How can I or shall I delete all translation strings in the backend?

This thread is resolved. Here is a description of the problem and solution.

Problem:

The client is developing a site and needs translations only on the frontend. They are looking to improve site speed by deleting unnecessary backend translation strings in WPML.

Solution:

If you're experiencing similar issues, we recommend following these steps to delete unnecessary strings to potentially improve your site's speed:

1. Ensure you have a full site backup before making changes.
2. Navigate to WPML → String Translation.
3. Scroll down to the 'Remove strings by domain' section.
4. Click 'Remove strings'.
5. Select the domains you want to delete and click 'Remove'.

This process will remove all untranslated strings in the selected domains, and they will no longer appear on the String Translation screen.

For more details, refer to our documentation here: https://wpml.org/documentation/getting-started-guide/string-translation/#how-to-delete-a-string

Please note that this solution might be outdated or not applicable to your specific case. We highly recommend checking related known issues at https://wpml.org/known-issues/, verifying the version of the permanent fix, and confirming that you have installed the latest versions of themes and plugins. If the issue persists, please open a new support ticket at https://wpml.org/forums/forum/english-support/.

This is the technical support forum for WPML - the multilingual WordPress plugin.

Everyone can read, but only WPML clients can post here. WPML team is replying on the forum 6 days per week, 22 hours per day.

Tagged: Performance

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Last updated by Bigul 1 week, 5 days ago.

Assisted by: Bigul.

Author	Posts
January 9, 2025 at 9:40 am #16576863
ericH-23	Background of the issue: I am developing a site and I need only translations in the frontend. I read that I could improve site speed by deleting unnecessary translation strings for the backend in WPML. I read this: hidden link 2. Delete unnecessary strings If you haven’t already figured out, string translation is the #1 reason for slow WPML sites. If your WPML is slow, there’s a good chance you have thousands of strings. I’ve seen sites with as many as 25,000 strings when they only needed 100!!! Go through them and delete them! You can even filter the strings by plugin/theme, etc. The only strings you need are the ones showing text on the front-end THAT you intend to translate. Everything else, JUST DELETE! All the admin screen text, delete that (unless you intend to have multi-lingual admins). All the internal php string text names that only show in the code, delete that. Delete delete delete. Your WPML site may start to run pretty fast once you get down to 500 strings. Don’t BE LAZY. Keep deleting. Scrutinize every string until you get under 100. By then, you may be shocked to find your site runs just as fast as when it was brand new. Symptoms: No specific issue or error message mentioned. Questions: How can I delete all translation strings for the backend? Can you recommend a way to delete unnecessary strings to improve site speed?
January 9, 2025 at 7:22 pm #16579555
Bigul Supporter Languages: English (English ) Timezone: Europe/Vienna (GMT+01:00)	Hi Eric, Welcome to the WPML support forum. I will do my best to help you to resolve the issue. There are limitations to achieving the following. Becuase there is no exact WPML feature for it. The only strings you need are the ones showing text on the front-end THAT you intend to translate. Everything else, JUST DELETE! But we can remove unused strings by domain. To remove unused strings by domain from WPML>>String Translation please do the following steps after a full site backup. - Go to WPML → String Translation. - Scroll down to the Remove strings by domain section. - Click Remove strings. - Choose the domains you want to delete. - Click Remove. This will remove all untranslated strings in the selected domains. They will no longer appear on the String Translation screen. Refer to this documentation for more details - https://wpml.org/documentation/getting-started-guide/string-translation/#how-to-delete-a-string -- Thanks! Bigul