Uninstalling Unused Modules
Goal¶
Uninstall the core Search and History modules, as well as the core Ban module if you installed it in Installing a Module, to reduce overhead.
Prerequisite knowledge¶
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 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.
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Check the boxes for the modules you are uninstalling (Ban, History, and Search). Click Uninstall at the bottom of the page.

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.
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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:
Expand your understanding¶
- Concept: Additional Tools
- 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 Deleting a Content Type.
Videos¶
Attributions
Written and edited by Joe Shindelar at Drupalize.Me, Surendra Mohan, and Jojy Alphonso at Red Crackle.