How to Disavow Backlinks (Safely) in Google: A Complete Guide for 2025

If your backlink profile looks like a yard sale of spam links, resist the panic. Most search engines already ignore obvious junk. You only reach for the google disavow tool when there’s real risk. In this guide I’ll show you how to disavow backlinks the right way, when to use the disavow tool, how to create a clean disavow file, and how to submit it in Google Search Console without tanking your search rankings.

Short truth: Disavow is an advanced feature. Use it wrong and you can negatively impact your site’s performance. Use it right and you can resolve manual actions tied to unnatural links and move on. Check out our link removal service if you don’t want to do it yourself.

When you should (and shouldn’t) disavow

Google’s official stance is clear. You usually don’t need to disavow backlinks unless you have a considerable number of manipulative links that either caused a manual action or are likely to do so. Examples include selling backlinks, old link schemes, or agency-built bad backlinks pointing at money pages. First try removals; disavowing links is plan B.

Google also says its systems work hard to prevent third-party bad links from hurting a website. The December 2022 link spam update supercharged SpamBrain to neutralize the impact of unnatural links in google search results. Translation: junk often gets ignored already, which is why blindly uploading a disavow list based on a tool’s toxicity score is a waste of time.

And yes, John Mueller has repeated variations of this for years. He’s even hinted the disavow feature may disappear “at some point,” and quipped that if you weren’t buying links, don’t disavow.

One more note on disavow tools: Bing removed its disavow feature in 2023, so this guide targets Google only. Bing Removed Disavow Tool

Step 0: Confirm you actually need to act

Open your google search console account and check the Manual Actions report. If you see a manual action for unnatural links, you need a plan: remove what you can, then disavow the rest. If you don’t have a manual action, pause and read the next section before you do anything dramatic. Reconsideration reviews can take several days or weeks, so set expectations with stakeholders.

Step 1: Run a focused backlink audit (ignore the noise)

You’re looking for toxic backlinks you actually want to disavow – not every weird url you don’t recognize. Here’s how to identify toxic links without chasing your tail.

• Start in GSC’s links report to spot domains and anchors. Remember: it’s a sample, not a full inventory of links or backlink profiles. Use it for patterns, not forensics.
• Cross-check with Ahrefs, Semrush, or Moz. Pull backlink exports and sort by anchor, DR/AS, and page type.
• Flag patterns that violate Google’s guidelines:
  • Paid placements or selling backlinks, “guest post” networks, PBNs.
  • Sitewide footer links with exact-match anchors.
  • Blog networks of unrelated content built for link exchange.
  • Coupon/aggregator spam targeting your brand.
  • Hacked websites auto-injecting junk urls.
• Separate spammy backlinks (Google likely ignores) from link schemes you or a vendor created. The second bucket is where disavow toxic backlinks makes sense.

Mojo Tip: while you’re here, shore up internal links to your strongest pages. Fixing architecture and earning good backlinks improves search engine rankings more than obsessing over low quality links you can’t control.

Step 2: Try removals first

Google expects a good-faith attempt to clean up bad links. Email site owners. Ask for removal or rel=”nofollow”/”sponsored”. Keep receipts. If someone demands payment, skip it and move on. You’re documenting effort for your reconsideration narrative if you have to appeal a manual action.

Step 3: Create your disavow file (get the format right)

Now we build the text file Google actually reads. This is where many SEO professionals mess up. The format matters.

• Use a txt file encoded in UTF-8 or 7-bit ASCII.
• Put one url or domain per line.
• To disavow an entire domain (or subdomain), prefix with domain:. Example: domain:example.com.
• You can’t disavow a subpath (like /blog/), only specific urls or an entire domain.
• File name ends with .txt.
• Limits: ≤100,000 lines (including blank lines and comments) and ≤2MB.
• Comments start with #.
• Keep a changelog so you always know what’s in your new disavow file versus last month’s file.

Example skeleton you can copy:

- Disavow list built after backlink audit on 2025-08-09
- Paid guest-post network we couldn't remove
domain:spun-articles.info
domain:shadyguestblog.net

- Specific spammy links that violate google's guidelines
https://spam.example.com/buy-links.html
http://another-spam.tld/listings/cheap-seo.html

A few guardrails:

• Prefer domain: when you see patterns. If a network is dirty, disavow an entire domain instead of whack-a-mole on individual pages.
• Don’t paste a thousand spammy links from a tool because of a toxicity score. That’s not a Google metric.
• Keep quality links off this list. Over-disavowing can potentially harm search rankings by signaling away equity you actually earned.

