PrestaShop unused modules: a checklist before you disable and delete them
Unused PrestaShop modules are the ones that are installed but do nothing. They have been disabled for months, are not hooked to any place on the site or have been replaced by a newer one. You find them in the Module Manager. Disable each one for a week first and watch the store. Only when nothing breaks, uninstall the module and delete its files.
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: · 5 min read
Why tidy up modules if the store works?
For three reasons: security, speed and peace of mind during updates. An old module nobody updates can be a way in for an attack. Friends of Presta keeps a list of known vulnerabilities in modules, and Technet Media described an example of an attack through a dependency used in modules (in Polish).
On top of that, every active module can add scripts and queries to the store's pages. Each one is also one more thing to check before you update PrestaShop or PHP. Fewer modules means a shorter list of suspects when something stops working.
How to tell which module is unused
Split modules into a few groups and make a different decision for each.
| Group | Example | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| Installed and disabled for a long time | an old slider, a popup from a campaign a year ago | candidate for removal after a check |
| Active, but not displayed anywhere | a block for a column the theme does not show | disable on trial |
| Duplicated by another module | two review modules, two newsletter modules | keep one, disable the other |
| Integration with a service you no longer use | an old courier, a price comparison site, a live chat | disable, then uninstall |
| Sales module: cart, payments, shipping | a payment gateway module | do not touch without a plan |
| Module used by the theme | menu, search, filters | do not touch, the theme relies on it |
| You do not know what it is for | the technical name says nothing | ask the developer or disable on trial |
Hosting companies publish their own lists of modules worth having, for example LH.pl's essential modules list (in Polish). Such a list helps you decide what not to remove. Astrabit's post on slow PrestaShop (in Polish) covers what unused modules and scripts cost a store.
What about modules PrestaShop installs by itself?
Keep the ones sales and the theme use, and review the rest the same way as modules you bought. A fresh PrestaShop installs quite a few of its own modules. Some are dashboard blocks in the admin and statistics modules. Others display blocks on the store's pages: a banner, a text with the store's selling points, a category list, a newsletter.
Statistics modules collect visit data every time a customer comes in. If you use another analytics tool, many of them give you nothing, while their data tables keep growing. Dashboard blocks, on the other hand, slow down opening the admin. Disabling modules nobody looks at usually breaks nothing, but still do it one at a time. Some themes use PrestaShop modules in unexpected ways, for example the category list in a side menu.
How to remove a module safely, step by step
First you disable, then you wait, and finally you remove.
- Back up the database and files. Uninstalling removes the module's data, and without a backup you cannot get it back.
- List the candidates. Module name, version, whether it is active, where it displays, when it was last updated.
- Disable one module. In Modules > Module Manager. Check the home page, a category, a product page and the cart.
- Wait a week. Watch orders, the error log in Advanced Parameters > Logs and messages from customers.
- Uninstall the module. If nothing broke, uninstall it in the Module Manager.
- Delete the files. The module's files stay on the server after uninstalling. Delete them in the Module Manager or via FTP, so old code does not sit on the server.
- Write down what you did. Date, module, reason. It helps when, six months later, someone asks where the popup went.
If disabling a module breaks something straight away, enable it again. We describe how to find the module that breaks your store in the post on disabling a PrestaShop module.
How to review modules with the chat
You ask for a review, and your chat (Claude or ChatGPT) reads the list of installed modules with their versions and status. It also checks which modules display in chosen places on the site. From that it builds a list of candidates, split into the groups from the table above.
You: Which modules are installed but disabled, or not displayed anywhere? Disable the old popup and the slider for a week, and we will decide later.
Your chat: 74 modules are installed, 9 of them disabled. Candidates for tidying up:
3 disabled: an old courier module, a price comparison module, a second review module.
2 active, but not hooked to any place on the home page, a category or a product page: the Autumn lanterns campaign popup and the slider.
The module's data and settings stay. Disable it?
You: Yes, and the slider too.
Your chat: Both disabled. In a week, ask for a review of the error log for that period. Then you can decide about uninstalling.
Card status: waiting for your “yes”Preview of the first change:
old version: Autumn lanterns popup: enabled
new version: Autumn lanterns popup: disabled
The module list and the plan work in TellMyShop Free. Disabling and uninstalling require TellMyShop Pro and the Modules switch. The switch lasts 24 hours and needs a database backup made the same day. You can enable a disabled module again from the change history. Uninstalling cannot be undone, so the chat suggests disabling first and asks you to type the exact module name. You will find these tasks described in the use cases safely removing an unused module and reviewing module settings. TellMyShop Pro details are on the pricing page.
How not to get overgrown with modules again
Before installing a new module, write down what problem it should solve and who will update it. Install test modules on a copy of the store, not on the live one. Once a quarter, review the module list the same way as now.
Questions and answers
Does a disabled module slow the store down?
Hardly at all, because PrestaShop does not run it. But a disabled module still leaves files on the server. An old version with a security hole can be dangerous even when nobody uses it. So treat disabling as a trial stage. If nothing has broken after a week, uninstall the module and delete its files.
Which PrestaShop modules must not be disabled?
The ones that sales and the store's look depend on: cart, payments, shipping, search, category filters and the modules your theme uses. Be careful, too, with cookie consent and GDPR consent modules. If you do not know what a module is for, disable it only on trial and watch the store.
Does uninstalling a module remove its data?
Yes. When uninstalling, PrestaShop removes the module's settings, its content and often its database tables. Without a database backup you cannot get that data back. The module's files usually stay on the server until you delete them separately in the Module Manager or via FTP.
How many modules is too many?
There is no such number. What counts is what a module does on each page. One heavy module with its own scripts on every page slows the store more than ten small modules in the admin. Instead of counting, check which modules display on the home page, a category and a product page.
Will the chat remove unused modules by itself?
In TellMyShop Free the chat only looks through the module list and proposes a plan. Disabling and uninstalling work in TellMyShop Pro once you turn on the Modules switch for 24 hours. Uninstalling needs the exact module name typed in and cannot be undone.
PrestaShop is a registered trademark of PrestaShop SA. Claude is a trademark of Anthropic PBC. ChatGPT and OpenAI are trademarks of OpenAI. TellMyShop is not affiliated with these companies.