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How to clean up WordPress header (remove RSS, emojis, shortlinks) is an essential aspect of WordPress website management that helps improve site performance, security, and user experience.

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How to clean up WordPress header (remove RSS, emojis, shortlinks) involves configuring various settings and implementing best practices to optimize your WordPress website.

Why is How to clean up WordPress header (remove RSS, emojis, shortlinks) important for WordPress?

How to clean up WordPress header (remove RSS, emojis, shortlinks) is crucial because it directly impacts your website's search engine rankings, loading speed, and overall success.

Optimize wp_head(): Remove Unnecessary PHP Code | optimization

Open your site’s source code (Ctrl+U). Look at the <head> section. See dozens of lines you don’t understand? Most of them are useless in 2026.

The problem: WordPress head bloat

WordPress adds many elements to the <head> section by default. While some are useful, many are legacy code from 2010 that nobody uses anymore. This bloat:

Slows down your site (extra HTTP requests)
Wastes bandwidth (unnecessary scripts/styles)
Reveals information (WordPress version, server info)
Hurts SEO (cluttered HTML, slower page speed)

What’s in a typical WordPress head?

RSS feed links (posts, comments, categories)
Windows Live Writer manifest
Really Simple Discovery (RSD)
WordPress generator meta tag
Emoji detection scripts
Shortlink tags
Adjacent post links
And more…

Why clean up the head?

Performance benefits

Before cleanup:

15+ extra <link> and <script> tags
~50KB of unnecessary JavaScript/CSS
Multiple DNS lookups for external resources
Slower First Contentful Paint (FCP)

After cleanup:

Clean, minimal <head> section
Faster page load times
Better Core Web Vitals scores
Improved SEO rankings

Security benefits

Removing the WordPress generator tag prevents attackers from:

Identifying your WordPress version
Targeting known vulnerabilities
Profiling your site for attacks

Professional appearance

A clean <head> section:

Looks more professional to developers
Easier to debug and maintain
Better for code audits
Shows attention to detail

Complete head cleanup guide

1. Comment RSS feeds

WordPress generates a separate RSS feed for every post, category, tag, and… comments. Unless you run a news site where people subscribe to comment threads via RSS (who does that?), this is just wasting server resources.

// Remove comment feed links
add_filter( 'feed_links_show_comments_feed', '__return_false' );

// Remove all extra RSS feed links
remove_action( 'wp_head', 'feed_links', 2 );
remove_action( 'wp_head', 'feed_links_extra', 3 );

What this removes:

<link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="Comments Feed">
Comment-specific RSS feeds

2. Windows live writer (wlwmanifest)

When was the last time you used Windows Live Writer? 2010? WordPress still adds this header by default.

// Remove Windows Live Writer manifest
remove_action( 'wp_head', 'wlwmanifest_link' );

// Remove Really Simple Discovery (RSD)
remove_action( 'wp_head', 'rsd_link' );

What this removes:

<link rel="wlwmanifest" type="application/wlwmanifest+xml">
<link rel="EditURI" type="application/rsd+xml">

Why remove:

Windows Live Writer was discontinued in 2017
RSD is rarely used by modern clients
Saves HTTP requests

3. WordPress generator meta tag

Reveals your WordPress version to everyone (security risk).

// Remove WordPress version from head
remove_action( 'wp_head', 'wp_generator' );

// Also remove from RSS feeds
add_filter( 'the_generator', '__return_empty_string' );

What this removes:

<meta name="generator" content="WordPress 6.4.2">

Security benefit:

Attackers can’t identify your WordPress version
Prevents targeting known vulnerabilities

4. Wp emoji scripts

WordPress loads a JS script and CSS styles to convert :) characters into images. Modern browsers handle emojis natively. This script is just extra HTTP requests (bloat).

// Remove emoji detection script
remove_action( 'wp_head', 'print_emoji_detection_script', 7 );

// Remove emoji styles
remove_action( 'wp_print_styles', 'print_emoji_styles' );

// Remove emoji from admin
remove_action( 'admin_print_scripts', 'print_emoji_detection_script' );
remove_action( 'admin_print_styles', 'print_emoji_styles' );

// Remove emoji from emails
remove_filter( 'wp_mail', 'wp_staticize_emoji_for_email' );

// Remove emoji DNS prefetch
remove_filter( 'wp_resource_hints', 'wp_dependencies_emoji_styles', 10, 2 );

What this removes:

wp-emoji-release.min.js (~15KB)
wp-emoji-styles.css (~5KB)
Emoji DNS prefetch to s.w.org

Performance benefit:

Saves ~20KB per page load
Removes 2 HTTP requests
Faster page rendering

5. Shortlinks

WordPress generates shortlink tags for every post/page.

// Remove shortlink from head
remove_action( 'wp_head', 'wp_shortlink_wp_head', 10, 0 );

// Remove shortlink from header
remove_action( 'wp_head', 'wp_shortlink_wp_head', 10, 0 );

// Remove shortlink from HTTP headers
remove_action( 'template_redirect', 'wp_shortlink_header', 11, 0 );

What this removes:

<link rel="shortlink" href="https://yoursite.com/?p=123">

Why remove:

Rarely used feature
Adds unnecessary HTML

6. Adjacent post links

WordPress adds links to previous/next posts in the head.

