Bloat-off – bloat removal and utilities
Remove bloat and redundant functions, and further optimize your WordPress with just a few clicks.
Use with caution
Bloat-off works, but test it on a staging site before relying on it in 2026. Was last updated 4 months ago, and scores 49/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (<10 active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
How does it stack up?
Side-by-side on installs, updates, ratings & support
Daily downloads
Download spikes usually follow a new release — each site that auto-updates counts as a download.
Rankings
Where Bloat-off stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| admin | >100 |
| optimizations | >100 |
| remove bloat | #95 |
| tools | >100 |
| utility | >100 |
About Bloat-off – bloat removal and utilities
From the official readme · v0.9.8.2Description
The basic idea is to give administrators easy access to disable typical bloat, non-utilized functions or whole modules with just a few clicks.
There are no fancy UIs, external libraries, or hidden features — just clean, fast and easy way to disable things you might not want in your project or website.
Functionalities for current version:
Bloat
- Disabling AI functionality introduced in version 7.0
- Disabling the Command Palette, including the shortcut in the admin bar
- Disabling view transitions introduced in version 7.0
- Removal of jQuery migrate script
- Gutenberg styles removal
- WordPress emojis removal
- RSS feeds removal
- Really Simple Discovery removal
- Shortlink removal
- REST Discovery link removal
- oEmbed discovery link removal
- Admin widgets in dashboard removal
- Native XML sitemap removal
- Admin help tabs removal
- About WP sub-menu and thank you message removal
- Site Health disabling/removal
- Import/Export page removal
Utilities
- Comments system removal
- Widgets removal (those under “Appearance”)
- oEmbed restriction
- Self-pingbacks removal
- Heartbeat interval option
- Image Process Engine – force GD
- Limit number of revisions
- Tags taxonomy removal
- Author archive pages disabling
Docs / Source
All the required information about usage can be found on the plugin settings page; each function is fully described.
Source code can be found on official GitHub repository
Privacy
The plugin does not:
- track users;
- send any personal data to external services;
- use cookies.
Installation
Option A:
- Go to the “Plugins” tab in the admin panel.
- Click on “Add plugin”.
- In the search field, type “Bloat-off”.
- Click on “Install Now” next to the plugin name.
- Click on “Activate” next to the plugin name.
Option B:
- Download the plugin package from the official plugin page.
- Go to the “Plugins” tab in the admin panel.
- Click on “Upload plugin”.
- Choose the downloaded zip package and click on “Install Now”.
- After installation click on “Activate” button next to the plugin name.
Option C:
- Upload the entire unpacked “bloatoff-utils” folder to /wp-content/plugins/ directory.
- Activate the plugin through “Plugins” tab in the admin panel (Plugins > Installed plugins).
Frequently asked questions
Is it 100% free?
Yes. There are no paywalls or hidden/premium features.
Is it safe to use?
Most of the options should be safe to use, but please read the descriptions carefully — especially those marked with a red asterisk next to function title.
How is it different from other solutions already available in the repository?
The end result is probably the same in most cases. The differences come down to three principles: 1. This plugin does not add anything more than absolutely needed to actually turn things off; 2. It will always be (or at least try to) focused on core-related, optimization features. 3. It aims to inform users about each feature clearly, without infodumps.
Where is the settings page located?
Under the general settings tab, or (by default) at /options-general.php?page=bloatoff-utils; keep in mind that the tab is only available to administrators (or super-admins) by default.
Does it work on multisite installations?
For now, there is no network-wide configuration or dedicated page, so it works on a per-site basis. This is on the to-do list, but I can’t say when it will be added and properly tested.
Will you consider adding new features?
I’m always looking for new features to add. Feel free to suggest anything you think is worth including.
Will you consider removing bloat from other plugins?
No, I’m keeping it core-related only. Sorry.
Why aren’t there features like “App Password removal”? Isn’t that considered a rarely used function by the majority of users?
While I do think it shouldn’t be enabled by default, it’s more of a security-related feature and doesn’t affect installation optimization.
My website went blank after removing Gutenberg styles! What should I do?
There’s a high probability that either your theme or one of your plugins is using Gutenberg-related styles or scripts. This option is intended only for installations that do not rely on Gutenberg in any way.
Why do some links redirect to developer pages rather than official documentation?
