Disable Search vs Search Regex
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| Feature | Disable Search v2.1.1 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free · ★ 4.7/5 Visit Details | Search Regex v3.5.1 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free · ★ 4.7/5 Visit Details |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Active installs | 30,000+ | 100,000+ |
| Last updated | April 14, 2025 | October 6, 2026 |
| Editions | Disable Search | Search Regex |
| Pros | Ignores front-end search queries; Removes the search widget, search block and admin bar search; Small plugin with few settings | Regex search across posts, comments, users, terms, options and meta; Saved presets for repeat searches; WP-CLI command available for scripted runs |
| Cons | Visitors who expect search get no results; Front-end search is off for all queries, with no per-page option | Bulk replacements write to the database; mistakes are hard to undo; Only the core WordPress data sources are covered |
| Mentioned in our posts | 1 | — |
| More features | ||
| Other features | Ignore front-end search queries, Search widget removed, Core search block removed, Admin bar search removed | Regex search and replace, Choose sources: posts, comments, users, terms, options and meta, Save and import search presets, Tools screen for running searches, WP-CLI search-regex command |
| Integrations | ||
| Plugins | Yoast SEO | — |
| Requires WordPress | 4.6 | 6.6 |
| Requires PHP | — | 7.4 |
| Tested up to | 6.8 | 7.1 |
| Phones home | No | No |