Plugin Installation Failed : Destination Folder Already Exists

Just 24 hours ago, I wrote a post stating how a plugin named Jetpack is causing troubles in few of my WordPress based websites. I was facing the issue of a failed update to the plugin which further led to WordPress running in the “Maintenance Mode”. And today, I am facing yet another issue. It seems that I am running through some bad phase. 🙁

I wandered down to a website I made ages ago, trying to revive it and make it worthy again. When I checked the installed plugin page, I realized that I had a plugin missing which was the “Yoast SEO” plugin. It is a very important plugin and I could not make head or tails of as to why this plugin was missing. Rather than wasting my time analyzing the situation, I quickly went down to the “Add New Plugin” section in order to install the plugin again, hoping against hope hopen, that all the data might still be intact. So I clicked “Install” on the plugin, only to be greeted by this message.

So, a plugin cannot install if the folder already exists. Apparently, this happens when some file in your wp-content/plugins/ folder has become corrupt or perhaps if you renamed the folder to something else. That is the reason the installed plugin of Yoast SEO” was not showing up in the list.

Now how do we correct this little error. You can try installing the plugin hundreds of times but you will not be able to install it through the WordPress. You will get the same error. We actually need FTP for this one. Via your favorite FTP client, browse to the section public_html/wp-content/plugins/ and locate the folder that is causing the trouble. Now simply delete this folder. Now you can head back to the “Add New” section in your WordPress and try installing the plugin back. Voila! The plugin installs without any further hassle.

I always knew that I will be able to get the plugin up and going again. My only concern was if the data will be all secured since it will be painstaking to enter all the SEO keywords and META descriptions and what not, all over again. But the thing about WordPress and all its brilliant plugins is that you very very rarely will lose something this way. So my data was all secured and I can now get back to my work on the website again.

Hope this helps if you get stuck in a similar situation like me. Cheers!