We have already discussed in detail how to enable multi site option in wordpress 3.0. I have received various e-mails and requests for guide on how to disable multi site feature already enabled on wordpress 3.0 due to incompatibility of various plugins with multi site feature.
Disabling multi site feature is very easy and needs just editing of one file. Let me to recall specific step of enabling multi site option. You might remember that we have modified config file and added some code.
All you need to delete this code;
define( 'MULTISITE', true );
define( 'SUBDOMAIN_INSTALL', false );
$base = '/';
define( 'DOMAIN_CURRENT_SITE', 'localhost' );
define( 'PATH_CURRENT_SITE', '/' );
define( 'SITE_ID_CURRENT_SITE', 1 );
define( 'BLOG_ID_CURRENT_SITE', 1 );
After removing above lines now change the disable the multisite feature by replacing true word with false;
define('WP_ALLOW_MULTISITE', true);
But moving onward to disable unwanted feature, do remove extra sites that are hosted on same wordpress installation and follow above procedure.
Before editing your config file make a backup of it and enjoy WordPress 3.0 with disable multisite feature.
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Hi Imran, thanks for the instructions. I have a question though, what is the advantage of removing the multisite option? Does it make the site load faster? What are some of the plugins that are causing the conflicts? Thanks!
Ileane, actually “Google Sitemap XML” plugin have conflict with multi site option, cuz plugins are activated network wide and plugins have to perform for every site separately. Like generating separate site maps for ABC site and XYZ site in multi site environment.
Super Cache has been updated to work with multi site.
Ha, that one shouldn’t surprise me. With the previous version of WPMU I have 2 blogs on BuddyPress. The owner installed the Google Sitemap XML plugin, but there’s no way for the individual blog owners to adjust the settings. So it never really worked on WPMU, it’s just that no one seemed to care about it before. I think they should be doing something to upgrade that plugin because it’s pretty important to all the multisite users. Thanks for letting me know.
Now scene has been changed. Majority of people would be using Multi Site feature and companies have to update their work or users will pick alternate to them.
One of my reader requested me in comments about writing this article. Thats why i wrote a procedure on disabling the Multi Site feature if someone enabled it and found they are uneasy and can live without it.
XML Sitemap Feed works very well in the Multisite option:
For example check this :
http://www.scientiamag.com/sitemap.xml
http://www.scientiamag.com/swamykant/sitemap.xml
If you’re having issues with particular plugins there *are* network-compatible version of many of them. Including sitemaps. And yes, free ones.
I doubt that there is no network version of Google sitemaps plugin for Multi Site version. If it was out, we must have plugin update notification from plugin site. Anyways, Thanks for your concern, Andrea.
This one works with the network:
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/xml-sitemap-feed/
I wasn’t suggesting the one you mentioned above would do it, I was stating there were *different* plugins that did work.
Also, in disabling the network, there are extra sitewide tables that need to be removed. Otherwise, if you try and reinstate the network, you’ll get a message that one already exists.
Thanks Andrea for updating us with working version of XML site maps. People running WP in multi site environment should try it. As far as extra tables are concerned, that needs to be removed manually. But before disabling multi site option, one should reconsider his decision to disable multi site option or not.
Hi Andrea
This plugin works fine on my multisite wordpress blog –
http://www.scientiamag.com/sitemap.xml
http://www.scientiamag.com/swamykant/sitemap.xml
However while this need to be network activated
Thank you for these instructions!
I got into serious problems with the network option. My blog is set up on two domains, using WPML to provide support for two languages: http://www.eveliensnel.nl/blog for Dutch; http://www.eveliensnel.com/blog for English. But when I upgraded to WP version 3.0 with network support, all my English language posts became inaccessible to the users.
I tried many, many things. For a whole week I have been without the English version of my blog. And for a few days the Dutch version was down too. I think this is a hopeless case.
Since no help was forthcoming, neither on the WPML forum nor on the WordPress.org forum, I have been forced to disable the network option again. Your post showed me how to do that quite painlessly.
It is a pity, the network option would be great for me. But WPML is essential for my site. So I will have to do without network for a while.
Evelien, these issues will get solved with some time. until that we have to wait and should not put our blogs on risk by using multi site feature. Wait for some time so that WP multi site get more sophistication and than try network option.
I am glad my post solved your problem.
