Uninstalling

If you're done with TNC FlipBook 3D or need to remove it temporarily, here's the safe way to do it — including how to back up your data first, how to control what gets deleted, and how to come back later if you change your mind.

Before you uninstall — back up first

Plugin uninstallation can be destructive. Take these steps first:

1. Export your FlipBooks as JSON via FlipBooks → Toolkit → Export → Select all → Export. Store the JSON somewhere safe. See Export and Import.
2. Deactivate your license under FlipBooks → License → Deactivate License. This frees the license slot so you can use it elsewhere.
3. Note your settings if you want to recreate them later. Take screenshots of your Settings tabs.

Two paths: Deactivate vs. Uninstall

Deactivate

Turns the plugin off without removing it.

1. Plugins → Installed Plugins.
2. Find TNC FlipBook 3D.
3. Click Deactivate.

Result:

• FlipBook pages stop rendering. Visitors hitting FlipBook URLs see a 404 or blank page (depending on theme).
• Embedded FlipBooks (via blocks/shortcodes) show as broken or fall back to plain text.
• All FlipBook data stays intact — posts, settings, attachments — in the database.

Use Deactivate when:

• You're troubleshooting and want to rule out a plugin conflict.
• You're temporarily disabling FlipBooks but plan to come back.
• You want to switch to a different FlipBook plugin and migrate later.

Uninstall

Removes the plugin code from your site.

1. Deactivate first (above).
2. Click Delete on the Plugins page.
3. Confirm.

What happens depends on the Delete all data on uninstall setting (see below):

• Setting off (default) — Plugin code is removed but FlipBook data stays in the database. You can reinstall and resume.
• Setting on — Plugin code is removed AND all FlipBook data is deleted. Posts, settings, attachments all gone.

The "Delete all data on uninstall" setting

This setting lives under FlipBooks → Settings → Advanced → Danger Zone.

Default: Off.

• When off: uninstalling preserves all FlipBook data. Reinstalling the plugin restores everything.
• When on: uninstalling deletes all FlipBook data — posts, settings, attachments. Cannot be undone.

Why this exists: GDPR and data hygiene. Some sites need a way to fully purge the plugin's data on removal.

Important: turning this on does NOT delete data immediately. It only affects what happens on uninstall.

Step-by-step: Safe uninstall (keep data)

If you want to remove the plugin but might come back:

1. Export your FlipBooks as a JSON backup.
2. Deactivate your license under FlipBooks → License.
3. Leave Delete all data on uninstall off (it's off by default).
4. Go to Plugins → Installed Plugins.
5. Find TNC FlipBook 3D.
6. Click Deactivate.
7. Click Delete.
8. Confirm.

Plugin code is removed. FlipBook posts and settings stay in the database. Reinstalling the plugin (now or later) restores everything.

Step-by-step: Full uninstall (delete everything)

If you're done with the plugin permanently:

1. Export your FlipBooks as a JSON backup (just in case).
2. Deactivate your license to free the slot.
3. Go to FlipBooks → Settings → Advanced → Danger Zone.
4. Turn on Delete all data on uninstall.
5. Confirm the warning prompt.
6. Click Save Changes.
7. Go to Plugins → Installed Plugins.
8. Find TNC FlipBook 3D.
9. Click Deactivate.
10. Click Delete.
11. Confirm.

Everything is gone — code, data, and attached media.

What "data" actually means

When "Delete all data on uninstall" is on, these are removed:

• FlipBook posts in wp_posts (post type flipbook).
• Post meta for FlipBooks in wp_postmeta.
• Plugin options in wp_options (the global settings).
• URL redirects in wp_options.
• Transients in wp_options (caches).
• Generated audio files in wp-content/uploads/tncfb3d-tts/ (Read Aloud audio).
• Plugin REST endpoints become inactive.

What is NOT deleted (even with the toggle on):

• PDFs and images uploaded to the WordPress media library. They stay in wp-content/uploads/. Delete those separately if you want them removed.
• WordPress posts that contained FlipBook blocks/shortcodes. The blocks/shortcodes become orphan text on those posts; remove them manually.
• License key data stored on tncflipbook.com (handled when you deactivate the license — but the row may persist).

Removing addons

Addons (Stamper, Lead Capture, Monetize, etc.) are separate plugins. To remove an addon:

1. Confirm the addon is no longer being used by any FlipBook.
2. Deactivate the addon.
3. Delete the addon.

Addons typically don't have "Delete all data on uninstall" toggles because they store relatively little data.

Exception: the Analytics Addon stores tracking data in its own database tables. If you want a clean uninstall of Analytics, check that addon's Settings tab for a similar "delete data" toggle.

Reinstalling after uninstall

If you removed the plugin but didn't delete data, you can come back:

1. Reinstall TNC FlipBook 3D (Installation and Activation).
2. Activate your license.
3. Your FlipBooks reappear under FlipBooks → All FlipBooks.
4. Your settings are preserved.
5. Embedded FlipBooks (blocks/shortcodes) start working again.

If you deleted data, you can:

1. Reinstall the plugin.
2. Activate the license.
3. Import your JSON backup (FlipBooks → Toolkit → Import).
4. Your FlipBooks come back. Settings need to be re-configured.

Moving to a different plugin

If you're switching to a different FlipBook plugin:

1. Export your FlipBooks as JSON (as a backup).
2. Install the new plugin.
3. Manually recreate your FlipBooks there.
4. Once happy, deactivate TNC FlipBook 3D.
5. Test that the new plugin works for everything.
6. Uninstall TNC FlipBook 3D (with or without data deletion, your choice).

You can also leave TNC FlipBook 3D deactivated for a while as a fallback — disk space is the only cost.

After uninstall — what to clean up manually

Even after uninstall (with data delete on), some things linger:

• Pages with FlipBook blocks/shortcodes — these become orphan content. Edit each page and remove the leftover block/shortcode markup.
• PDFs and images in the media library — delete manually if no longer needed.
• URL redirects — if you set up Apache/Nginx redirects to old FlipBook URLs, remove them from your server config.

Troubleshooting

"Delete all data on uninstall" toggle doesn't appear. The toggle is under FlipBooks → Settings → Advanced → Danger Zone. If you can't see it, you may have an older version. Update to the latest plugin version.

Uninstalled but FlipBook URLs still show old pages.

• Clear your WordPress cache (page cache, server cache, CDN).
• Confirm the plugin is fully deleted (not just deactivated).
• The URL redirects may still be in play — check wp_options for tncfb3d_migration_redirects.

Reinstalled but FlipBooks are missing.

• If you turned on "Delete all data on uninstall" before uninstalling, the data is gone. Import from a JSON backup.
• If you didn't turn it on, the data should be there. Refresh the All FlipBooks page; if still missing, your database may have been cleared separately.

Can't delete the plugin — "directory not empty" error. Some hosts lock plugin directories. Delete via SFTP: remove wp-content/plugins/tnc-flipbook-3d/ manually.

Next steps

• Export and Import — back up before uninstalling
• License and Updates — deactivate your license before removing the plugin
• Migrating from Other Plugins — moving to TNC FlipBook 3D from another plugin