Overview
These options disable major WordPress subsystems entirely. All three are off by default because they can significantly change how your site works. Enable them only if you are certain you do not need the functionality.
Disable Comments
Default: Off
Completely removes the WordPress commenting system across your entire site. This is ideal for sites that do not use comments at all, such as business sites, portfolios, or landing pages.
When enabled, this option:
- Closes comments and pingbacks on all post types
- Clears any existing comments from displaying
- Removes comment support from all registered post types
- Removes trackback support from all registered post types
- Removes the Comments menu from the admin sidebar
- Removes the Discussion settings page
- Removes the comments icon from the admin bar
Note: This does not delete existing comments from the database. If you disable this option later, your previous comments will reappear.
Disable Block Editor
Default: Off
Forces WordPress to use the Classic Editor for all post types instead of the Gutenberg block editor. This applies to both posts and pages.
Enable this if you prefer the classic editing experience or if your workflow relies on plugins that are not compatible with the block editor. You do not need the separate “Classic Editor” plugin if you use this option.
Disable Public REST API
Default: Off
Restricts the WordPress REST API to authenticated (logged-in) users only. Unauthenticated requests will receive a 401 Unauthorized error.
This is useful for sites that do not need to expose data via the API publicly. Logged-in users — including administrators, editors, and any user with a valid session — retain full API access.
Important: Some plugins, themes, and headless WordPress setups rely on public REST API access. If you enable this and something breaks, this is the first setting to check.
