Disable WP Sitemaps
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About
Disables the automatically generated WP Sitemaps.
What It Does
Disable WP Sitemaps is a tiny utility plugin that turns off the XML sitemap feature WordPress introduced in core version 5.5. Once activated, it removes the sitemap index and user/ taxonomy/ post type sitemaps that WordPress generates automatically, giving you a clean slate to plug in a dedicated SEO solution or manage crawling manually.
Who It's For
This plugin is aimed at site owners and SEO professionals who want full control over sitemap output, particularly those running enterprise setups, custom SEO workflows, or large publishing sites that need precise crawl rules. It is also useful for agencies that prefer a specific third-party sitemap plugin, such as Yoast, Rank Math, or XML Sitemap & Google News, and do not want core sitemaps competing with them.
Who Should Skip It
If you are happy with the default WordPress sitemaps or already rely on a third-party SEO plugin that registers its own sitemaps, this plugin adds no value for you. Small personal sites without custom SEO needs will not notice a difference either way.
The Bottom Line
Disable WP Sitemaps does exactly one thing, does it reliably, and is backed by perfect ratings on recent WordPress and PHP versions, making it a safe, zero-friction choice for anyone who wants to turn off core sitemaps. With an overall quality score of 80.41 out of 100, it is a solid utility rather than a must-have, and the lack of any support threads is more a sign of simplicity than neglect. Recommended for SEO agencies and enterprise sites that need to silence WordPress's built-in sitemaps before adding their own.
Related Plugins
Pick Classic Widgets if your priority is restoring the old widget screen rather than controlling sitemaps, as it is far more widely adopted at two million installs.
Choose Disable Emojis if your main concern is removing the emoji loader and related external requests for privacy or performance reasons rather than sitemap control.
Go with XML Sitemap & Google News if you need a replacement feed right now, since it provides advanced sitemaps including Google News support instead of just disabling the core feature.
Pick Disable Everything when you want a single plugin to disable many WordPress features at once, including sitemaps plus other bloat like embeds and the REST API.
Choose VK All in One Expansion Unit if you run a Japanese-language site and want an all-in-one suite that includes sitemap control alongside many other features.