Disable Embeds

by Pascal Birchler

View on WordPress.org

78 Quality Score

Active Installs

18/30

At 10,000 active installs, the plugin has modest reach that reflects its narrow purpose rather than mainstream demand.

Update Freshness

25/25

Last updated in April 2025 and tested with WordPress 6.8.5, the plugin stays current, but its maintenance score is held back by the very limited scope of code it can change.

User Rating

13/15

A score of 86 from 20 ratings is strong, though the small sample size makes it hard to generalize user sentiment.

Support Health

8/15

With zero support threads logged, there is essentially no track record to evaluate how the author responds when something goes wrong.

WP Compatibility

15/15

Tested on WordPress 6.8.5 and requires only 4.4 or later, so it works across essentially every supported WordPress installation today.

Scores higher than 67% of indexed plugins

About

Don’t like the enhanced embeds in WordPress 4.4? Easily disable the feature using this plugin.

Active Installs 10k+

Rating ★★★★ 4.3/5

Last Updated 2026-08-19 7:29pm GMT

Requires WordPress 4.4+

Tested Up To 7.1

✓ No known vulnerabilities

What It Does

Disable Embeds turns off WordPress's built-in oEmbed and embed functionality introduced in WordPress 4.4, which automatically converts URLs in post content into embedded previews (YouTube videos, tweets, and other remote content). Once activated, the plugin removes the related JavaScript, REST API routes, and rewrite rules the embed feature relies on. The result is a leaner front end and admin area with fewer external requests.

Who It's For

This plugin suits site owners who prefer manual control over media embeds and want to prevent WordPress from auto-generating embed previews from raw URLs. It fits sites where security, performance, or data-privacy concerns make remote oEmbed lookups undesirable, such as intranets, editorial sites, or membership platforms that embed content through custom blocks.

Who Should Skip It

Anyone who actively uses the built-in oEmbed feature for YouTube, Twitter, or other providers should skip this plugin, since disabling those embeds will break convenience in post writing. Sites that already handle embeds through a full-featured alternative like EmbedPress will get no benefit from installing both.

The Bottom Line

Disable Embeds does one specific job and does it with minimal footprint, which is why it remains a trusted, low-risk utility more than a decade after WordPress 4.4. Its overall quality score of 61.71 is dragged down by limited popularity and thin support history rather than any technical flaw. Install it only if you genuinely want to strip core embeds and nothing more.

Related Plugins

EmbedPress 84/100

Pick EmbedPress if you actually want richer embeds rather than disabling them, including PDFs, 3D flipbooks, and Google Reviews.

Insert Pages 83/100

Choose Insert Pages when your main need is embedding one WordPress page or post inside another rather than turning oEmbed off.

iframe 82/100

Go with iframe if you want a lightweight wrapper around iframes for embedding any external URL without touching the core oEmbed system.

Advanced iFrame 81/100

Advanced iFrame is the better fit for sites that need fine-grained iframe control, including responsive sizing, lazy loading, and security options.

Embed PDF Viewer 81/100

Embed PDF Viewer is the right pick for documentation or educational sites that primarily need to display PDFs inline.