Some features are purely technical, and a few are quite archaic (RSD, for example, was added in version 2.0.0). Unfortunately, not everything is documented in an accessible way.
What does the warning in oEmbed discovery link actually mean?
Some external services rely on oEmbed discovery links and require them to fetch content from your website properly. WordPress-related services don’t need them and will fetch everything correctly even without those links (assuming your site is configured properly and doesn’t have additional blocking rules).
Why is there no option to remove the WordPress Heartbeat API altogether?
Too many things rely on Heartbeat, and removing it entirely is a really bad idea — most of the potential issues would come from that option. If you still want to disable it, add this snippet to your active theme’s functions.php file after
Does the Heartbeat control change the interval for all instances?
Yes. It changes the global “interval” setting.
Will changing the Heartbeat interval break anything on my site?
It may. It’s best to leave it unchecked if you’re not sure about this setting. Saving the option as unchecked will also reset the interval to the default value of 15 seconds.
Regarding Image Process Engine – how do I check which engine I use?
The easiest way is to check the “Media handling” tab in the Site Health tool. In most cases, you’ll see the active Image Process Engine along with more detailed information.
Will old revisions be removed right away after limiting their number globally?
No. Revisions are only removed when you update each post or page individually.
Why is there no option to remove old revisions in bulk?
Adding such an option would require considering many factors, like installations with limited system resources or thousands of records to clean. To be honest, I consider this outside the plugin’s scope. If you need this functionality, please try plugins like WP-Sweep or Optimize Database after Deleting Revisions.
What is the most optimal number of revisions to keep?
It depends entirely on your workflow. In most cases, I would say 3–5, but some people may need to check up to 10 versions back.
Will removing the “tags” taxonomy affect my position on search engines like Google or Bing?
Possibly, but only if you have tags that are already indexed by search engines.
What about author archives — will removing those affect my position on Google/Bing?
Same as with tags — only if they are actually indexed by search engines.
Changelog
To check & download versions prior to v0.9.7.1 please check Official GitHub repository
v0.9.8.2
- Fixed error and notice for Command Palette
- Fixed deprecated function on help tabs
v0.9.8.1
- Added option to disable view transitions (introducetd in version 7.0)
- Updated translation file
- Added link to WordPress AI info
v0.9.8
- Added “noopener noreferrer” to “Read more” links inside descriptions
- Added option to globally disable AI functions in WordPress (
wp_supports_ai) - Added option to disable Commands Palette (and remove shortcut from admin bar)
- Brought back the option to remove the jQuery migrate script
- Optimized removal of native sitemap
- Optimized removal of RSD link
- Optimized removal of Shortlink
- Optimized removal of oEmbed discovery links
- Fix REST link removal
- Changed names of few functions to avoid possible conflicts
v0.9.7.2
- Fix for Heartbeat function
- Fixes for descriptions
- Fixes for translations
- Fix for settings page title
v0.9.7.1
- Updated readme.txt
- Updated functions descriptions
- Updated translation file
v0.9.7
- Added new utility – removal of authors archive pages
- Updated some descriptions
- Updated translation file
- Updated readme.txt
Screenshots
For developers
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FAQ
Bloat-off: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 7, 2026
Is Bloat-off free?
Yes. Bloat-off is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is Bloat-off safe to use in 2026?
Bloat-off works, but test it on a staging site before relying on it in 2026. Was last updated 4 months ago, and scores 49/100 on our health check.
How many websites use Bloat-off?
Bloat-off is active on <10 WordPress websites and has been downloaded 684 times since it launched in December 2025. It was downloaded 80 times in the last 30 days.
Does Bloat-off work with WordPress 7.1?
Bloat-off is officially tested up to WordPress 7.0.7, while the latest release is 7.1.3. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
What PHP version does Bloat-off need?
Bloat-off requires PHP 7.4 or higher. Most hosts run PHP 8.x today, so it works on any modern WordPress hosting.
When was Bloat-off last updated?
The latest version, 0.9.8.2, was released on May 26, 2026 (4 months ago).
Who makes Bloat-off?
Bloat-off is developed and maintained by Nikodemsky.
What are the best alternatives to Bloat-off?
The most popular alternatives to Bloat-off are Loginizer (1M+ installs), Redux Framework (900K+ installs) and Admin Menu Editor (300K+ installs).
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