// Remove adjacent post links
remove_action( 'wp_head', 'adjacent_posts_rel_link_wp_head', 10, 0 );

// Remove start post link
remove_action( 'wp_head', 'start_post_rel_link', 10, 0 );

// Remove index link
remove_action( 'wp_head', 'index_rel_link', 10, 0 );

// Remove parent post link
remove_action( 'wp_head', 'parent_post_rel_link', 10, 0 );

What this removes:

<link rel="prev" href="...">
<link rel="next" href="...">
<link rel="start" href="...">
<link rel="index" href="...">

Why remove:

Modern browsers don’t use these
Adds clutter to HTML
Minimal SEO benefit

7. REST API links

WordPress adds REST API discovery links.

// Remove REST API links from head
remove_action( 'wp_head', 'rest_output_link_wp_head', 10, 0 );
remove_action( 'wp_head', 'wp_oembed_add_discovery_links', 10, 1 );

// Remove REST API from HTTP headers
remove_action( 'template_redirect', 'rest_output_link_header', 11, 0 );

What this removes:

<link rel="https://api.w.org/" href="...">
<link rel="alternate" type="application/json+oembed">

Note: Only remove if you’re not using REST API or oEmbed.

8. DNS prefetch

WordPress prefetches DNS for external resources.

// Remove DNS prefetch
remove_action( 'wp_head', 'wp_resource_hints', 2 );

// Or selectively remove specific prefetches
add_filter( 'wp_resource_hints', function( $urls, $relation_type ) {
    if ( 'dns-prefetch' === $relation_type ) {
        // Remove specific domains
        $urls = array_filter( $urls, function( $url ) {
            return strpos( $url, 'fonts.googleapis.com' ) === false;
        } );
    }
    return $urls;
}, 10, 2 );

What this removes:

<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//fonts.googleapis.com">
Other DNS prefetch links

Why consider removing:

Modern browsers handle prefetching automatically
Can cause privacy concerns (prefetching external domains)

The complete “clean head” snippet

Put this comprehensive cleanup function in your functions.php:

/**
 * Clean up WordPress head section
 * Removes unnecessary links, scripts, and meta tags
 */
function wppoland_cleanup_head() {
    // Remove RSS feed links
    remove_action( 'wp_head', 'feed_links', 2 );
    remove_action( 'wp_head', 'feed_links_extra', 3 );
    add_filter( 'feed_links_show_comments_feed', '__return_false' );
    
    // Remove Windows Live Writer and RSD
    remove_action( 'wp_head', 'wlwmanifest_link' );
    remove_action( 'wp_head', 'rsd_link' );
    
    // Remove WordPress generator
    remove_action( 'wp_head', 'wp_generator' );
    add_filter( 'the_generator', '__return_empty_string' );
    
    // Remove emoji scripts and styles
    remove_action( 'wp_head', 'print_emoji_detection_script', 7 );
    remove_action( 'wp_print_styles', 'print_emoji_styles' );
    remove_action( 'admin_print_scripts', 'print_emoji_detection_script' );
    remove_action( 'admin_print_styles', 'print_emoji_styles' );
    remove_filter( 'wp_mail', 'wp_staticize_emoji_for_email' );
    remove_filter( 'wp_resource_hints', 'wp_dependencies_emoji_styles', 10, 2 );
    
    // Remove shortlinks
    remove_action( 'wp_head', 'wp_shortlink_wp_head', 10, 0 );
    remove_action( 'template_redirect', 'wp_shortlink_header', 11, 0 );
    
    // Remove adjacent post links
    remove_action( 'wp_head', 'adjacent_posts_rel_link_wp_head', 10, 0 );
    remove_action( 'wp_head', 'start_post_rel_link', 10, 0 );
    remove_action( 'wp_head', 'index_rel_link', 10, 0 );
    remove_action( 'wp_head', 'parent_post_rel_link', 10, 0 );
    
    // Remove REST API links (optional - only if not using REST API)
    // remove_action( 'wp_head', 'rest_output_link_wp_head', 10, 0 );
    // remove_action( 'wp_head', 'wp_oembed_add_discovery_links', 10, 1 );
    // remove_action( 'template_redirect', 'rest_output_link_header', 11, 0 );
    
    // Remove DNS prefetch (optional)
    // remove_action( 'wp_head', 'wp_resource_hints', 2 );
}
add_action( 'init', 'wppoland_cleanup_head' );

Advanced: Conditional cleanup

Only remove certain elements in specific contexts:

function wppoland_conditional_head_cleanup() {
    // Only remove emoji on frontend, keep in admin
    if ( ! is_admin() ) {
        remove_action( 'wp_head', 'print_emoji_detection_script', 7 );
        remove_action( 'wp_print_styles', 'print_emoji_styles' );
    }
    
