[wp-trac] [WordPress Trac] #64082: User deletion page freezes when user count is large due to dropdown user list

[WordPress Trac]

#64082: User deletion page freezes when user count is large due to dropdown user
list
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 Reporter:  topgsmir      |      Owner:  (none)
     Type:  defect (bug)  |     Status:  new
 Priority:  normal        |  Milestone:  Awaiting Review
Component:  General       |    Version:  6.8.3
 Severity:  normal        |   Keywords:
  Focuses:                |
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 When deleting a user from the admin panel (/wp-
 admin/users.php?action=delete), WordPress shows a dropdown list to
 reassign the user’s posts to another user.

 If the site has a large number of users (for example, more than 10,000),
 this dropdown is rendered using a <select> element that loads all users at
 once. This causes the browser to freeze or become unresponsive.

 Steps to reproduce:

 Create a WordPress site with many users (e.g., import 10,000+ users).

 Go to “Users → All Users”.

 Try deleting any user.

 On the deletion confirmation page, notice the “Attribute all content to”
 dropdown tries to load all users.

 The page becomes slow or freezes.

 Expected behavior:
 The user selection dropdown should use AJAX search or pagination to
 dynamically load users instead of loading all at once.

 Actual behavior:
 The dropdown renders all users in one go, causing performance issues and
 sometimes freezing the browser.

 Environment:

 PHP Version: 8.1+

 Browser: All major browsers affected

 Database: MySQL / MariaDB

 Possible Solution:
 Use an AJAX-powered user search field (like wp_dropdown_users()
 replacement) similar to the “Author” selection in post editing.

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Ticket URL: <https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/64082>
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