WordPress remove shortlink meta tag is an easy way to clean up your site’s HTML head. This small tweak removes the unnecessary shortlink from your header — no plugin needed!
Add this to your child theme’s functions.php file:
remove_action( ‘wp_head’, ‘wp_shortlink_wp_head’ );
How It Works
This WordPress remove shortlink meta tag snippet tells WordPress not to output the shortlink tag in your site’s <head>. It’s clean, safe and won’t affect permalinks.
Why WordPress Remove Shortlink Meta Tag?
The shortlink tag is mostly useless for modern SEO. Removing it slightly cleans up your code and prevents duplicate link references for the same content.
Common Mistake
Don’t confuse this with short URLs for sharing — this only removes the meta tag from the HTML header. Your pretty permalinks stay the same.
Pro Tip
Pair this with other head clean-ups like removing RSD and WLW tags for an even leaner output.