Disable Emojis Without Plugin to speed up your WordPress site by removing extra scripts. Here’s how to do it manually using your child theme. This Disable Emojis Without Plugin trick removes the default WordPress emoji script. Many sites don’t use WordPress emojis at all, so disabling them is a quick win.
Add the Emoji Disable Code
Add this to your child theme’s functions.php:
// Disable Emojis in WordPress
remove_action( ‘wp_head’, ‘print_emoji_detection_script’, 7 );
remove_action( ‘wp_print_styles’, ‘print_emoji_styles’ );
How It Works
This code removes the emoji detection script and styles WordPress adds by default.
Why This Matters
If you don’t use WordPress’s built-in emojis, loading the script is unnecessary overhead for every visitor.
Common Mistake
Don’t place this in the parent theme. Always use a child theme to keep your tweaks update-safe.
Pro Tip
After disabling emojis, test your comments and old posts to make sure no emoji icons break.
Related Snippet
If you liked this, check out my guide on disabling embeds without a plugin in WordPress. Learn more in the WordPress Developer Docs.