Boost Your WordPress Speed: A Simple Guide to Disable Emojis

Let’s discuss the use of emojis in WordPress. While they can enhance communication in texts and social media, they may not be suitable for every type of website. We’ve created numerous business websites where removing emojis entirely was a more appropriate choice.

Additionally, many people are unaware that WordPress automatically loads emoji scripts on every page. This adds unnecessary code that you might not need!

We have assisted thousands of website owners in improving their site speed, and eliminating unused features like emojis frequently results in faster performance.

In this guide, we will demonstrate the simplest methods to disable emojis in WordPress. Whether you prefer using a plugin or inserting a quick code snippet, we’ve thoroughly tested all options for you.

Reasons to Disable Emojis in WordPress

Although emojis can add a playful touch to content, they may appear unprofessional on business websites. Moreover, they can negatively impact the loading speed of your WordPress site.

Each time a visitor accesses your site, WordPress loads additional JavaScript files and CSS to support emojis. This feature was introduced in WordPress 4.2 to ensure emojis are displayed correctly across all browsers.

However, this script has become less essential as most modern browsers can now render emojis independently.

You can identify these additional resources by checking your website’s source code or using the Inspect tool.

By disabling these extra resources, you can enhance the professional look of your site and improve its speed and performance.

Pro Tip:Rest assured, turning off the emoji script won’t prevent you from using emojis on your site. It merely eliminates an extra file that WordPress loads on every page. Most modern browsers can display emojis without this file, making it an easy way to enhance your site’s speed.

Now, let’s explore how to easily disable emoji support in WordPress:

• Method 1: Disable Emojis in WordPress Using Code
• Method 2: Disable Emojis in WordPress Using a Plugin
• Bonus Tip: Add Reaction Buttons to Your WordPress Posts
• Frequently Asked Questions About Disabling Emojis

Method 1: Disable Emojis in WordPress Using Code

In this method, we will use a custom code snippet to turn off emoji support in WordPress.

You can insert this code snippet into the functions.php file of your WordPress theme. However, this can be risky, as even a minor error might lead to the dreaded WordPress white screen of death, preventing access to your website.

To mitigate this risk, we recommend using WPCode, the top WordPress code snippets plugin that provides a secure way to add custom code without directly editing your theme files.

First, install and activate the WPCode plugin. For detailed instructions, refer to our beginner’s guide on installing a WordPress plugin.

Once activated, navigate to the Code Snippets » + Add Snippet section in the WordPress admin dashboard. From there, select the ‘Add Your Custom Code (New Snippet)’ option and click the ‘+ Add Custom Snippet’ button.

This will take you to the ‘Create Custom Snippet’ page.

Here, choose ‘PHP Snippet’ as your ‘Code Type.’

Next, begin by entering a name for your code snippet.

You can choose any name that you prefer.

Now, simply copy and paste the following code into the ‘Code Preview’ box:

/** * Disable emojis in WordPress */ function disable_emojis() { remove_action( 'wp_head', 'print_emoji_detection_script', 7 ); remove_action( 'admin_print_scripts', 'print_emoji_detection_script' ); remove_action( 'wp_print_styles', 'print_emoji_styles' ); remove_action( 'admin_print_styles', 'print_emoji_styles' ); remove_filter( 'the_content_feed', 'wp_staticize_emoji' ); remove_filter( 'comment_text_rss', 'wp_staticize_emoji' ); remove_filter( 'wp_mail', 'wp_staticize_emoji_for_email' ); add_filter( 'tiny_mce_plugins', 'disable_emojis_tinymce' ); add_filter( 'wp_resource_hints', 'disable_emojis_remove_dns_prefetch', 10, 2 );
}
add_action( 'init', 'disable_emojis' );
/** * Function to remove the TinyMCE emoji plugin. * * @param array $plugins * @return array Updated list of plugins */ function disable_emojis_tinymce( $plugins ) { if ( is_array( $plugins ) ) { return array_diff( $plugins, array( 'wpemoji' ) ); } else { return array(); }
}
/** * Remove emoji CDN hostname from DNS prefetching hints. * * @param array $urls URLs for resource hints. * @param string $relation_type The type of relation for the URLs. * @return array Updated URLs. */ function disable_emojis_remove_dns_prefetch( $urls, $relation_type ) { if ( 'dns-prefetch' == $relation_type ) { /** This filter is documented in wp-includes/formatting.php */ $emoji_svg_url = apply_filters( 'emoji_svg_url', 'https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/2/svg/' );
$urls = array_diff( $urls, array( $emoji_svg_url ) ); }
return $urls;
}

Next, navigate to the ‘Insertion’ section and choose the ‘Auto Insert’ option.

The code will now run automatically on your site once activated.

Then, return to the top and switch the toggle from ‘Inactive’ to ‘Active’.

Finally, click the ‘Save Snippet’ button to apply your changes.

That’s it! You have successfully disabled emojis in WordPress.

Method 2: Disable Emojis in WordPress Using a Plugin

If you prefer not to add code to your website, this method is ideal for you. It offers the fastest and simplest one-click solution.

First, install and activate the Disable Emojis plugin. Refer to our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin for detailed instructions.

The plugin functions immediately upon activation, with no settings to configure.

Once activated, it will automatically disable emoji support on your WordPress site, enhancing page load speed.

Bonus Tip: Add Reaction Buttons to Your WordPress Posts

Even after disabling emoji support, you might want to enable users to react to your posts and share their thoughts using reaction buttons.

These buttons can enhance engagement on your WordPress blog and promote user interaction.

To get started, install and activate the Da Reactions plugin. For step-by-step instructions, refer to our beginner’s guide on installing a WordPress plugin.

After activation, navigate to theReactions » Reactions Managersection in your WordPress dashboard. Here, you will see the six default reaction emojis along with their customizable labels.

You can now rearrange the buttons, assign new labels, change the emoji colors, remove an emoji, and more.

Additionally, you can add your own emojis by clicking the ‘Add New’ button at the bottom. The plugin will then include a random reaction icon in the list.

Next, click on this icon to access the options panel. From there, you can select a new emoji that you prefer.

Once you have finished, simply click the ‘Save Changes’ button to apply your settings.

Now, visit your WordPress site to see the reaction buttons in action. For further details, check out our tutorial on adding WordPress reaction buttons to enhance engagement.

Common Questions About Disabling Emojis

Here are some common questions that our readers often ask before disabling emojis on their website:

Will disabling emojis affect my website’s functionality?

Disabling the emoji script is a safe and widely-used optimization technique. It removes unnecessary JavaScript and CSS files from your site, which can enhance loading speed.

Will I still be able to use emojis after disabling the script?

Absolutely! Modern web browsers support emojis natively, so they will still appear correctly for your visitors. Disabling the script simply prevents WordPress from loading its own unnecessary files.

Why does WordPress include an emoji script?

This feature was introduced in WordPress 4.2 to ensure that emojis display correctly across all browsers. However, it’s less critical now since most modern browsers can handle emojis without additional support.

We hope this article has guided you on how to disable emojis on your WordPress site. You might also want to explore our detailed guide on adding a parallax effect to any WordPress theme and check out our recommendations for the best page builder plugins to enhance your site.

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