Step 4: Upload and submit in Google Search Console

Ready to upload? Go to the Disavow Links page in GSC and choose the correct property. Important nuance: the disavow links tool does not support a domain property. You must use the matching URL-prefix property for the site you’re protecting. If you have both http and https, or m. vs www., double-check you’re in the right one.

• Submit your txt file. If there are errors, GSC shows them and your old list stays in place.
• A successful upload can take weeks to recrawl and reflect in google search results.
• Disavowed links still appear in the links report. That’s normal.
• If you mess up, you can Cancel Disavowals and start over with a corrected disavow file. Check Google disavow documentation.

Step 5: If you had a manual action, request reconsideration

When your cleanup is real — removals attempted, disavow list uploaded – open the Manual Actions report and request review. Be specific:

• What happened (e.g., legacy agency ran link schemes in 2021).
• What you removed vs. what you disavowed.
• Evidence: outreach screenshots, spreadsheet of domains, dates.
• What you changed to prevent this again.

Reviews often take several days or weeks. Don’t spam multiple requests; you’ll get email on receipt and completion.

Aftercare: what to watch and what to build

Post-upload, track:

• Manual action status in GSC.
• Recovery in impressions, clicks, and page traffic for the impacted site sections.
• New backlink profiles over time. Are fresh low quality links pointing your way? If yes, document, but don’t overreact.

Parallel track: improve the things that do move search engine rankings:

• Publish content that earns quality links from relevant websites.
• Build smart internal links with descriptive anchors.
• Fix UX issues and on-page clarity that help search engines understand your website.
• Use PAA (related questions) to expand sections that deserve depth.

Remember: SpamBrain already neutralizes a lot of spammy links. The lift usually comes from better content and better links, not bigger disavow lists.

Common mistakes (and easy fixes)

1) Disavowing based on a tool’s Toxicity Score.
A third-party toxicity score isn’t a Google rule. If you didn’t build bad links, you probably don’t need to disavow. Even Googlers say most sites should ignore spammy backlinks.

2) Treating GSC’s Links report as a full inventory.
It’s a sample to help you understand your backlink profile, not a crawl of every url. Use it for patterns, then verify across tools.

3) Messing up file format.
Your text file must be UTF-8 or 7-bit ASCII, one url or domain: per line, capped at 100k lines (including blank lines) and 2MB. Name ends with .txt.

4) Uploading to the wrong property.
You can’t disavow at the domain property level. Use the correct URL-prefix property for each protocol/host you need to protect.

5) Expecting overnight changes.
Even perfect disavow tools work on Google’s recrawl schedule. Budget weeks.

6) Thinking disavow will fix a core update drop.
If your content is thin or off-topic, disavowing links won’t save you. Align to Google’s ranking systems and improve helpfulness.

Real-world examples of “such links” to nuke

Here’s how I decide which toxic links to target:

• A cluster of exact-match anchors from directories with unrelated content.
• Obvious selling backlinks pages (“write for us, $100 + dofollow”).
• A PBN overlapping IPs/CMS/themes with identical page templates.
• Sitewide footers from templated themes linking to your “cheap seo services” url.
• Coupon or scraper websites inserting fake offers and pointing at your products.

I’ll try removal, then disavow toxic backlinks at the domain: level.

Quick checklist (copy this into your SOP)

• Confirm manual action or clear risk from link schemes.
• Audit, separate noise from threats.
• Attempt removals, document.
• Create the disavow file correctly (UTF-8 txt file, one url per line, use domain: to disavow an entire domain).
• Upload in the correct GSC property (not domain property).
• Submit reconsideration if needed and wait.
• Monitor, then invest in good backlinks, content, and internal links.

Final word

Use the disavow tool like a scalpel, not a shovel. If you built bad links, fix them. If you didn’t, focus on content, quality links, and internal links that help search engines understand your site. When you truly want to disavow, follow the steps above, keep the file clean, and let Google do the heavy lifting.

FAQ

Do I need to disavow random blog comments and scraper links?
Usually no. Google can often ignore those, and says most sites never need the tool. Use it when unnatural links trigger manual actions or are likely to.

What if my agency built hundreds of guest posts with exact-match anchors?
That’s squarely in link schemes territory. Attempt removals, then disavow persistent domains. Add proof when requesting reconsideration.

Can I upload a disavow at the domain-wide level in GSC?
No. The disavow links page works per URL-prefix property. It does not support a domain property.

Why do disavowed domains still show in my Links report?
That’s expected. The links report is for visibility; it’s not a signal that those disavowed links still count. Processing the list takes time.

Does Bing still have a disavow tool?
No. It was removed in October 2023.