diff --git a/src/wp-admin/includes/ajax-actions.php b/src/wp-admin/includes/ajax-actions.php
index c51751940a976..d2063a74a4a1e 100644
--- a/src/wp-admin/includes/ajax-actions.php
+++ b/src/wp-admin/includes/ajax-actions.php
@@ -2510,19 +2510,8 @@ function wp_ajax_delete_inactive_widgets() {
 	/** This action is documented in wp-admin/widgets-form.php */
 	do_action( 'sidebar_admin_setup' );
 
-	$sidebars_widgets = wp_get_sidebars_widgets();
-
-	foreach ( $sidebars_widgets['wp_inactive_widgets'] as $key => $widget_id ) {
-		$pieces       = explode( '-', $widget_id );
-		$multi_number = array_pop( $pieces );
-		$id_base      = implode( '-', $pieces );
-		$widget       = get_option( 'widget_' . $id_base );
-		unset( $widget[ $multi_number ] );
-		update_option( 'widget_' . $id_base, $widget );
-		unset( $sidebars_widgets['wp_inactive_widgets'][ $key ] );
-	}
-
-	wp_set_sidebars_widgets( $sidebars_widgets );
+	require_once ABSPATH . 'wp-admin/includes/widgets.php';
+	wp_delete_inactive_widgets();
 
 	wp_die();
 }
diff --git a/src/wp-admin/includes/widgets.php b/src/wp-admin/includes/widgets.php
index e751602866b0d..d9b9756fa2655 100644
--- a/src/wp-admin/includes/widgets.php
+++ b/src/wp-admin/includes/widgets.php
@@ -326,3 +326,32 @@ function wp_widget_control( $sidebar_args ) {
 function wp_widgets_access_body_class( $classes ) {
 	return "$classes widgets_access ";
 }
+
+/**
+ * Removes all widgets from the inactive widgets sidebar and their corresponding settings.
+ *
+ * @since 7.2.0
+ */
+function wp_delete_inactive_widgets(): void {
+	$sidebars_widgets = wp_get_sidebars_widgets();
+
+	$inactive_widgets = $sidebars_widgets['wp_inactive_widgets'] ?? array();
+	if ( ! is_array( $inactive_widgets ) || 0 === count( $inactive_widgets ) ) {
+		return;
+	}
+
+	foreach ( $inactive_widgets as $widget_id ) {
+		$pieces       = explode( '-', $widget_id );
+		$multi_number = array_pop( $pieces );
+		$id_base      = implode( '-', $pieces );
+		$widget       = get_option( 'widget_' . $id_base );
+
+		if ( is_array( $widget ) ) {
+			unset( $widget[ $multi_number ] );
+			update_option( 'widget_' . $id_base, $widget );
+		}
+	}
+
+	$sidebars_widgets['wp_inactive_widgets'] = array();
+	wp_set_sidebars_widgets( $sidebars_widgets );
+}
diff --git a/src/wp-admin/widgets-form.php b/src/wp-admin/widgets-form.php
index e47905c5d0099..1cf13aba5e508 100644
--- a/src/wp-admin/widgets-form.php
+++ b/src/wp-admin/widgets-form.php
@@ -206,17 +206,7 @@
 	check_admin_referer( 'remove-inactive-widgets', '_wpnonce_remove_inactive_widgets' );
 
 	if ( $_POST['removeinactivewidgets'] ) {
-		foreach ( $sidebars_widgets['wp_inactive_widgets'] as $key => $widget_id ) {
-			$pieces       = explode( '-', $widget_id );
-			$multi_number = array_pop( $pieces );
-			$id_base      = implode( '-', $pieces );
-			$widget       = get_option( 'widget_' . $id_base );
-			unset( $widget[ $multi_number ] );
-			update_option( 'widget_' . $id_base, $widget );
-			unset( $sidebars_widgets['wp_inactive_widgets'][ $key ] );
-		}
-
-		wp_set_sidebars_widgets( $sidebars_widgets );
+		wp_delete_inactive_widgets();
 	}
 
 	wp_redirect( admin_url( 'widgets.php?message=0' ) );
diff --git a/tests/phpunit/tests/widgets/wpDeleteInactiveWidgets.php b/tests/phpunit/tests/widgets/wpDeleteInactiveWidgets.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..31e8e5e481282
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/phpunit/tests/widgets/wpDeleteInactiveWidgets.php
@@ -0,0 +1,80 @@
+<?php
+
+/**
+ * Test wp_delete_inactive_widgets().
+ *
+ * @group widgets
+ * @covers ::wp_delete_inactive_widgets
+ */
+class Tests_Widgets_WpDeleteInactiveWidgets extends WP_UnitTestCase {
+	public function set_up() {
+		parent::set_up();
+		require_once ABSPATH . 'wp-admin/includes/widgets.php';
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Tests that wp_delete_inactive_widgets() does nothing when there are no inactive widgets.
+	 */
+	public function test_wp_delete_inactive_widgets_empty() {
+		$sidebars_widgets                        = wp_get_sidebars_widgets();
+		$sidebars_widgets['wp_inactive_widgets'] = array();
+		wp_set_sidebars_widgets( $sidebars_widgets );
+
+		wp_delete_inactive_widgets();
+
+		$this->assertEmpty( wp_get_sidebars_widgets()['wp_inactive_widgets'] );
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Tests that wp_delete_inactive_widgets() removes inactive widgets and their settings.
+	 */
+	public function test_wp_delete_inactive_widgets_removes_widgets() {
+		// Set up some inactive widgets.
+		$widget_id_1 = 'search-2';
+		$widget_id_2 = 'text-3';
+		$widget_id_3 = 'no-option-4';
+
+		update_option(
+			'widget_search',
+			array(
+				2              => array(
+					'title' => 'Search',
+				),
+				3              => array(
+					'title' => 'Active Search',
+				),
+				'_multiwidget' => 1,
+			)
+		);
+		update_option(
+			'widget_text',
+			array(
+				3              => array(
+					'text' => 'Some text',
+				),
+				'_multiwidget' => 1,
+			)
+		);
+
+		$sidebars_widgets                        = wp_get_sidebars_widgets();
+		$sidebars_widgets['wp_inactive_widgets'] = array( $widget_id_1, $widget_id_2, $widget_id_3 );
+		$sidebars_widgets['sidebar-1']           = array( 'search-3' );
+		wp_set_sidebars_widgets( $sidebars_widgets );
+
+		// Run the function.
+		wp_delete_inactive_widgets();
+
+		$updated_sidebars = wp_get_sidebars_widgets();
+		$this->assertEmpty( $updated_sidebars['wp_inactive_widgets'], 'Inactive widgets sidebar should be empty.' );
+		$this->assertContains( 'search-3', $updated_sidebars['sidebar-1'], 'Active widgets should remain.' );
+
+		$search_option = get_option( 'widget_search' );
+		$this->assertArrayNotHasKey( 2, $search_option, 'Inactive search widget setting should be removed.' );
+		$this->assertArrayHasKey( 3, $search_option, 'Active search widget setting should remain.' );
+
+		$text_option = get_option( 'widget_text' );
+		$this->assertArrayNotHasKey( 3, $text_option, 'Inactive text widget setting should be removed.' );
+
+		$this->assertFalse( get_option( 'widget_no-option' ), 'A missing widget option should not be created.' );
+	}
+}