Remove plugin settings when you delete the plugin
Updated September 13, 2026
By default the plugin leaves its settings in the database when you delete it, so reinstalling picks up where you left off. A checkbox at the bottom of Settings › Cloudflare Turnstile changes that, deleting every saved option when the plugin is removed through the Plugins page.
Deactivating versus deleting
Deactivating stops Turnstile appearing on any form and stops all verification, but touches nothing in the database. Everything is exactly as you left it when you reactivate. This is the right move if you are troubleshooting, or if a misconfiguration has locked you out of a form.
Deleting runs the uninstall routine, and that is the only point at which the cleanup option has any effect.
Turning the cleanup on
Tick the option to delete all of the plugin’s saved options when it is deleted via the Plugins page, then save. Leave it off if you are only moving the plugin temporarily or are unsure.
Note that deleting a plugin through FTP by removing its folder does not run the uninstall routine, so the options stay behind regardless of this setting. Use the Plugins page if you want the cleanup to happen.
What the plugin stores
- Settings — the API keys, appearance options, whitelist entries, failsafe configuration and one option per enabled form.
- Analytics counters, if analytics is enabled. Totals per form and per error code; no IP addresses or page URLs.
- The debug log, if debug logging is enabled. Capped at the 50 most recent events, and this one does include IP addresses and page URLs.
- Short-lived transients used to tie a verification result to a single-use token, and to cache whether Cloudflare is reachable. These expire within seconds or minutes on their own.
No custom database tables are created, and nothing is stored against individual users or orders.
Tidying up without uninstalling
If your concern is the debug log rather than the settings, you do not need to uninstall anything. The Analytics tab has a Reset Log button that clears it, and a Reset Analytics button for the counters. Turning debug logging off stops new entries being recorded.
The plugin also removes options belonging to integrations you no longer have installed when you save this setting, so an old WooCommerce or Gravity Forms configuration does not linger after the plugin is gone.