The BootStrap Team Intro: Many new WordPress users tend to run into issues with the basic setup of their site since they are getting used to both WordPress and their theme. One of the issues that many face is the “Are you sure you want to do this” error. James Riddle, a Blogger with a lot of experience with WordPress, has kindly offered to help our users resolve this issue by walking us through different causes of the error. Take it away James:
Some WordPress errors (like ‘The establishing connection database’ error or ‘Memory exhausted’ error) tell you how to fix them. Unlike these errors, the “Are you sure you want to do this” error does not explain what triggered it. It’s not the easiest WordPress error to fix but it’s possible when you follow these seven methods.
Make sure the system hasn’t logged you out
As simple as it sounds, you need to check if you’re logged in or not. The system simply logs you out when you haven’t interacted with the page enough lately.
If you’re logged out, log in to the system and the error should be fixed.
Keep reading if this doesn’t work.
Make sure your plugin is in ZIP
Wrong plugin format is another frequent reason that triggers the “Are you sure you want to do this error.” If you’ve mistakenly uploaded a plugin in .7z or .rar format, you need to change it to .zip.
If you’re using Safari on Mac, it can sometimes automatically unzip your zip. files. To solve this issue follow the steps below.
- Open the Safari menu and click on Preferences.
- Select the General tab and uncheck the “Open “safe” files after downloading” option.
Once you’ve disabled this feature, you should be able to download zip. files without them being automatically unzipped. Also, this prevents you from downloading malware and trojans.
Go to the next step if that’s not the case.
Clear your browser’s cache
Sometimes cache can cause the “Are you sure you want to do this error” to pop up. Clearing your browser’s cache can easily solve this problem.
If you’re using Safari, go to Safari > Preferences > Privacy. Choose Manage Website Data… and Remove All.
To clear your cache in Chrome, go to Chrome menu icon. Select the Clear Browsing Data… option. Check the needed boxes and press Clear data.
If this method doesn’t work either, continue reading.
Look for a faulty plugin
A faulty plugin is one of the most common triggers of the “Are you sure you want to do this” error. To fix this one, you’ll need to check all your plugins one by one. If you have a lot of installed plugins, you’ll have to deactivate all of them to find out what triggers the error.
In order to do that, go to the FTP client and find the wp-content folder. Once you’ve found the folder containing all plugins, change the folder’s name to “plugins.deactivated”. Now, test the action that causes the error to pop up.
If this solves the error, you need to check all plugins one by one to find out which one triggers the error.
Don’t forget to go back to the folder containing your plugins and rename it back to “plugins”. Go your admin page and activate each plugin one by one to find the faulty plugin. Check if the error pops up after you activate each plugin one by one. Be ready, this is not a quick process and it might get a bit frustrating!
If your plugins are all good, follow the next step.
Disable your WordPress theme
Sometimes WordPress themes can cause the error to appear. Disable your theme manually and check if it fixed the error.
WordPress can be disabled the same way as plugins. Make a backup of your theme before you do the following. Find the folder where your theme is located, rename or delete it.
Once you’ve deactivated your theme, WordPress will use a default theme. Now go back and check whether the error is fixed. If it is fixed, there’s something wrong with your theme. You might have installed it incorrectly, or there might be something wrong with its code.
Go to the next step, if your theme looks fine and works well.
Check whether you have enough memory
Running short of memory is another reason that triggers the error. When you install certain plugins, like SEO plugin, cybersecurity plugin, or WordPress Google calendar, you’ve probably noticed that they are quite memory-consuming. It also happens when your website is too large for the default host settings. If that’s the case, you’ll need to check whether you have enough PHP memory and change the memory limit.
In order to do that, go to your Cpanel > Software> Select PHP Version > Switch to PHP Options. Choose the memory_limit. in the set of strings. If your memory limit is under 128M, it’s likely that your memory triggers the error.
To change your memory limit, go to the PHP.ini file and open it in your editor. Then, find the memory_limit string and change its value to 128M. Also, you can change the value of max_execution_time to 60 to prevent further problems when upgrading your site.
You can always contact the support if you’re not sure whether you’re getting it right.
7 Change your security keys
Security issues can cause the “Are you sure you want to do this” error to pop up. It might be just a bug or a legitimate concern that needs your attention. Either way, WordPress can stop you from posting content if it’s out there. This issue can be solved only by resetting the security keys. To do that, go to public_html and find the wp-config.php file. Press Ctrl+F and find the “Authentication Unique Keys and Salts” line. You will find eight lines with keys there. Next, go to the WordPress key generator, and change the existing keys to the ones you see on this page.
After you’ve swapped the security keys, save the file and check whether the error still pops. Keep in mind that you’ll need to log in again before doing anything on the website.
Summing up
When you first face the “Are you sure you want to do this error”, it might seem that it’s impossible to solve it. However, when you backtrack and see what is wrong, you can fix it. Don’t forget to back up your site and files before altering anything. We hope you solved this error, otherwise please contact the support to resolve the issue.
Author Bio:
James Riddle is a freelance writer with a passion for new technologies, marketing trends and branding strategies. He is always seeking to discover new ways for personal and professional growth and is convinced that it’s always important to broaden horizons. That`s why James develops and improves his skills throughout the writing process to help and inspire people.
