Title: Header Junk Remover Author: Joseph Brzezowski Published: September 4, 2025 Last modified: September 26, 2025 --- Search plugins ![](https://ps.w.org/junk-header-remover/assets/banner-772x250.png?rev=3357978) ![](https://ps.w.org/junk-header-remover/assets/icon-256x256.png?rev=3355992) # Header Junk Remover By [Joseph Brzezowski](https://profiles.wordpress.org/thedeafjoe/) [Download](https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/junk-header-remover.1.0.2.zip) * [Details](https://wordpress.org/plugins/junk-header-remover/#description) * [Reviews](https://wordpress.org/plugins/junk-header-remover/#reviews) * [Installation](https://wordpress.org/plugins/junk-header-remover/#installation) * [Development](https://wordpress.org/plugins/junk-header-remover/#developers) [Support](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/junk-header-remover/) ## Description Header Junk Remover is a lightweight, no-settings plugin that cleans up the `` section and headers of your WordPress site. It removes outdated tags, redundant links, bloated scripts, and unnecessary headers that WordPress adds by default. The result: cleaner source code, faster page loads, less information leakage, and fewer HTTP requests. **What gets removed (and why it matters):** * **RSD Link** remove_action(‘wp_head’, ‘rsd_link’); Used for Really Simple Discovery( old remote editing). Not needed anymore. * **WordPress Generator** remove_action(‘wp_head’, ‘wp_generator’); Hides your WP version. Avoids advertising it to bots/hackers. * **Feed Links** remove_action(‘wp_head’, ‘feed_links’, 2); remove_action(‘wp_head’,‘ feed_links_extra’, 3); Removes auto-added RSS/Atom feed links. If you don’t use feeds, these are pointless. * **Relational Links (index, start, parent, adjacent posts)** remove_action(‘wp_head’,‘ index_rel_link’); remove_action(‘wp_head’, ‘start_post_rel_link’, 10, 0); remove_action(‘ wp_head’, ‘parent_post_rel_link’, 10, 0); remove_action(‘wp_head’, ‘adjacent_posts_rel_link’, 10, 0); remove_action(‘wp_head’, ‘adjacent_posts_rel_link_wp_head’, 10, 0); Removes old “previous/next” link metadata almost no browsers or crawlers use. * **Windows Live Writer Manifest** remove_action(‘wp_head’, ‘wlwmanifest_link’); Dead tool support. Safe to remove. * **Shortlink Tags/Headers** remove_action(‘wp_head’, ‘wp_shortlink_wp_head’, 10, 0); remove_action(‘template_redirect’, ‘wp_shortlink_header’, 11); Shortlink system is obsolete. Removing reduces clutter. * **REST API Discovery Link** remove_action(‘wp_head’, ‘rest_output_link_wp_head’, 10); REST API still works, but no longer broadcast in headers. * **oEmbed Discovery + Scripts** remove_action(‘wp_head’, ‘wp_oembed_add_discovery_links’, 10); remove_action(‘wp_head’, ‘wp_oembed_add_host_js’); Prevents WordPress from advertising oEmbed endpoints and loading extra JS. * **Resource Hints (dns-prefetch, preconnect)** remove_action(‘wp_head’, ‘wp_resource_hints’, 2); Stops WP from auto-inserting DNS hints you may not control. * **Emoji Scripts and Styles** remove_action(‘wp_head’, ‘print_emoji_detection_script’, 7); remove_action(‘wp_print_styles’, ‘print_emoji_styles’); Removes redundant emoji JS/CSS. Browsers already handle emojis natively. * **Global Styles (Block Editor/Gutenberg)** remove_action(‘wp_head’, ‘wp_enqueue_global_styles’, 1); Prevents WP from injecting default CSS that bloats your source. **Extra Hardening:** * **Disable XML-RPC** add_filter(‘xmlrpc_enabled’, ‘__return_false’); Blocks XML- RPC protocol (commonly abused in brute force/DDoS attacks). * **Remove X-Pingback Header** add_filter(‘wp_headers’, function($headers) { unset( $headers[‘X-Pingback’]); return $headers; }); Stops WP from advertising its pingback URL. * **Turn off PHP Exposure (optional)** @ini_set(‘expose_php’, ‘off’); Prevents PHP version disclosure in server headers. **Why this matters:** * Less clutter in your `` * Fewer HTTP requests and faster load times * Less information leakage for bots/hackers * Cleaner source code when you “View Source” * Safer defaults without touching your theme files If you find this plugin useful, consider supporting my work: 👉 [Buy Me a Coffee](https://buymeacoffee.com/avocadowebservices) ## Installation 1. Upload the plugin files to `/wp-content/plugins/header-junk-remover`, or install via the WordPress Plugins screen. 2. Activate the plugin. 3. Done — no settings required. ## FAQ ### Will this break my theme or plugins? No. These removals are optional extras. Your site runs fine without them. ### Can I keep some of these features? Yes. Open the plugin PHP file and comment out any `remove_action` or `add_filter` line you want to keep. ### Does this affect RSS feeds? It removes the auto-advertised feed links. If you need feeds, just comment those lines out — feeds themselves still exist. ### How can I support this plugin? If this plugin saves you time or helps clean up your site, you can support development here: [https://buymeacoffee.com/avocadowebservices](https://buymeacoffee.com/avocadowebservices) ## Reviews There are no reviews for this plugin. ## Contributors & Developers “Header Junk Remover” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin. Contributors * [ Joseph Brzezowski ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/thedeafjoe/) [Translate “Header Junk Remover” into your language.](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/junk-header-remover) ### Interested in development? [Browse the code](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/junk-header-remover/), check out the [SVN repository](https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/junk-header-remover/), or subscribe to the [development log](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/junk-header-remover/) by [RSS](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/junk-header-remover/?limit=100&mode=stop_on_copy&format=rss). ## Changelog #### 1.0.2 * Added support/donate link (Buy Me a Coffee). * Documentation updated. #### 1.0.1 * Initial public release. * Removed generator, RSD link, WLW manifest, shortlink, REST API link, emoji scripts/ styles, relational links, oEmbed, resource hints, global styles. * Added security hardening: disable XML-RPC, remove X-Pingback, disable PHP expose. ## Meta * Version **1.0.1** * Last updated **7 months ago** * Active installations **10+** * WordPress version ** 6.0 or higher ** * Tested up to **6.8.5** * Tags * [header](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/header/)[junk](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/junk/) [optimization](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/optimization/)[performance](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/performance/) [speed](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/speed/) * [Advanced View](https://wordpress.org/plugins/junk-header-remover/advanced/) ## Ratings No reviews have been submitted yet. [Your review](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/junk-header-remover/reviews/#new-post) [See all reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/junk-header-remover/reviews/) ## Contributors * [ Joseph Brzezowski ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/thedeafjoe/) ## Support Got something to say? Need help? [View support forum](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/junk-header-remover/) ## Donate Would you like to support the advancement of this plugin? [ Donate to this plugin ](https://buymeacoffee.com/avocadowebservices)