How to Disable WordPress RSS Feeds: A Step-by-Step Guide

WordPress comes with built-in RSS feeds to allow users and applications to subscribe to your site’s content. While useful in many cases, there are times you might want to disable these feeds—whether to prevent content scraping, simplify your site, or reduce resource usage.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to disable WordPress RSS feeds using simple code methods. We’ll also explain how to redirect feed URLs to your homepage if you'd prefer that approach.

Option 1: Redirect RSS Feeds to the Homepage

If you prefer to redirect feed requests instead of displaying an error message, you can use a simple code snippet to achieve this. This approach ensures users are sent to your homepage when they try to access any RSS feed URL.

Steps to Redirect RSS Feeds

1. Edit the functions.php File

   • Just as in Option 1, access your theme’s functions.php file via Appearance > Theme File Editor.

2. Insert the Following Code Add this code to the file:

   // Redirect RSS feeds to the homepage
   function redirect_rss_to_home() {
       if (is_feed()) {
           wp_redirect(home_url());
           exit;
       }
   }
   add_action('template_redirect', 'redirect_rss_to_home');
   

   • This snippet checks if the current request is for a feed and redirects the user to your site’s homepage.

3. Save the Changes

   • Click Update File to save the new code.

4. Verify the Redirect

   • Visit a feed URL like https://yourdomain.com/feed/ or https://yourdomain.com/comments/feed/. You should be redirected to the homepage.

Why Redirect Instead of Disable?

• Redirecting RSS feed URLs provides a smoother user experience.
• Ensures that visitors aren’t left with an error message and can still explore your site.

Option 2: Disable WordPress RSS Feeds with Code

The most direct way to disable RSS feeds in WordPress is by adding a custom function to your theme's functions.php file. This method blocks access to all RSS feed URLs, including post feeds, comment feeds, and feed variations like RSS2 and Atom.

Steps to Disable RSS Feeds

1. Access the Theme’s functions.php File

   • Log in to your WordPress admin dashboard.
   • Navigate to Appearance > Theme File Editor.
   • Select the functions.php file of your active theme.

2. Add the Following Code Copy and paste this code into the functions.php file:

   // Disable all RSS feeds
   function disable_rss_feeds() {
       wp_die(__('RSS feeds are disabled. Please visit the website directly.', 'textdomain'));
   }
   
   // Disable default feeds
   add_action('do_feed', 'disable_rss_feeds', 1);
   add_action('do_feed_rdf', 'disable_rss_feeds', 1);
   add_action('do_feed_rss', 'disable_rss_feeds', 1);
   add_action('do_feed_rss2', 'disable_rss_feeds', 1);
   add_action('do_feed_atom', 'disable_rss_feeds', 1);
   
   // Disable comment feeds
   add_action('do_feed_rss2_comments', 'disable_rss_feeds', 1);
   add_action('do_feed_atom_comments', 'disable_rss_feeds', 1);
   

   • This function disables all RSS feeds by displaying an error message to visitors who try to access them. You can customize the message to better fit your website.

3. Test the Results

   • Visit any of your feed URLs, such as https://yourdomain.com/feed/ or https://yourdomain.com/comments/feed/. You should see the error message you defined in the code.