Thank you for quick post. However, after removing those codes from wp-config.php I still had other problem: my blog url being like this
http://domain.com/blog/2010/07/post
But then the problem solved by fixing the Permalink options (Setting) and removed /blog.dir directory via CPanel.
Thanks buddy! Now I do not need to worry about Duplicate content issues in Sitemaps .. There were some SEO concerns with this Multi-Site option!
Hi, I am getting a database connection error when I make these changes to uninstall multi-site. Any idea why this may be happening?
Probably database name has been changed/disturbed in config file, like table name or database name.
Hi Imran,
I need your help to verify information on the edit of wp-config.php from your first post on this subject.
You mention you need to add this line of code to file:
define(‘WP_ALLOW_MULTISITE’, true);
First question! Why is this line not present in the config.php file to begin with?
Should be present in file. Written as: define(‘WP_ALLOW_MULTISITE’, “#”);
Second question where should this line of code be inserted into the config.php file? You don’t make this clear in your first post.
I’m assuming that you place the above line of code, above the line:
/* That’s all, stop editing! Happy blogging. */
Thank you for your continued good work!
I really appreciate that you read the posts with open mind and consult for problem where you stuck. As per my understanding of not mentioning the magical line in config file is, someone can mistakenly enable (True) the multi site option which will make changes in whole wordpress installation. So to avoid accidental “enabled multi site” option, WordPress team haven’t included it in.
As far as second part of question is concerned, when you decided to go with multi site option, include the line at the start of config file so that when wordpress installation refer that file to pick the information, WordPress should know that i have to run this installation instance in multi site mode. It means that line should be added at the start of file, no matter you add it before comments or after comments. But please be vigilant when editing config file that no comment is left without openning or closing comment tag i.e /* comment */ or this will create a lot problems.
Hi Imran,
Once again your answers are clear, concise and right on target! Thank You so very much for making my day a good one!
Thanks Morgan for your appreciation, such words motivates blogger to put their best efforts in their blogs.
Who would of thought that disabling Multi-site would have been so easy. Your instructions worked a treat! Shame Multi-Site wasn’t up to much!
When I disable the multisite per your instruction I get a redirect error.
Help.. I want it to go away!!!
Thanks
I visited your site, its working just fine.
yes, because I have multisites set to true.. which I don’t want. If I set it to false I get the redirects.
I am also unable to set custom permalinks.. When I try to save a custom choice from the dashboard after I hit save it refreshes and time and date are checked again.
thanks for looking
Try to remove other sites first and then disable multisite. Don’t forget to edit config file. Also take a look at your htaccess file.
I deleted all the previous sites (1). What config file?
I have the same problemo dude but then resolved.. My magic deed is, simply removing the blogs.dir folder from wp-content.. that’s that!
Thanks Imran for the tutorials. The multisite feature was creating problems over plugins and even few features that I’d like., but I wonder what happens to the plugins under network-activated if I disabled the WP-Multi Site feature. Some pics plugin are directed for the blogs.dir directory over the main blog, will it ruin ?
Actually blogs.dir was created at the time of enabling multi-site. Simply uninstall/disable that plugin and then install/enable it in non-multisite environment. Problem will be solved.
Thanks ! it worked well, now my blog is in non multi-site.
Welcome Niran.
Also delete the /blog/ portion of the permalinks that is created when you enable networking. Otherwise you pages will return a not found error.
Wow – this caused a HUGE problem on my site. I had to re-add the code but change this:
define( ‘MULTISITE’, true );
To read to false.
Now it is perfection!!!
When I try to add this “define(‘WP_ALLOW_MULTISITE’, true);”
It create conflict with Google XML Sitemaps.. Getting this error msg”Google XML Sitemaps is not multisite compatible.”
Any help really appreciates ….
Google XML Sitemap is not compatible with Multisite. Look for alternate.
I went into an old blog of mine and noticed I had no plugins installed except a disabled Google XML Sitemaps. WTF? So I tried to enable it and that’s when I noticed the message that said it wasn’t compatible with multi-site. I had forgotten I multi-sited it. So I googled on how to disable it and your instructions came up. They worked like a charm. I now have my blog back to normal. Thanks for your help.
About the XML plugin, there is one that works called:
Google XML Sitemaps with Multisite support
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/google-xml-sitemaps-with-multisite-support/
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