WordPress Heartbeat: What it is and how to use it

How to control or disable the WordPress Heartbeat API

If you’re seeing performance issues or just want more control, you can manage the Heartbeat API with or without code.

Use a plugin (recommended)

The best way to manage the Heartbeat API without touching code is with WPCode. It’s a powerful plugin that lets you add custom PHP snippets safely and easily—no need to edit your theme files.

With WPCode, you can:

• Control where the Heartbeat API runs (dashboard, post editor, frontend)
• Adjust the frequency of Heartbeat requests
• Disable it entirely in specific areas to reduce server load

Control it manually via code

If you’re comfortable editing your theme’s functions.php or using a code snippet plugin, you can manage Heartbeat manually.

Change Heartbeat frequency:

add_filter( ‘heartbeat_settings’, ‘custom_heartbeat_frequency’ );
function custom_heartbeat_frequency( $settings ) {
    $settings[‘interval’] = 60; // seconds
    return $settings;
}

Disable Heartbeat in the dashboard:

add_action( ‘init’, ‘stop_heartbeat’, 1 );
function stop_heartbeat() {
    if (is_admin()) {
        wp_deregister_script(‘heartbeat’);
    }
}

Use these carefully—disabling Heartbeat entirely can break autosave and post locking.