Installation failed: Destination folder already exists : WordPress being the most popular CMS or Content Management System out there often end up throwing some meaningful errors which in turn makes the developer find the cause and troubleshoot the error. There are a lot of common errors when working with WordPress, one of them being Installation failed: Destination folder already exists error which generally appears when you are trying to install a new plugin or theme on your WordPress website.

Now, it looks like that you are also facing the same error on your WordPress website and are looking for a fix. Well, don’t you worry since you won’t have to spend hours troubleshooting the error since we have already done the task of finding possible causes of this error and their fixes. Today, in this post, we would be covering a few methods using which you can fix this annoying Installation failed: Destination folder already exists error. But before we do, let us actually take a quick look at what does this error mean. Should we?
What is Installation failed: Destination folder already exists error?
Installation Failed: Destination Folder already exists is a very common yet easy to understand error. As you can already guess by it’s name, this error, this error occurs when the plugin or theme folder already exists on your website and you are trying to reupload the zip for the same theme or plugin again.
Destination folder already exist If you do not find the plugin or theme in your WordPress dashboard, then there can be chances that the request got timed out while you tried uploading and installing the theme or plugin. Whatever the case might be. We are here to help you out with the error. Now if that sounds interesting, let us now take a look at How to fix or How to get rid of Installation failed: Destination folder already exists error on your WordPress website. Should we?
How to fix Installation failed: Destination folder already exists error?
For those of you who don’t like reading long texts or going through all the steps, let us tell you in short how you can fix this error. Okay, so in order to fix it, you simply need to remove the plugin or theme folder from your WordPress Installation Directory and reinstall the same afterwards.
Now, for everyone else, let us take a look at the First method with Step by Step guide on How to fix Installation failed: Destination folder already exist error on Shared Hosting. Should we?
Method 1: Using cPanel (Shared Hosting)
Here are the steps which you need to follow in order to fix Installation failed: Destination folder already exists error using cPanel on Shared Web Hosting.
Step 1: Login to cPanel

The first step is to login to your cPanel. You can do so by logging into your shared web hosting account and clicking on Log In to cPanel button there.
Step 2: Go to your File Manager

The next step is to find and click on the File Manager Option from your cPanel.
Step 3: Delete the Plugin/ Theme Folder

In this step, we will delete the plugin/ theme folder for which we are getting Installation failed: Destination folder already exists error.
You need to go to:
public_html > wp-content > plugins (for plugin)
public_html > wp-content > themes (for theme)
And finally find the plugin/theme folder which was throwing error and delete the same.
Step 4: Reinstall the Plugin/ Theme
Once you have deleted the plugin/ theme folder, simply go back to your WordPress website and try installing it again. It should work this time.
The Installation failed: Destination folder already exists error should no longer persists. Let us now take a look at our next method to fix the error using FTP (VPS).
Method 2: Using FTP (VPS)
Here are the steps which you need to follow in order to fix Installation failed: Destination folder already exists error using FTP Client on VPS Hosting.
Step 1: Open any FTP Client Software
The first step is to open any FTP Client on your PC. If you don’t have a FTP Client installed, then we would recommend you check out FileZilla
Step 2: Connect FTP to your VPS
The next step is to connect your FTP Client to VPS Provider using SSH Credentials.
Step 3: Delete the Plugin/ Theme Folder

In this step, we will delete the plugin/ theme folder for which we are getting Installation failed: Destination folder already exists error.
You need to go to:
public_html > wp-content > plugins (for plugin)
public_html > wp-content > themes (for theme)
And finally find the plugin/theme folder which was throwing error and delete the same.
Step 4: Reinstall the Plugin/ Theme
Once you have deleted the plugin/ theme folder, simply go back to your WordPress website and try installing it again. It should work this time.
The Installation failed: Destination folder already exists error should no longer persists.
But I am not familiar with SSH, can you guys do it for me?
Are you someone who is not familiar with SSH Terminal or are afraid of messing things when trying doing things on your own? Well, if that is the case, then we can help you out with the same. Feel free to reach out to us.
To conclude, this post shares how you could fix Installation failed: Destination folder already exists error. That’s it for this tutorial, let us know if you have any questions or issues regarding the same. We would love to help you out.