How to Disable WordPress Emoji Script

Disable WordPress Emoji Script

Custom Code Solution

Add this code to your theme's functions.php file or a site-specific plugin. This will remove the emoji script and related resources from WordPress:

function disable_wp_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');
    
    // Remove the tinymce emoji plugin
    add_filter('tiny_mce_plugins', function($plugins) {
        if(is_array($plugins)) {
            return array_diff($plugins, array('wpemoji'));
        }
        return array();
    });
    
    // Remove emoji DNS prefetch
    add_filter('emoji_svg_url', '__return_false');
}
add_action('init', 'disable_wp_emojis');

Plugin Solutions

If you prefer using a plugin, here are reliable options:

1. Disable Emojis - Lightweight plugin specifically for removing emoji support
2. Asset CleanUp - More feature-rich plugin that can disable emojis along with other optimizations

Benefits

• Reduces HTTP requests
• Removes unnecessary JavaScript and CSS
• Slightly improves page load time
• Cleaner source code

Important Notes

• This won't remove emoji characters from your content
• Users can still copy/paste emoji characters into posts
• Mobile devices will still show their native emoji keyboard
• Test your site after implementation to ensure nothing breaks