How to fix "Are you sure want to do this" in WordPress ?

Are you sure you want to do this

There are many reasons why the “Are you sure you want to do this?” warning is displayed on your site.

That's why the issue can occur when trying to do very different tasks like :

Uploading a theme or plugin
Publishing posts or pages
Creating tags or categories
Inserting an image into a page or a post
Customizing a theme
Updating WordPress core or plugins and themes
...any other administrator tasks

This documentation reviews the most common scenarios and fixes for this problem.

Before trying any other solution, I recommend to clear your web browser's cache and cookies.

1 - You are trying to upload a theme or plugin with an incorrect file format

You are trying to upload other than ZIP Compressed version ( what is a .zip file ? ). Other compression formats are not supported while uploading a theme or a plugin in wordpress. When installing any plugin or theme in WordPress, the file should be uploaded as .zip file. We have published a detailed documentation about this issue here.

Note for Apple device users : If you are using an ios device like a Mac, you might need to change your preferences in Safari to stop unzipping the file automatically. More about this here : http://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/961/how-to-stop-safari-from-unzipping-files-after-download

2 - Problem with Php memory limit or upload max size

The problem may also occur when either the max post size, max upload size or PHP memory limit defined for WordPress has been exceeded.

This is a very common problem when working with WordPress. You can either fix it by yourself if you have intermediate server skills, or ask your hosting company to do it for you. We have published a complete documentation about it here : How to fix maximum upload and php memory limit issues in WordPress ?

3 - Plugins or theme problem : deactivate all plugins and revert to a default theme

If the previous solutions did not fix the problem, try to deactivate all your plugins from your WordPress dasboard, and revert to a default WordPress theme like Twenty xxx .

Then reactivate your plugins one by one until the error messages shows up again. This way you'll be able to identify which plugin is responsible for the problem.

Note : If you don't have acces to your WordPress admin dashboard, you might need to remove your plugins by using an FTP client.

4 - Generate a new set of security keys

You can generate a new set of security keys using the WordPress Security Key Generator. Copy the entire output and paste it in your wp-config.php file.

Going further : Guide to making your WordPress website more secure ( source : wordpress.org )

Going further / useful resources

Other examples of real user cases for "Are you sure you want to do this?" ( source : WordPress.org )
What causes the “Are you sure you want to do this?” error with plugins? ( source : stackexchange.com )