Disable Site Health (MU)

A lightweight must-use (MU) plugin that completely removes WordPress Site Health functionality from the admin dashboard.

Description

This plugin removes all traces of the WordPress Site Health feature from your admin area, including:

• Tools → Site Health menu item
• Dashboard Site Health widget
• Admin bar health check notifications
• Site Health REST API endpoints
• All background health check tests
• Any remaining Site Health UI elements

Why Use This Plugin?

The WordPress Site Health feature can be helpful for many users, but there are valid reasons to disable it:

• Client sites: Prevent clients from being overwhelmed by technical warnings
• Managed hosting: Site health checks may be redundant when your host handles monitoring
• Custom configurations: Avoid false positives for intentional server configurations
• Performance: Eliminate unnecessary background checks on high-traffic sites
• Clean admin: Reduce dashboard clutter for experienced developers

Installation

As a Must-Use Plugin (Recommended)

1. Download disable-site-health-mu.php
2. Upload to /wp-content/mu-plugins/
3. The plugin activates automatically (no activation needed)

As a Regular Plugin

1. Create a folder called disable-site-health in /wp-content/plugins/
2. Place disable-site-health-mu.php in that folder
3. Activate from the WordPress plugins page

Note: Must-use plugins cannot be deactivated from the WordPress admin, making them ideal for agency or client sites where you want to enforce certain configurations.

Features

• ✅ Complete removal - Eliminates all Site Health components
• ✅ Zero configuration - Works immediately upon installation
• ✅ Lightweight - Minimal code with no performance impact
• ✅ REST API protection - Blocks Site Health API endpoints
• ✅ Clean admin - Hides all UI elements with CSS fallback
• ✅ PHP 7.4+ compatible - Works with older and modern PHP versions

Requirements

• WordPress 5.2 or higher (when Site Health was introduced)
• PHP 7.4 or higher

Compatibility

This plugin is compatible with:

• WordPress 5.2+
• Multisite installations
• All modern themes and page builders
• PHP 7.4 - 8.3+

Frequently Asked Questions

Will this affect my site's security?

No. This plugin only removes the visual interface and automated checks. It does not change any security settings or functionality of WordPress itself. You should still maintain your site properly with regular updates and backups.

Can I temporarily re-enable Site Health?

Yes. If installed as a regular plugin, simply deactivate it. If installed as an MU plugin, rename or remove the file from /wp-content/mu-plugins/.

Does this work on WordPress Multisite?

Yes, this plugin works on both single-site and multisite installations.

Will this break anything?

No. This plugin only removes interface elements and disables automated checks. Core WordPress functionality remains unchanged.

Support

For bug reports and feature requests, please open an issue on GitHub.

Author

Zach Elkins
Website: zachwp.com

License

This plugin is licensed under the GPL v2 or later.

This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or
(at your option) any later version.

This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
GNU General Public License for more details.

Changelog

1.0

• Initial release
• Remove Site Health menu item
• Remove dashboard widget
• Block REST API endpoints
• Disable all health tests
• Remove admin bar notifications
• Hide remaining UI elements

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

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Note: This plugin is provided as-is. Always test on a staging site before deploying to production.