How Do I Delete an Old Blog Account Without Losing Images?

TL;DR

• Move the images first, then delete the old blog. Images your site still loads from the old blog will break once it’s gone.
• Find them by checking each image’s address. If it isn’t your website’s address, the image lives somewhere else.
• Upload those images to your WordPress Media Library and swap them into your posts. Or remove them.
• You need the old account’s login to delete it. Nobody else can delete it for you.

How Do I Delete an Old Blog Account Without Losing Images?

Do it in this order, so nothing on your current site breaks:

1. Find the images still loading from the old blog. Open a post, right-click an image, and choose “Open image in new tab.” Look at the address. If it has the old blog’s name in it, the image is stored there.
2. Decide what to do with each post. Keep it, fix its images, or remove the images. You can also leave the post as a draft for now.
3. Save the images you want to keep to your computer. Only keep images you own or have the rights to use.
4. Upload them to your Media Library and replace each one in the post. See How Do I Replace or Remove an Image on My WordPress Site?
5. Check your posts again to make sure no image still points to the old blog.
6. Log in to the old blog account and delete the blog.
7. Check your site one more time for broken images.

Why Are My Images Still on the Old Blog?

When posts move from an old blog to a new site, the text comes over, but the images may not. The posts can keep pulling images from the old blog. On one client’s site, Beth found exactly that: “The images aren’t actually in your WordPress media library.”

What If I Can’t Log In to the Old Blog Account?

Without the login, the blog can’t be deleted. Only the account owner can get back in.

• Use the platform’s password reset with the email address on the account.
• Was that email on an old domain? Recreating a mailbox with the same address can let the reset email reach you.
• Sign out of your other accounts first on that platform, so the reset doesn’t loop back to your current login.
• Watch out for fake support numbers. Some platforms have no phone support. Phone numbers in search results for them can belong to scammers.

Rather Have Us Help?

You’ll need to get into the old account to delete it. We’ll guide you through that on your Webmaster Retainer.

What Webmaster For Hire Recommends

• Never delete an old blog until your images are moved.
• Keep the login for every account you open, even ones you stop using.
• Use only the platform’s official help pages to recover an account.

:: Common Questions ::

Can I Just Hide the Old Posts Instead?

Yes. Switching posts to draft takes them off your site. On that client’s site, the old posts were already drafts, and Beth called it “a great decision.” See Should I Delete or Hide Outdated Pages and Blog Posts?

Can You Delete the Old Blog for Me?

Not without the login, and account recovery has to come from the owner. On our Webmaster Retainer, we’ll walk you through it.

Cleaning Up an Old Blog?

See our Webmaster Retainer, or request a consultation.