How to Undo ElvUI Auto-Configuration in WoW Classic

It sounds like you’ve run into a common situation after trying out ElvUI in Classic WoW. Clicking through those initial setup prompts can indeed change your settings in ways that persist even after you uninstall the addon. Let’s walk through how to revert those changes and get your UI back to its default Classic state.

Understanding the Issue

When you went through the ElvUI setup, it modified your game’s configuration variables (CVars) and chat settings. Simply deleting the addon files doesn’t undo these changes because they are stored separately in your World of Warcraft settings folders. This is why you’re still seeing class colors in chat and other UI modifications.

Steps to Revert ElvUI Auto-Configuration

Here’s how you can effectively undo the ElvUI auto-configuration and get back to your default UI settings:

1. Using ElvUI Profile Reset (If Possible):

   If you still have ElvUI installed, or if you are willing to reinstall it temporarily, this might be the quickest method. ElvUI often includes profile management options. Look for a “Reset Profile” or “Default Profile” button within the ElvUI settings panel. This might revert some of the auto-configuration changes. However, this is not always foolproof for completely undoing everything.

2. Manually Deleting ElvUI’s Saved Variables:

   This is the most reliable way to ensure all traces of ElvUI’s configuration are removed. You’ll need to delete the ElvUI saved variables files from your WTF folder. Here’s how:

   • Close World of Warcraft completely.
   • Navigate to your World of Warcraft Classic folder. The path is usually something like World of Warcraft_classic_era_retail_.
   • Open the WTF folder.
   • Inside WTF, go to Account > YOURACCOUNTNAME > SavedVariables. (Replace “YOURACCOUNTNAME” with your actual account name. If you only have one account, it will be the only folder there).
   • Look for files named ElvUI.lua and ElvUI.lua.bak.
   • Delete these two files. Deleting these files will remove ElvUI’s saved settings, including the auto-configuration changes.

3. Resetting Chat Settings to Default:

   Even after deleting the saved variables, you might need to manually reset your chat settings in-game to ensure everything is back to normal:

   • Launch World of Warcraft Classic.
   • Open the game menu (Esc key) and go to Interface.
   • Click on “Social” or “Chat” in the left-hand menu.
   • Look for a “Defaults” button, usually at the bottom of the window, and click it.
   • Click “Okay” to confirm. This should reset your chat frames to their default positions and remove any ElvUI-introduced settings like class colors.

Verifying the Changes

After performing these steps, log back into your character and check if the changes have been reverted:

• Chat Frames: Are the chat frames back in their original positions and sizes? Are class colors removed from chat?
• Player Frame: Is your player frame back to the default Blizzard style?
• Loot Frame: Has the extra “Loot” chat frame disappeared?

If you are still seeing issues, you may need to repeat the steps or restart your game client to ensure the changes fully take effect. In most cases, deleting the saved variables and resetting chat defaults will resolve the problem.

By following these steps, you should be able to successfully undo the ElvUI auto-configuration and restore your World of Warcraft Classic UI to its original, default settings. This should help you get back to playing without unwanted UI changes.