings

Now, let’s dive into the solutions!

Clear Your Cache

Sometimes, your browser or a caching plugin keeps old data. This makes it seem like the redirect is still there.

1. Clear your browser cache.
2. If you’re using a caching plugin like WP Rocket or W3 Total Cache, clear the cache.
3. Try deleting the redirect again.

If this doesn’t fix it, proceed to the next step.

Disable and Re-enable Yoast SEO

A simple reset can sometimes do the trick.

• Go to Plugins in your WordPress dashboard.
• Find Yoast SEO.
• Click Deactivate.
• Reactivate it after a few seconds.
• Try deleting the redirect again.

Still not working? Let’s dig deeper.

Check for Plugin Conflicts

Some plugins might be interfering with Yoast.

Follow these steps:

1. Go to the Plugins section.
2. Deactivate all plugins except Yoast SEO.
3. Try deleting the redirect.
4. If it works, reactivate plugins one by one to find the culprit.

Once you find the conflicting plugin, you might need an alternative.

Delete Redirects Directly from the Database

If everything else fails, try deleting redirects manually from the database.

Warning: Be careful! This method directly changes your database.

1. Log in to your hosting panel (cPanel or similar).
2. Open phpMyAdmin.
3. Find your website’s database.
4. Look for the table wp_yoast_redirects (or similar).
5. Find the redirect you want to delete and remove it.
6. Save changes and check your site.

Modify .htaccess File

Sometimes, if redirects are stored in the .htaccess file, they won’t delete from Yoast.

Here’s how to fix it:

1. Connect to your website via FTP or file manager in your hosting panel.
2. Find the .htaccess file in the root folder.
3. Download a backup before editing it!
4. Open it in Notepad or any text editor.
5. Look for redirect rules related to Yoast.
6. Delete the unnecessary rules.
7. Save the file and upload it back.

Use a Different Redirect Plugin

If Yoast’s redirection feature keeps causing problems, try another plugin.

• Redirection Plugin
• Simple 301 Redirects

You can disable Yoast’s redirect manager and use these instead.

Contact Yoast Support

If nothing works, reach out to Yoast support.

Steps:

1. Go to Yoast Help Center.
2. Check their documentation.
3. If needed, submit a ticket.

Provide details like:

• WordPress version
• Yoast version
• Other active plugins
• Steps you’ve already tried

Final Thoughts

Fixing the Yoast redirect deletion issue takes some patience. Try each solution step by step.

If it’s a simple cache problem, clearing it will work. If it’s a deeper issue, you might have to edit the database.

If nothing helps, don’t hesitate to ask for support.

Hopefully, this guide made it easy for you. Now go and fix your redirects!