How to Stop emoji Javascript loading on WordPress
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Remove Emoji Script from WordPress – How To Video

Did you know that you are loading emojis on your WordPress website even if you don’t use them?

If you aren’t using these fun symbols, you can remove the emoji script from WordPress.

When you turn off the emoji script, it will make your page load faster. This can be done with no loss of functionality for 99% of WordPress websites.

The fact is most people never use the emoji features on WordPress.

It is only a small script. It generally is 4.8 KB. This will load between 50ms to 300ms for your site; however, that is still load time. Why load something your users don’t need?

At MRK WP, we certainly don’t use these little delights of imagery. I decided to remove the emoji script. It was simple enough to complete this task. As a result, I made a very quick video tutorial on how to make this tweak on your site.

Please make sure you have a child theme to use in this script. If you don’t, I’d highly recommend using WP Rocket.

Since I created this tutorial, I found I no use this script. I am using WP Rocket on my site. It has this feature added in by default with a simple checkbox.

1. Copy the snippet from our GIST

2. Paste the snippet in your functions.php file for your child theme

If you don’t have a child theme you should really think about creating one. A child theme will help you maintain your WordPress website. It means you can update parent themes with a lower risk of losing your updates or custom edits. You can add our GIST to the functions file for your parent theme. However, when you update your theme you will likely lose this change and have to re-implement the code.

If you are using Astra Pro you could try it in the Custom Layouts section of your configuration. I don’t recommend using this method as it’s a bunch of code hooks inside another hook. Not great.

3. Enjoy a faster webpage and faster load times

This is a really simple way to make your site load faster. In a world where every millisecond counts, it’s a quick win for any WordPress website.

If you want an even easier way to do this adjustment you can use WP Rocket. They also have a cool feature to turn off Embed as well. Many of us don’t use embeds and this can save another 1KB.

Use these options in WP Rocket to turn of Emojis and Embeds
Use these options in WP Rocket to turn off Emojis and Embeds

4. Disabling Emoji Script Inside Breeze Plugin by Cloudways

If you are using the Breeze cache plugin by Cloudways, you can also disable the Emoji script using the following steps.

  1. Login to Your WordPress Dashboard: Log in to your WordPress admin dashboard.
  2. Navigate to Breeze Settings: In the WordPress dashboard, go to Settings. Within the Settings menu, go to the Breeze section.
  3. Find Advanced Options: Look for “Advanced Options” within the Breeze plugin settings.
  4. Disable Emoji Script: Disable specific features or scripts within the advanced settings. Look for an option related to emojis or scripts and disable it.
  5. Save Changes: After making the changes, be sure to save the settings.
How to disable Emoji Script inside Breeze Cloudways
How to disable Emoji Script inside Breeze Cloudways

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