ℹ️ How to Delete Logs from Activity Log Pro

Activity Log Pro provides multiple ways to delete activity logs from your WordPress site. Whether you need to delete specific logs, clear everything, or set up automatic cleanup, this guide covers all the available methods.

Overview

Activity Log Pro offers several deletion options to help you manage your activity logs effectively:

  • Filter and delete specific logs – Use the powerful filtering system to find and delete targeted log entries
  • Bulk delete selected logs – Select multiple logs and delete them at once
  • Clear all logs – Remove all activity log data from the database
  • Automatic retention cleanup – Set up automatic deletion based on age
  • Manual retention cleanup – Delete logs older than a specific timeframe

Method 1: Filter and Delete Specific Logs

Activity Log Pro’s filtering system allows you to find specific logs and delete them. This is useful when you need to remove logs that match certain criteria.

Available Filters

The plugin provides comprehensive filtering options:

  • Date Range: Filter logs by specific date ranges using “Date From” and “Date To” fields
  • User: Filter by specific users to show only logs generated by particular users
  • Event Type: Filter by event categories (user, post, comment, plugin, theme, etc.)
  • Action: Filter by specific actions (create, update, delete, login, etc.)
  • IP Address: Filter by specific IP addresses to see activity from particular locations
  • Search: Context-aware search across all log fields including descriptions, usernames, and event types

How to Filter and Delete

  1. Navigate to Activity Log Pro from your WordPress admin menu
  2. Use the filter controls at the top of the logs page:
  • Set Date From and Date To to specify a date range
  • Select a specific User from the dropdown
  • Choose an Event Type to focus on specific categories
  • Select an Action to target specific operations
  • Choose an IP Address to filter by location
  • Use the Search field for keyword-based filtering
  1. Click Apply Filters to show matching logs
  2. Select the logs you want to delete using the checkboxes
  3. Choose Delete from the Bulk Actions dropdown
  4. Click Apply to delete the selected logs

Method 2: Bulk Delete Selected Logs

You can select multiple individual logs and delete them in a single operation:

  1. Go to Activity Log Pro > Activity Logs
  2. Browse through your logs or use filters to find specific entries
  3. Check the boxes next to the logs you want to delete
  4. From the Bulk Actions dropdown, select Delete
  5. Click Apply to confirm the deletion

Note: Once deleted, these logs cannot be recovered unless you have a backup.

Method 3: Clear All Logs

To permanently delete all activity logs from your database:

  1. Navigate to Activity Log Pro > Settings
  2. Scroll down to the Clear All Logs section
  3. Read the warning message carefully
  4. Click the Clear All Logs button
  5. Confirm the action when prompted

⚠️ Warning: This action permanently deletes ALL activity log data and cannot be undone. Consider exporting your logs first if you need to keep a record.

Method 4: Automatic Log Retention

Set up automatic deletion of old logs to maintain database performance:

  1. Go to Activity Log Pro > Settings
  2. Find the Log Retention Period setting
  3. Choose how long to keep logs before automatic deletion:
  • Never – Keep logs indefinitely
  • 7 days – Delete logs older than 1 week
  • 14 days – Delete logs older than 2 weeks
  • 30 days – Delete logs older than 1 month (recommended and default)
  • 60 days – Delete logs older than 2 months
  • 90 days – Delete logs older than 3 months
  • 180 days – Delete logs older than 6 months
  • 365 days – Delete logs older than 1 year
  1. Click Save Changes

The automatic cleanup runs once daily via WordPress’s WP-Cron system and will remove logs older than your selected retention period.

Method 5: Delete Logs by Combined Criteria

You can combine multiple filters to delete logs that match specific criteria:

Example: Delete all failed login attempts from last month

  1. Set Date From to the first day of last month
  2. Set Date To to the last day of last month
  3. Select User events from the Event Type dropdown
  4. Select login_failed from the Action dropdown
  5. Click Apply Filters
  6. Select all displayed logs and delete them using Bulk Actions

Example: Delete all logs from a specific user

  1. Select the target user from the User dropdown
  2. Click Apply Filters to show only that user’s activity
  3. Select all logs and delete using Bulk Actions

Example: Delete logs by IP address

  1. Select the target IP from the IP Address dropdown
  2. Apply filters to show activity from that IP
  3. Select and delete the unwanted logs

Tips for Log Management

Before Deleting Logs

  • Export logs if you need to keep records for compliance or analysis
  • Review the logs to ensure you’re deleting the correct entries
  • Consider your retention policy – some organizations require keeping logs for specific periods

Database Performance

  • Regular log cleanup helps maintain optimal database performance
  • Large log tables can slow down your WordPress site
  • Consider a 30-90 day retention period for most sites
  • Monitor your log database size in the statistics section

Security Considerations

  • Keep security-related logs (failed logins, user changes) longer than routine logs
  • Consider exporting security logs before deletion
  • Document your log retention policy for compliance purposes

Search and Filter Tips

The search functionality is context-aware and searches across multiple fields:

  • User actions: Search by username or display name
  • Descriptions: Search for specific actions or content
  • Event types: Search for categories of events
  • IP addresses: Search for specific IP addresses
  • Content: Search for post titles, page names, etc.

You can combine search with other filters for precise targeting:

  • Search for “password” + User events to find all password-related activities
  • Search for specific post titles + Post events to find all changes to that content
  • Search for plugin names + Plugin events to find all plugin-related activities

Important Notes

  • Deletions are permanent: Once logs are deleted, they cannot be recovered without a database backup
  • No undo function: The plugin does not have an undo feature for deletions
  • Export first: Always consider exporting logs before deletion if you might need them later
  • Administrator access: Only users with administrator privileges can delete activity logs
  • Cache clearing: The plugin automatically clears relevant caches when logs are deleted

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues when deleting logs:

  1. Ensure you have sufficient permissions – Only administrators can delete logs
  2. Check for plugin conflicts – Temporarily disable other plugins to test
  3. Verify database connectivity – Ensure your WordPress database connection is stable
  4. Large datasets – For very large log datasets, consider deleting in smaller batches
  5. Browser timeouts – For bulk operations, ensure your browser doesn’t timeout

Need Help? If you experience issues with Log Deletion, please contact our support team with details about your WordPress environment and the specific problems you’re encountering.