Disable Self Pingbacks Without Plugin in WordPress

Disable Self Pingbacks Without Plugin to keep your WordPress site clean and free of unnecessary trackbacks. Here’s how to do it with a simple functions.php tweak.

Step 1: Add the Self Pingbacks Disable Code

Add this code to your child theme’s functions.php:

function qdt_disable_self_pingbacks( &$links ) {
  foreach ( $links as $l => $link )
    if ( 0 === strpos( $link, get_option( ‘home’ ) ) )
      unset($links[$l]);
}
add_action( ‘pre_ping’, ‘qdt_disable_self_pingbacks’ );

How It Works

This snippet removes self-referencing pingbacks so your posts don’t create spammy trackbacks in your comments section.

Why Disable Self Pingbacks Without Plugin?

If you often link to your own posts, self pingbacks add unnecessary clutter to your comments and database. Disabling them keeps your site clean.

Common Mistake

This only disables *self* pingbacks. It won’t block external spammy trackbacks. Use a spam plugin like Akismet for that.

Pro Tip

Use a child theme for this Disable Self Pingbacks Without Plugin tweak to make sure it stays safe after updates.

Related Snippet

If you liked this, check out my guide on disabling RSS Feeds without a plugin in WordPress.