4.4. Uninstalling Unused Modules

Goal

Uninstall the core Search and History modules, as well as the core Ban module if you installed it in Section 4.3, “Installing a Module”, to reduce overhead.

Prerequisite knowledge

Section 1.2, “Concept: Modules”

Site prerequisites

You must have at least one unused module on your site that you want to uninstall, such as the core Search module.
If you want to use Drush to uninstall modules, Drush must be installed. See Section 3.3, “Concept: Additional Tools”.

Steps

You can use the administrative interface or Drush to uninstall modules.

Using the administrative interface

In the Manage administrative menu, navigate to Extend > Uninstall (admin/modules/uninstall) where you will find the list of modules that are ready to be uninstalled.
Check the boxes for the modules you are uninstalling (Ban, History, and Search). Click Uninstall at the bottom of the page.
Note
You cannot uninstall a module if it is required by some other module(s) and/or functionality. For example, the core File module is required by the core Text Editor, CKEditor, and Image modules. It can’t be uninstalled unless you uninstall its dependent module(s) and functionality first. A module that cannot be uninstalled yet will have a disabled checkbox, restricting you from uninstalling it.
Step 2 will prompt you to confirm the module uninstall request. Click Uninstall.

Using Drush

In the Manage administrative menu, navigate to Extend (admin/modules). The Extend page appears showing all the available modules in your site.
Find the machine name of the module you want to uninstall, by expanding the information area for the module. For instance, the core Ban module’s machine name is ban.
Run the following Drush command to uninstall the module:
```
drush pm:uninstall ban
```

Expand your understanding

Section 3.3, “Concept: Additional Tools”
Section 12.2, “Clearing the Cache”
You can also uninstall the core Comment module by following these steps, but only after comment fields have been removed, which is a side effect of Section 6.2, “Deleting a Content Type”.