The disavow tool is a feature in Google Search Console that lets site owners ask Google to ignore specific links pointing to their site. You upload a text file listing the URLs or domains you don't want counted, and Google takes that list into account when assessing your site.
For businesses, the disavow tool is a last resort, not routine maintenance. It can help clean up after paid or manipulative links that led to a manual action. But Google warns that using it incorrectly can hurt your performance in search, and most sites never need it.
What is the disavow tool?
Google introduced the disavow links tool in October 2012, in a Webmaster Central post titled "A new tool to disavow links". It was built for site owners who had unnatural backlinks they couldn't get removed, often from past link buying or low-quality link building campaigns.
Google's current help page on disavowing links is blunt about it. It calls disavowing an advanced feature that should only be used with caution, and says that if used incorrectly, it can potentially harm your site's performance in Google Search results.
The tool still exists in Search Console as of October 2026. Bing took a different path: it removed its disavow feature from Bing Webmaster Tools in October 2023, saying it had improved its ability to detect and ignore unnatural links automatically.
Why the disavow tool matters
It can help resolve link-related manual actions. If Google's team issues a manual action for unnatural links and you can't get every bad link removed, disavowing the rest is part of a credible cleanup before a reconsideration request.
It can also do damage. Disavowing good links tells Google to ignore links that may be helping you. A careless file, built from a tool's "toxic" score alone, can throw away real value.
It's rarely needed. Google's help page says most sites won't need the tool, because Google can usually assess which links to trust without additional guidance. Google's John Mueller has also said publicly that the tool will likely be removed at some point, as Search Engine Land reported.
How the disavow tool works
When Google says to use it
Google's guidance is to consider disavowing only if you have a considerable number of spammy, artificial or low-quality links pointing to your site, and the links have caused a manual action, or likely will. A scattering of spammy links you didn't build is common, and that guidance suggests it usually doesn't call for a disavow file.
Building the file
The disavow file is a plain text file ending in .txt, encoded in UTF-8 or 7-bit ASCII. You list one URL or domain per line. To disavow a whole domain or subdomain, add the prefix domain:, as in domain:example.com. You can add comments on lines starting with #. You can't disavow a subpath, like everything under example.com/blog/. Google limits the file to 100,000 lines, including blank and comment lines, and 2MB.
Uploading and processing
Only verified property owners can upload a list. The tool doesn't support Domain properties, so you need a URL-prefix property, and separate http and https properties each need their own list. Uploading a new file replaces the old one. Google says it can take a few weeks for the list to be incorporated after upload.
Removing a disavow file
To undo disavowals, select the property in the tool and choose "Cancel Disavowals." Changes again take a few weeks to take effect.
How to decide whether to disavow
- Check the Manual actions report first. If there's no link-related manual action and you didn't buy links, you probably don't need to disavow.
- Review your link history honestly. Paid links, link exchanges, private blog networks and old SEO campaigns are the usual sources of real risk. Google's spam policies describe what counts as link spam.
- Try removal first. Ask site owners to remove or qualify the links. Disavow what you can't get removed.
- Review links manually. Don't rely on a third-party "toxic" score. Look at the actual pages.
- Prefer domain-level entries for clearly spammy sites. Spam sites often create many URLs, and domain: entries catch them all.
- Keep a record. Note what you disavowed and why, so you can revise the file later.
Common mistakes and misconceptions
"Every site should disavow regularly." Google says most sites don't need the tool. Routine disavowing can remove value rather than protect it.
"Low authority scores mean a link is toxic." Small, new or niche sites often have low third-party scores but are perfectly natural links. Authority scores aren't Google metrics.
"Disavowing is instant." Google says it can take a few weeks to incorporate the file. Rankings may take longer to reflect any change.
"Disavow protects against negative SEO." Google says it can usually assess which links to trust without additional guidance. Unless spam has led to a manual action, or likely will, disavowing is usually unnecessary.
"Disavow fixes everything." It addresses link signals only. Content, technical and other spam issues need their own fixes.
How Butter approaches the disavow tool
We don't offer disavow work as a standalone service, and we rarely recommend it. In our SEO work, we start with diagnosis, not panic. We check the Manual actions report first, then rule out algorithmic, technical and seasonal causes before recommending any fix. When a manual action for unnatural links is real, we focus on full cleanup and a clear, honest reconsideration request.
When we take on a site with leftover spam, we flag it in our recommendations so it can be cleaned up. Prevention is the longer-term goal: earning links through real coverage, such as our public relations work, rather than buying them.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to use the disavow tool?
Probably not. Google says most sites don't need it. Consider it only if you have many spammy or artificial links that caused, or likely will cause, a manual action.
How long does a disavow take to work?
Google says it can take a few weeks after upload for your list to be incorporated into its index. Any ranking change may take longer to appear.
Does the disavow tool work with Domain properties?
No. Google's help page says the tool doesn't support Domain properties. You need a URL-prefix property, and http and https versions each need their own list.
Does Bing have a disavow tool?
Not anymore. Bing removed its disavow links feature in October 2023, saying it had improved its ability to detect and ignore unnatural links automatically.