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Where Did My Redirection Plugin Data Go? How to Recover and Manage Redirects

22 threads Sep 10, 2025 Plugin → Redirection

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If you've ever logged into your WordPress site to find your carefully crafted redirects have vanished, you're not alone. This is a common point of confusion and panic for users of the Redirection plugin. This guide will explain exactly where your redirect data is stored, why it can disappear, and the steps you can take to recover or prevent this issue in the future.

Why Your Redirects Disappeared

Based on numerous community reports, the most common cause of missing redirects is a simple one: the plugin was deleted. Unlike some plugins, Redirection stores all its data—every rule, group, and setting—in your site's database. When you completely remove the plugin via your WordPress admin (Plugins > Installed Plugins), it also cleans up after itself by deleting its dedicated database tables. This is the expected behavior but can be a nasty surprise if you weren't aware of it.

Other potential causes include:

  • Reinstalling the Plugin: In some cases, a faulty update or reinstallation process can lead to data loss.
  • Manual Database Manipulation: Accidentally altering or truncating the wrong database tables can erase your redirects.
  • Site Migration or Cloning: If you move your site to a new server or domain and do not properly migrate the database, your staging or new production site will not have the redirect data.

The Critical Fact: Redirects Are Stored in the Database

The most important thing to understand is that the Redirection plugin does not store your redirect rules in files on your server's filesystem (e.g., in .htaccess or a plugin file). You cannot find them by digging through your FTP file manager.

Instead, the plugin creates and uses its own custom tables within your WordPress database. According to the plugin's developer documentation, the primary tables are:

  • wp_redirection_items: Contains the individual redirect rules (source URL, target URL, type, etc.).
  • wp_redirection_groups: Manages the groups your redirects are organized into.
  • wp_redirection_logs: Stores the log of 404 errors and redirect hits.

The wp_ prefix may be different if you specified a custom prefix during your WordPress installation.

How to Recover Lost Redirects

If your redirects are already gone, your recovery options depend on your preparedness.

Solution 1: Restore From a Backup (The Primary Method)

This is the only way to recover lost data. The Redirection plugin itself does not include a built-in backup and restore function for its data. Your ability to recover is entirely dependent on your own WordPress backup practices.

  1. Identify Your Backup Solution: Check with your hosting provider (many offer automated daily backups) or look for backups created by a plugin like UpdraftPlus, BlogVault, or VaultPress.
  2. Restore the Database: You will need to restore the entire database from a point in time before you deleted the plugin or lost the redirects. A full database restore is necessary because the redirects are intertwined with other site data in the database.

Solution 2: Recreate Them Manually

If a backup is not available, the unfortunate reality is that you will need to recreate your redirects from scratch. To avoid this in the future, make regular exports.

Best Practices to Prevent Future Data Loss

Take these steps to protect yourself going forward.

1. Regularly Export Your Redirects

The Redirection plugin includes a handy export feature. This is your first line of defense.

  1. Go to Tools > Redirection > Import/Export in your WordPress admin.
  2. Click the Export to CSV or Export to .json button.
  3. Save the downloaded file to a safe location, like your computer or cloud storage. This file acts as a backup of your rules that you can quickly import later.

2. Maintain Regular Full Site Backups

Ensure your backup solution (whether a plugin or a host-provided service) performs complete backups that include your database. Test restoring from a backup occasionally to confirm the process works.

3. Deactivate, Don't Delete (For Testing)

If you are troubleshooting and think you need to remove the plugin, try simply deactivating it first. Deactivation does not delete the database tables. Your data will remain intact if you reactivate it later. Only choose delete when you are absolutely sure you want to remove the plugin and all its data permanently.

Conclusion

Losing your redirects can be a stressful SEO and user experience nightmare. The key takeaway is that your redirects live in your database, not your files. Therefore, the health of your redirects is directly tied to the quality of your database backup strategy. By regularly exporting your redirects and maintaining robust full-site backups, you can ensure that even a mistaken plugin deletion is nothing more than a minor inconvenience.

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