DELETE (or hide) a site that was created by someone else
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Years ago (in 2009) I was a teacher. For a course I taught an online portfolio was required. A student on my course created a site under my domain (a feasibility test).
I have long since lost contact with that student and the University where the course was taught has long since closed down. The site in question is not used and has not been used since 2009.
How can I remove his portfolio site from my domain? Failing that is there any way I can simply hide it from view?
Thanks for any guidance.
The blog I need help with is: (visible only to logged in users)
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Hi there,
Thank you for reaching out. I understand you’re trying to remove an old portfolio site created by a student under your domain back in 2009.
Since you’re unable to log in to the site to remove it because it was not created by you, you can request that we set the site to private. This will prevent search engines and the public from accessing it.
In fact, I checked and the site in question is already set to Private, which means it is no longer publicly visible to anyone who isn’t invited to view it—so it’s already hidden from the public.
If the site still appears in Google search results, it may take some time for it to drop out of the index. You can also request removal directly through Google’s removal request tool.
Please let me know if you have further questions.
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Hi Adusman402. Thanks for your reply and getting back to me so quickly. That’s helpful. I did not realise that ‘private’ blocks search engines from seeing a site.
However, and ideally, I would really like to delete the site. It is no longer in use, no longer current, and at the time it was created it was simply a proof of concept for teaching purposes. The owner (a student on a course taught) is long gone as I explained.
The site is not in the way or consuming much space. It’s just untidy to have an obsolete site stuck in my workspace.
If you can help me further I would be glad of advice.
Tdeletehanks again.
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Hello @dlongm01
Thanks for following up and providing more context.
We understand you’d like to delete the site, which is reasonable since it’s tied to an old teaching project that’s no longer in use.
Since the site was created by someone else, only the original owner can delete it. However, if you believe you have a valid claim you can start an ownership verification through our Account Recovery process:
Account Recovery – WordPress.com Support
To move forward, you’ll need to provide some form of proof of ownership. This might include a receipt, transaction ID, activation URL or key, or two-factor authentication codes. Without some of these, we won’t be able to grant access to the account or delete the site.
As previously mentioned, the site is already set to Private, meaning it’s hidden from both public view and search engines. If ownership can’t be verified through the recovery process, the site will remain private and inaccessible to others—essentially invisible online.
I hope this helps clarify the situation. Let me know if you have any questions!
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Thanks. I’ll give that try. I am not sure what proof of ownership I can provide aside from he mere fact I am the registered account holder, an account of some years standing. Anyway, thanks for your help and I’ll follow up via the link you sent.
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Hi there,
Thanks for the update.
Currently, your WordPress.com role in that site is listed as a Contributor, which allows you to write and manage your own posts but not manage site settings, users, or ownership details. You can read more about user roles and their permissions here:
🔗 User RolesIf you don’t have access to the WordPress.com account that owns the site (i.e., the Administrator or Owner role), and you’re unable to log into that account, the best next step is to complete our Account Recovery Form:
👉 Account Recovery FormPlease provide as much detail as possible — such as transaction IDs, activation links, past invoices, or anything else that can help verify ownership. This helps us securely confirm your connection to the account.
In cases where it’s not possible to verify identity, we’re unable to grant access for security reasons:
🔗 Account Recovery GuidelinesLet me know if you have any questions as you go through that process!
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