How to Disable Google Font on WordPress: A Guide By Rocon

Introduction: How to Disable Google Font on WordPress

How to Disable Google Font on WordPress: So you’ve decided to speed up your WordPress site and maybe even boost your SEO by disabling Google Fonts. Good call! Custom fonts from Google can look great and professional on your site but they come with drawbacks that affect speed and performance. Every time someone visits your site their browser has to fetch those fonts from Google’s servers which means extra HTTP requests. Those extra requests slow down your site and as we all know in the world of web traffic every millisecond counts!

Whether you’re optimizing for SEO, user experience, or simply streamlining your site’s look, turning off Google Fonts can make a major difference. And simplifying your font choices does not mean sacrificing style; you can still choose gorgeous system fonts that are easy on the eyes and load quickly.

Good news is turning off Google Fonts doesn’t have to be technical. There are easy ways to do this, theme settings, lightweight plugins or custom code. Let’s get started and see what you can do.

Why Disable Google Fonts on Your WordPress Site?

Before we get started, let’s look into why getting rid of Google Fonts on your site matters.

Speed and Performance

One of the reasons to disable Google Fonts is to speed up your site. Every time someone loads your site, external font requests are made to Google’s servers. These add to the overall load time if the visitor has a slow internet connection. A faster site means happier visitors who will stay and engage more with your content. Plus Google considers page speed a ranking factor so speeding up load times will help your SEO.

Better for Everyone

Not everyone has high-speed internet. By using system fonts instead of custom Google Fonts you’ll load faster and more efficiently for visitors with slow connections. That means a smoother and more accessible experience. Remember a consistent and fast-loading site keeps users engaged and reduces the chance of them bouncing to a competitor’s page.

Simplicity and Minimalism

Switching to standard system fonts isn’t just about speed; it’s also about simplifying your site’s design. System fonts are already on users’ devices so no need to download extra. This is a minimalist approach that makes your site easier to manage and reduces the risk of font related styling issues. Less dependencies means less that can go wrong.

Now that you know the benefits, let’s get started.

Check Your WordPress Theme Settings

Before we get into more advanced methods, let’s check your theme’s built in options.

Many modern WordPress themes come equipped with settings that let you manage fonts easily.

Access Your Dashboard: Log in to your WordPress admin area.

Go to Customize: On the left-hand menu, click on Appearance and then select Customize. This will open the WordPress Customizer, a feature that lets you tweak your site’s appearance in real-time.

Find Typography Settings: Look for a section titled Typography, Fonts or something like that. Theme developers often put font settings here.

Disable Google Fonts: If you see an option to disable or switch from Google Fonts to system fonts, turn it off or choose another.

If it works for you, you’re done! If your theme doesn’t have those options, don’t worry—there’s more to come, which we’ll get to next.

How to Remove Google Fonts from WordPress Theme – Without a Plugin

If your theme doesn’t have an option to disable Google Fonts, you can remove them manually with a bit of custom code. It may sound intimidating, but it’s a straightforward process.

Log In to WordPress Admin: Access your WordPress Dashboard and head over to Appearance > Theme Editor. A warning might pop up about editing code—proceed with caution and make sure you have a backup.

Edit the Functions File: In the Theme Editor, select the functions.php file. This is where you’ll add your custom code.

Insert Custom Code: Add code snippets designed to deregister Google Fonts. This may vary depending on your theme, but it generally looks like:

add_action(‘wp_enqueue_scripts’, ‘remove_google_fonts’, 100);

function remove_google_fonts() {

   wp_dequeue_style(‘theme-font-handle’); // Replace ‘theme-font-handle’ with your theme’s font handle

}

Save and Test Your Site: Click Update File and check your website to make sure it’s working correctly and the fonts are no longer loading from Google.

This works but requires precision. If anything goes wrong you can always roll back to your backup.

How to Remove Google Fonts from WordPress Theme – With a Plugin

Not comfortable with code? No worries! You can use a plugin to do it for you.

Install a plugin:Navigate to Plugins > Add New on your WordPress Dashboard. Look for a plugin named Disable and Remove Google Fonts.

Activate the plugin: Once installed, click Activate. The plugin will remove Google Fonts from your theme and any plugins that use them.

Check Your Site: Double check your site looks good and loads properly. Your theme will default to system fonts or whatever fallback fonts are in your CSS.

This is the easy way, especially for beginners who don’t want to risk breaking their site.  

Disabling Google Fonts in OptinMonster

OptinMonster is used to create and manage marketing campaigns on WordPress sites but uses Google Fonts by default. To prevent your site from slowing down or being affected by these external fonts follow these steps to disable them:

Log In to Your OptinMonster Account: Go to the OptinMonster website and log in.

Once you’re logged in, you’ll land on your Campaign Dashboard, where you manage and edit all your campaigns.

Edit a Campaign: Browse through your campaigns and choose the one where you’d like to disable Google Fonts. Click on Edit Campaign to open the campaign editor. This editor lets you customize the design and settings of your campaign in real time.

Locate Font Settings: Within the editor, look for an option related to fonts or design settings. This section should provide customization options for the fonts used in your campaign. Depending on your OptinMonster version, you might find a toggle or dropdown to disable Google Fonts.

Disable Google Fonts: Turn off or deselect Google Fonts to ensure the campaign doesn’t load these fonts. OptinMonster will then default to using system fonts or any custom fonts you’ve configured instead.

Repeat for Consistency: If you have many campaigns, follow these instructions for each. This will ensure that your site provides a consistent user experience and that no portion of it loads Google Fonts accidentally.

Conclusion: How to Disable Google Font on WordPress

Leaving Google Fonts on your WordPress site can slow it down and disrupt the functionality and user experience for visitors who have slower connections. By eliminating it, your pages will load faster since they will not have to download font files from outside sources. Whether you’re a site owner looking to improve page speed or simply want a cleaner setup, reducing external font dependencies is beneficial.

To disable Google Fonts you have several options, from theme settings to plugins to custom code. Start by checking your theme’s built-in customizer settings as some themes make it easy to disable Google Fonts with a toggle. If that doesn’t work, you can add code snippets to your theme files to manually deregister the fonts. Or use a user friendly plugin like “Disable and Remove Google Fonts” to do it without touching code.

Remember to test your site thoroughly after making these changes to ensure everything looks good. Going with web safe or system fonts can be a stylish and efficient option. These optimizations make a big difference to your site’s speed and reliability.

How to Disable Google Font on WordPress FAQs

1. Why should I disable Google Fonts on my WordPress site?

Disabling Google Fonts can speed up your site’s load time by reducing external HTTP requests. It’s a great way to optimize your site for better performance, especially for users with slow internet connections.

2. Will my site look worse if I disable Google Fonts?

Not necessarily. You can switch to system fonts, which are pre-installed on most devices, ensuring fast load times without sacrificing readability or style.

3. How do I know if my theme uses Google Fonts?

You can check your site’s code or use browser developer tools to see if there are external font requests. Or tools like GTmetrix or Pingdom will flag external font loads.

4. Is it safe to edit the functions.php file?

Editing your theme’s functions.php file is safe if done carefully. Always backup before making any changes.

5. What’s the easiest way to disable Google Fonts?

Using a plugin like “Disable and Remove Google Fonts” is the simplest way, especially for beginners who want a no-code solution.

6. Can I re-enable Google Fonts later if I change my mind?

Yes. If you used a plugin, you can just deactivate it. If you edited your functions.php file, you can remove the custom code you added.