    // Keep REST API links if using headless WordPress
    if ( ! defined( 'WP_HEADLESS' ) || ! WP_HEADLESS ) {
        remove_action( 'wp_head', 'rest_output_link_wp_head', 10, 0 );
    }
}
add_action( 'init', 'wppoland_conditional_head_cleanup' );

Testing your cleanup

Before/After comparison

Before cleanup:

<head>
    <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="Site Feed">
    <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="Comments Feed">
    <link rel="wlwmanifest" type="application/wlwmanifest+xml">
    <link rel="EditURI" type="application/rsd+xml">
    <meta name="generator" content="WordPress 6.4.2">
    <link rel="shortlink" href="https://site.com/?p=123">
    <link rel="prev" href="...">
    <link rel="next" href="...">
    <script src="wp-emoji-release.min.js"></script>
    <style>/* emoji styles */</style>
    <!-- ... many more lines ... -->
</head>

After cleanup:

<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
    <title>Your Page Title</title>
    <!-- Clean and minimal -->
</head>

Tools to verify

View Page Source (Ctrl+U): Check <head> section
Chrome DevTools: Network tab shows HTTP requests
PageSpeed Insights: See reduction in HTML size
GTmetrix: Compare before/after page weight

Performance impact

Typical improvements:

HTML size: -2KB to -5KB per page
HTTP requests: -3 to -8 requests per page
JavaScript: -15KB (emoji script)
CSS: -5KB (emoji styles)
Page load time: -50ms to -200ms

Real-world example:

Before: 45KB HTML, 12 HTTP requests in <head>
After: 40KB HTML, 4 HTTP requests in <head>
Improvement: 11% smaller HTML, 67% fewer requests

Security considerations

WordPress version hiding

Removing the generator tag is good, but:

Plugins still reveal version: Check plugin headers
Readme.html: Delete /wp-content/readme.html
Login page: Version shown in source (harder to hide)
REST API: May reveal version in responses

Complete version hiding:

// Remove from head (already done above)
remove_action( 'wp_head', 'wp_generator' );

// Remove from RSS
add_filter( 'the_generator', '__return_empty_string' );

// Remove from login page (advanced)
add_filter( 'login_headertext', function() {
    return get_bloginfo( 'name' );
} );

Best practices

1. Test before deploying

Always test cleanup on a staging site first. Some plugins/themes may depend on removed elements.

2. Keep what you need

Don’t remove REST API links if you’re using headless WordPress. Don’t remove RSS feeds if you have active subscribers.

3. Document your changes

Add comments explaining why you’re removing each element:

// Remove emoji scripts - modern browsers handle emojis natively
remove_action( 'wp_head', 'print_emoji_detection_script', 7 );

4. Use a plugin for non-Developers

For clients who aren’t developers, use a plugin like “Remove Header Junk” or “Clean Head” instead of code.

Troubleshooting

Problem: Site breaks after cleanup

Solution: Some plugins may depend on removed elements. Test in staging first, remove one element at a time to identify the culprit.

Problem: REST API not working

Solution: Don’t remove REST API links if you’re using:

Headless WordPress
Gutenberg editor (uses REST API)
Mobile apps
Third-party integrations

Problem: RSS feeds not working

Solution: If you have active RSS subscribers, keep feed links:

// Keep main feed, remove only comment feeds
// Don't remove feed_links, only feed_links_extra

Summary

Cleaning up the WordPress <head> section is essential for:

✅ Performance: Faster page loads, fewer HTTP requests
✅ Security: Hide WordPress version, reduce attack surface
✅ SEO: Cleaner HTML, better Core Web Vitals
✅ Professionalism: Clean, maintainable code

Key Takeaways:

Remove emoji scripts (modern browsers handle natively)
Remove WordPress generator (security)
Remove legacy links (Windows Live Writer, RSD)
Remove unnecessary RSS feeds (unless needed)
Test thoroughly before deploying
Keep what you actually use (REST API, main RSS feed)

In 2026, a clean <head> section is not optional – it’s a requirement for professional WordPress sites. Your site will be faster, more secure, and easier to maintain.

How to clean up WordPress header (remove RSS, emojis, shortlinks)

The problem: WordPress head bloat

Why clean up the head?

Performance benefits

Security benefits

Professional appearance

Complete head cleanup guide

1. Comment RSS feeds

2. Windows live writer (wlwmanifest)

3. WordPress generator meta tag

4. Wp emoji scripts

5. Shortlinks

6. Adjacent post links

7. REST API links

8. DNS prefetch

The complete “clean head” snippet

Advanced: Conditional cleanup

Testing your cleanup

Before/After comparison

Tools to verify

Performance impact

Security considerations

WordPress version hiding

Best practices

1. Test before deploying

2. Keep what you need

3. Document your changes

4. Use a plugin for non-Developers

Troubleshooting

Problem: Site breaks after cleanup

Problem: REST API not working

Problem: RSS feeds not working

Summary

Frequently Asked Questions

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Mariusz Szatkowski