What is the Hello Dolly WordPress Plugin? Should You Remove It?

Hello Dolly is among the most popular installed, yet the most useless WordPress plugins in the entire WordPress repository. 

New WordPress users might have noticed this plugin, after setting up their WordPress software. That is because Hello Dolly comes pre-installed and bundled with the WordPress CMS. 

So, What Is Hello Dolly the Plugin? The History Behind It? 

The brainchild of WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg, Hello Dolly, was released back in May of 2004. Since then, Hello Dolly has been included in every version of WordPress.

This plugin features the famous lyrics of the song “Hello Dolly”, performed by the legendary trumpeter & vocalist Louis Armstrong.

The plugin’s WordPress repository page describes the plugin as quote:

This is not just a plugin, it symbolizes the hope and enthusiasm of an entire generation summed up in two words sung most famously by Louis Armstrong: Hello, Dolly. 

To us, this is very poetic and uplifting, but in practical use, Hello Dolly the plugin has no use in WordPress. It’s just a fun Easter egg. 

According to information from WordPress.org, Hello Dolly has been averaging over 800,000 active installation counts as it keeps getting into new WordPress installations and users keep removing it. 

Some may even consider Hello Dolly as a demo plugin that showcases that their WordPress installation/hosting is working properly with this simple plugin. 

Is It Possible to Remove the Hello Dolly Plugin?

Yes, absolutely. It is your WordPress account and you can remove Hello Dolly like any other WordPress plugin. But the question should really be, should you? Does Hello Dolly cause any harm to your WordPress website? 

Users often leave out unused installed themes and plugins. In our experience, hackers may try to hide malicious codes and programming in older WordPress themes and plugins that don’t get much attention nor security updates.

Just to be on the safe side of things and to follow best WordPress optimization practices, we always suggest users remove any unused, unnecessary themes & plugins from their WordPress account. 

And not just the security concerns. Users should take unused, unnecessary themes & plugins as an extra burden on their websites’ performance. 

Although most themes and plugins don’t weigh that much. But time will surely take its toll as more and more unused, unnecessary themes & plugins get accumulated. 

To Wrap It Up

In the end, we think that Hello Dolly is a neat piece of WordPress history and a fun Easter egg to have. But it doesn’t hold any practical value. 

We think it is best for all WordPress users to enjoy Hello Dolly for a bit and then uninstall it as soon as possible. And not just Hello Dolly. 

We recommend WordPress users do the same for all unused, unnecessary themes and plugins.

We thank you for taking the time to read about this fun plugin, and we’d love to hear your thoughts on it. Please feel free to reach out in the comment section.