How to Disavow Backlinks in Google Search Console (Step-by-Step, 2026)

Disavowing backlinks tells Google to ignore specific links pointing to your site. Done right, it can help you recover from a manual action or clean up a messy link history. Done wrong, it throws away links that were helping you. This guide walks you through the whole process — including the details most tutorials skip.

Quick answer: to disavow backlinks, (1) export your backlinks, (2) pick only clearly spammy or paid links, (3) list them in a plain .txt file — one URL per line or domain:example.com for whole sites, (4) merge in any entries from your old disavow file, and (5) upload it in Google’s Disavow Links tool for your URL-prefix property. Google can take a few weeks to process it.

On this page

1. Do you actually need to disavow backlinks?
2. Before you disavow: try removing the links
3. Step 1: Export your backlinks
4. Step 2: Find the links worth disavowing
5. Step 3: Choose domain or URL level
6. Step 4: Create the disavow file
7. Step 5: Merge with your existing disavow file
8. Step 6: Upload the file in Google Search Console
9. What happens after you disavow?
10. Common disavow mistakes
11. After cleaning up: rebuild with safe links

Do you actually need to disavow backlinks?

Probably not. Google says most sites never need the disavow tool, because its systems already ignore most spammy links. Google’s own documentation calls it an advanced feature that can harm your site’s performance if used incorrectly. Google’s John Mueller put it simply in March 2026: the disavow file is “a tool, not a religion” — most sites don’t need it, but it is fine to use when you know you have a real problem.

Disavow when…	Don’t disavow when…
You have a manual action for unnatural links in Search Console	You see random spam, scraper or “SEO stats” sites linking to you
You or an old agency bought links or used private blog networks	A tool shows a high “toxic score” but you never built those links
A clear negative SEO attack: thousands of spam links with keyword anchors	Rankings dropped after a core update with no link problem
You asked for removal and the site owner won’t remove the links	The links are from small but real, relevant websites

Before you disavow: try removing the links

Google prefers that you remove bad links where you can. If you placed the links yourself — paid guest posts, directory listings you control, profiles you created — delete them or ask the site owner to remove them or mark them rel="sponsored". Disavow only what you can’t remove.

Step 1: Export your backlinks

• Google Search Console (free): open Links, click Export external links (top right) and choose Latest links or More sample links. The Top linking sites table can be exported too. This is the most important source, because it shows links Google itself knows about.
• Ahrefs or Semrush (paid): export referring domains and backlinks with anchor text, first-seen date and authority.
• Combine the exports into one sheet so you can review each domain once.

Step 2: Find the links worth disavowing

Review the list domain by domain. Disavow only links you are confident are spammy, paid or part of a scheme. These signals help:

Likely spam — consider disavowing	Usually fine — leave it
Sites built only to sell links, on every topic	Real sites in your niche, even with low DR
Exact-match money keyword anchors you never asked for, at scale	Branded or URL anchors from normal sites
Private blog networks: same template, hosting or authors, no real audience	Directories, profiles and podcast platforms that list real businesses
Hacked pages, casino or adult spam linking to an unrelated site	Scrapers and “website worth” stat pages (Google already ignores them)
Thousands of links from one domain appearing overnight	Big platforms like YouTube, Wikipedia, Reddit or news sites

Don’t rely on a “toxic score” alone — it is a third-party guess, not a Google metric. If your anchors look over-optimized, check the mix with the anchor text ratio checker before you decide anything.

Step 3: Choose domain or URL level

• Domain level (domain:spam-site.com) disavows every link from that domain and its subdomains. Use it for almost all spam sites — they tend to add new pages over time.
• URL level (https://forum.example.org/thread/123) disavows only one page. Use it when the rest of the site is legitimate, such as one spammy thread on a real forum.
• Careful with platforms: domain:blogspot.com would disavow every Blogspot site. Use the exact subdomain, like domain:spam-site.blogspot.com.
• Whole TLDs: Google’s John Mueller confirmed in March 2026 that domain:xyz disavows an entire top-level domain such as .xyz. He called it “quite a big hammer” — use it only if almost every link from that TLD is spam.

Step 4: Create the disavow file

The file must be plain text (.txt) in UTF-8 or 7-bit ASCII, with one entry per line, up to 2 MB and 100,000 lines. Lines starting with # are comments. Example:

# Disavow file for yoursite.com — updated 2026-03-14
# Domains
domain:spammy-links.xyz
domain:cheap-seo-directory.info
domain:link-farm.biz
# Single pages
https://forum.example.org/thread/12345

The easiest way to get the format right is the free disavow file generator: paste your list or export, choose domain or URL level, and download a clean disavow.txt with duplicates removed and your own site protected.

Step 5: Merge with your existing disavow file

This is the step most people miss. Uploading a new file replaces the old one completely — it does not add to it. If you disavowed links before, download the current list from the Disavow Links tool first and merge it into your new file. The disavow file generator has a merge box for exactly this.

Step 6: Upload the file in Google Search Console

1. Open Google’s Disavow Links tool while signed in to Search Console (search “Google disavow links tool”).
2. Select your property from the list. The tool does not support Domain properties — if you only have a Domain property, add a URL-prefix property for your site first.
3. Click Upload disavow list and choose your .txt file.
4. Fix any errors Google reports and upload again.
5. If you have separate http and https properties, Google says to upload a list for each.

What happens after you disavow?

• Google can take a few weeks to process the file, and links are only re-evaluated as they are recrawled.
• Disavowed links still appear in the Search Console Links report — that is normal.
• If you had a manual action, file a reconsideration request explaining what you removed and disavowed.
• To undo everything, open the tool, select the property and choose Cancel disavowals.

Common disavow mistakes

• Disavowing good links because a tool flagged them as “toxic”.
• Uploading a new file without the old entries.
• Disavowing a whole platform domain instead of the exact subdomain.
• Using unsupported formats: domain: example.com with a space, wildcards like *.example.com, or subfolders.
• Uploading to the wrong property, or forgetting the http/https variant.
• Expecting rankings to jump — disavowing removes bad signals; it doesn’t add new ones.

After cleaning up: rebuild with safe links

A disavow only takes bad signals away. To recover and grow, add new natural links: branded podcast backlinks and profile backlinks for a safe foundation, then relevant guest posts. See the best backlinks for new websites for a step-by-step plan.

FAQ

How do I disavow backlinks in Google Search Console?

Create a .txt file listing the URLs or domain: entries you want ignored, then upload it in Google’s Disavow Links tool for your URL-prefix property. The tool does not support Domain properties.

Does uploading a new disavow file replace the old one?

Yes. Each upload replaces the previous list for that property, so always merge your old entries into the new file.

Should I disavow toxic backlinks from Semrush or Ahrefs?

Not automatically. Toxic scores are third-party estimates. Review the links yourself and disavow only clearly spammy, paid or scheme links — especially if you have a manual action.

How long does it take for a disavow to work?

Google says it can take a few weeks to process the file, and links are re-evaluated as Google recrawls them. Any recovery usually shows over weeks to months.

Can I disavow a whole TLD like .xyz?

Yes. Google’s John Mueller said in March 2026 that domain:xyz disavows the entire TLD, but called it a very big hammer. Use it only if almost all links from that TLD are spam.

Can disavowing links hurt my site?

Yes, if you disavow good links. Google calls it an advanced feature that can harm performance when used incorrectly.

How do I remove a disavow file?

Open the Disavow Links tool, select the property and choose Cancel disavowals. You can also upload a new file without the entries you want to keep.