How to Disable Auto Linking of URLs in WordPress Comments

One of our readers recently asked if there’s a way to disable auto-linking of URLs in the WordPress comments.

Luckily, there is!

By default, WordPress automatically turns plain text URLs into clickable links in the comments section. This can be useful, but those links can make your comments look messy. Even worse, spammers might exploit this auto-linking feature to trick people into clicking on their harmful links.

At WPBeginner, we usually mark these comments as spam, but we know that’s not the best solution for everyone, especially if you’re running a new blog. Having a lively comment section is a great way to spark conversations and engage with your audience.

After trying out different methods – both manual and plugin options – we found that the easiest way to disable URL auto-linking is to use WPCode.

In this article, we’ll show you step-by-step instructions on how to disable auto-linking of URLs in WordPress comments.

Why Does WordPress Autolink Text URLs in Comments?

WordPress automatically converts text URLs into links, making it easier to visit the link while moderating comments.

This auto-linking is not stored in your database. WordPress makes URLs clickable when displaying them on the screen in the admin area and in the comments section below your articles.

Some of these comments are genuine, where commenters didn’t know how to add a link. However, many spam comments also contain plain URLs that are pasted directly into the comment text.

With that in mind, we will show you how to disable auto-links of URLs in WordPress comments. Here are the steps you’ll need to take:

Easy, right? Let’s jump right in!

Installing a WordPress Plugin to Disable URL Auto-Links

Before we start, do note that many WordPress experts will tell you to add a custom line of code to your theme’s functions.php file or in a site-specific plugin.

However, we don’t recommend this method as it’s not really beginner-friendly. One tiny mistake, and your site might stop working.

To do this easily and safely, you can use WPCode, which is the best code-snippet plugin on the market. With WPCode, you can add custom code snippets, including CSS, PHP, HTML, and more, to WordPress without putting your site at risk.

The best news is that WPCode comes with a library of 100+ ready-made snippets that you can easily add to your site. This includes a code snippet for disabling comment URL linking.

Since it’s a premium feature, you’ll need to create a WPCode account. On the WPCode website, go ahead and click the ‘Get WPCode Now’ button.

Then, you can just simply choose a plan and complete the sign-up process.

Once done, let’s install and activate the WPCode plugin on your WordPress site. If you need help, then you can refer to our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, you’ll need to activate your license key. To do this, you’ll navigate to Code Snippets » Settings.

Next, under the ‘General Settings’ tab, simply enter your license key and click ‘Verify Key.’ You can find this key in the email you receive after registration or in your WPCode account.

Disabling Auto-Links of URLs in WordPress Comments

The next step is to go to Code Snippets » + Add Snippets from your WordPress admin area.

From here, you’ll want to use the ‘Comments’ filter to easily find the ‘Disable Comment URL Linking’ snippet. Then, you can hover over the snippet and click on the ‘Connect to library to unlock (Free)’ button.

On the popup that appears, go ahead and click ‘Connect to WordPress.’

Once connected, you should then be ready to use the ‘Disable Comment URL Linking’ snippet. So, let’s hover over it again and click ‘Use snippet’ when it appears.

This will redirect you to the WPCode code editor.

Since the code snippet is ready to use, you just need to switch the toggle from ‘Inactive’ to ‘Active’ and click the ‘Save Snippet’ button.

And that’s it!

Your WordPress site will now stop auto-linking URLs in comments. Here’s what it looks like on our demo site:

Explaining the Code Snippet to Disable Auto-Linking in Comments

If you’re curious, here’s the code snippet we used for disabling auto-links of URLs in WordPress comments:

remove_filter( 'comment_text', 'make_clickable', 9 );

		
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This snippet works because WordPress doesn’t store URLs as clickable links in its database.

Instead, it converts plain text URLs into clickable links on the fly when displaying comments. By disabling the filter responsible for this, you stop URLs from automatically becoming clickable. This change will affect both the admin area and the comments section below your posts.

If you remove the snippet later, WordPress will start auto-linking URLs again.

For example, if you add this code to your theme’s functions.php file, updating your theme to the latest version will overwrite the file. To prevent this, you can consider using a child theme or a site-specific plugin.

We hope this article helped you disable the auto-linking of URLs in WordPress comments. Next up, you may also want to see our expert picks of the best plugins to improve WordPress comments and our guide on how to allow users to edit their comments.

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