PrestaShop disable module: find the module that breaks your store
Disabling a PrestaShop module is the safest way to stop a module that breaks your store. The module stops working, but its settings and data stay, so you can enable it again with one click. You find the culprit in the error log and in the order of recent updates. Uninstalling comes last, because it removes the module's data.
Author: The TellMyShop team. A guide for PrestaShop store owners: the cause, the manual fix and the same work in a chat conversation.
Last updated: · 6 min read
What does a module that breaks the store look like?
It usually starts the same way. Something worked yesterday, today it does not, and someone updated something in between. Thursday, 14:15. A customer sends a screenshot of a product page: reviews appear twice, one under the other, and the stars next to the name have gone. This morning you installed a new review module because the old one did not send review requests. Nobody disabled the old one.
The symptoms of a module conflict are recognisable. The page loads, but one element does not respond. A product page shows a block twice. The cart calculates wrongly or does not show a carrier. At worst the page ends in a 500 error. In that case start with the post on PrestaShop error 500, because every minute counts there.
Disable, uninstall or delete?
When you are looking for the cause, always disable. The other two operations cannot be reversed.
| Operation | What happens | Module data | Way back |
|---|---|---|---|
| Disable | the module stops working in the store | kept | one click on “Enable” |
| Uninstall | PrestaShop removes the module's settings, content and tables | removed | only from a database backup |
| Delete | the module's files are also removed from the server | removed | reinstall and configure from scratch |
| Rename the folder via FTP | emergency skip of the module when the admin does not work | kept | restore the name |
In the admin you disable a module in Modules > Module Manager, in the menu next to the Configure button. With payment and shipping modules, remember that customers lose that method straight away.
How to find the module that breaks your store
Start with the error message, and only then disable modules one at a time.
- Write down what changed. Which modules you updated, whether the PHP version changed, whether someone edited the theme. The latest change is suspect number one.
- Read the log. Advanced Parameters > Logs shows errors with a date. The message often points to a file in the
modules/module_namefolder. This screen is described in the logs documentation. - Disable the most suspicious module. Only one. Check the store in a private browser window.
- If it still does not work, enable it again and disable the next one. Disabling several modules at once makes it hard to tell which one was to blame.
- Check overrides. When two modules override the same class, each works on its own, but not together. In Advanced Parameters > Performance you can briefly disable all overrides and see whether the problem goes away. What overrides are and why they cause trouble is explained in the developer documentation.
- Report the bug to the developer. Send the message text, PrestaShop version, PHP version and module version. Without them the developer is guessing.
Knowband has collected the typical causes of conflicts after a store upgrade in its guide to modules. Store owners describe similar stories on the PrestaShop forum (in Polish).
How to find and disable the faulty module in one conversation
You describe the symptom, and your chat (Claude or ChatGPT) with the TellMyShop module checks which modules run in that place on the page, reads the log and points to the most likely module. It shows the disable in a preview and only does it after your approval.
You: Reviews are doubled on the product page since I added a new review module. Check what is displayed there and disable the old module, but do not uninstall it.
Your chat: Two review modules are hooked under the product description: the new one, installed today, and the old one, enabled for two years. Both add the same block, hence the doubled reviews. The log has no errors. The cause is two modules doing the same thing.
Reviews collected by the old module stay in the database. The new module usually does not see them, because it keeps reviews in its own tables. Disable it?
You: Yes.
Your chat: Disabled. Refresh the product page in a private browser window. If the stars still do not show, I will check where the new module displays them.
Card status: waiting for your “yes”Change preview:
old version: Old review module: enabled
new version: Old review module: disabled
Reading the log and the module list works in the free TellMyShop Free, so you get the diagnosis without buying anything. An example of such a request is error messages after a module update. The disable itself requires TellMyShop Pro and the Modules switch. It is off after installation, and you turn it on in the module panel for 24 hours. The same approach works when the cart breaks, as described in the use case disabling a module that breaks the cart.
A disable usually takes from ten seconds to under a minute, because PrestaShop rebuilds its cache. You can undo it from the change history. The chat will not disable the TellMyShop module, because that is how it talks to your store. Uninstalling is possible, but it needs the exact module name typed in and cannot be undone, so the chat suggests disabling first.
When is disabling not enough?
If the problem stays after you disable the suspected module, the cause lies elsewhere. There are three typical situations.
The first is an override left behind by another module, for example one that was uninstalled with an error. A file in the override folder still changes how PrestaShop works, even though the module is gone. Checking and removing such a file is a job for a developer.
The second is a change in the theme. The module may have a copy of its template in the theme, and that copy breaks, not the module itself. Check the modules folder inside the theme folder.
The third is a change on the server side. The host may, for example, have switched to a new PHP version on the same night you updated the modules. Then the error log points to several modules at once, not one. Ask your host what changed on the server.
What if the disabled module was needed?
Agree a fix with the developer and work without the module or with a replacement until then. When the developer releases a new version, update the module, enable it and check the place that was breaking. Look through the log again the next day.
If after a week of being disabled the module turns out to be unnecessary, you can uninstall it. We describe how to do that without surprises in the post on unused PrestaShop modules.
Questions and answers
What is the difference between disabling and uninstalling a module?
A disabled module stops working, but its settings, content and database tables stay. You enable it again with one click and everything comes back. Uninstalling removes the module's data: configuration, banner content, sometimes whole tables. You cannot undo that without a database backup, so when you are looking for the culprit you only ever disable.
What is a module conflict in PrestaShop?
It is when two modules change the same part of the store and get in each other's way. Most often both override the same PrestaShop class, or hook into the same page element and load conflicting scripts. Each works on its own, but together they break the cart or the product page. Disabling one of them and talking to the developers helps.
Is it safe to disable a payment module?
The module's data will stay, but customers lose that payment method immediately. If it is your only online payment, the store practically stops selling. Before disabling, check that another method remains, and come back to the issue quickly. The same goes for shipping modules: the carrier disappears from the cart.
How do I check which modules run on the product page?
In the admin, open Design > Positions and choose a place on the page, for example the block under the product description. The list shows the modules hooked there, in display order. If you see two modules doing the same thing there, for example two review systems, you have your first candidate to disable.
Can I ask for a module to be disabled in a conversation?
Yes, in TellMyShop Pro, once you turn on the Modules switch. The switch lasts 24 hours and needs a database backup made the same day. The chat shows what will change, warns you about payment and shipping modules and waits for your approval. You can undo the disable from the change history. The chat does not suggest uninstalling as a first step.
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