How to Disable Yoast SEO

Yoast SEO is one of the most widely used WordPress plugins, helping millions of website owners manage meta titles, descriptions, XML sitemaps, schema markup, and readability analysis. However, there are many valid reasons you might want to disable it. Perhaps you are switching to a different SEO plugin, troubleshooting a conflict with your theme, speeding up your admin dashboard, or simply want to turn off certain features you do not use. Whatever your reason, disabling Yoast SEO should be done carefully to avoid accidentally harming your search rankings. This guide explains the different ways to disable Yoast SEO and what to consider before you do.

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Before You Disable Yoast SEO

Yoast SEO controls several important elements of your site. Before disabling it, consider what will happen to:

• Meta titles and descriptions: custom SEO titles and descriptions will no longer be output.
• XML sitemaps: the Yoast-generated sitemap will disappear.
• Canonical tags and noindex settings: pages you marked as noindex may become indexable.
• Schema markup: structured data added by Yoast will be removed.
• Breadcrumbs: if your theme uses Yoast breadcrumbs, they may stop working.
• Redirects: if you use Yoast Premium's redirect manager, those redirects may stop functioning.

Always create a full backup of your website and database before making changes. If you plan to switch plugins, have your replacement ready so there is minimal time without SEO settings.

Method 1: Deactivate Yoast SEO From the WordPress Dashboard

The simplest way to disable Yoast SEO completely is through the Plugins menu:

1. Log in to your WordPress admin dashboard.
2. Navigate to Plugins and then Installed Plugins.
3. Find Yoast SEO in the list.
4. Click Deactivate beneath the plugin name.

Deactivating the plugin stops it from running, but your settings and metadata remain stored in the database. If you reactivate it later, your configuration will return. If you have Yoast SEO Premium or add-ons installed, deactivate those as well.

Method 2: Delete Yoast SEO Permanently

If you are certain you no longer need Yoast SEO, you can delete it after deactivation. Click Delete under the plugin name once it has been deactivated. Keep in mind that deleting the plugin removes its files, but some data may remain in your database. If you are migrating to another SEO plugin, run the import tool in your new plugin before deleting Yoast so your titles and descriptions transfer successfully.

Method 3: Disable Yoast SEO via FTP or File Manager

If a plugin conflict has locked you out of your dashboard, you can disable Yoast SEO manually:

1. Connect to your site using FTP or your hosting control panel's File Manager.
2. Go to the wp-content/plugins directory.
3. Locate the folder named wordpress-seo.
4. Rename it to something like wordpress-seo-disabled.

WordPress will automatically deactivate the plugin because it can no longer find it. Once you resolve the issue, rename the folder back and reactivate it if needed.

Method 4: Disable Specific Yoast SEO Features

You may not need to disable Yoast SEO entirely. The plugin allows you to turn off individual features you do not use. Go to Yoast SEO and then Settings to find toggles for features such as:

• SEO analysis and readability analysis
• Cornerstone content
• Text link counter
• XML sitemaps
• Admin bar menu
• Insights and inclusive language analysis

Turning off unused features can make your editing experience cleaner and slightly reduce admin load while keeping the core SEO functionality active.

Method 5: Hide Yoast SEO for Certain Post Types or Users

If you want Yoast SEO active but not visible on certain content types, you can adjust content type settings to hide the Yoast metabox or exclude specific post types from search results. You can also use user role management plugins to hide Yoast settings from contributors or editors who do not need access. Developers can use WordPress filters to remove Yoast output on specific pages, though this approach should be handled carefully.

What to Do After Disabling Yoast SEO

Once Yoast SEO is disabled, take these steps to protect your rankings:

• Verify that your new SEO plugin is outputting titles, descriptions, and canonical tags correctly.
• Generate a new XML sitemap and submit it to Google Search Console.
• Check that pages intended to be noindexed are still excluded.
• Test structured data using a rich results testing tool.
• Monitor Search Console for indexing errors and ranking changes over the following weeks.

Conclusion

Disabling Yoast SEO is straightforward, whether you deactivate it from the dashboard, delete it permanently, rename its folder via FTP, or simply turn off features you do not need. The key is to understand what the plugin currently controls and to plan for those functions before removing it. With a backup in place, a replacement plugin ready, and careful post-change monitoring, you can disable Yoast SEO confidently without putting your hard-earned search visibility at risk.