{"id":9928,"date":"2026-06-07T20:53:19","date_gmt":"2026-06-07T18:53:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/?post_type=manual_kb&#038;p=9928"},"modified":"2026-06-07T20:53:20","modified_gmt":"2026-06-07T18:53:20","slug":"how-to-disable-wp-cron-php-in-wordpress","status":"publish","type":"manual_kb","link":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/how-to-disable-wp-cron-php-in-wordpress\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Disable wp-cron.php in WordPress"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"translation-block translation-block-merged\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WordPress uses a file called <code>wp-cron.php<\/code> to perform scheduled tasks such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Publishing scheduled posts<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Checking for WordPress, plugin, and theme updates<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sending email notifications<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Running maintenance tasks<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Executing plugin-specific scheduled actions<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By default, WordPress triggers <code>wp-cron.php<\/code> every time someone visits your website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div id=\"mybox-4022476791\" class=\"mybox-content mybox-entity-placement\"><div class=\"early-access-banner-inpost\">\r\n  <div class=\"banner-left-inpost\">\r\n    <div class=\"icon-box-inpost\">\r\n      <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/square-info-icon.svg\" alt=\"Info\">\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"text-box-inpost\">\r\n      <span class=\"label-inpost\"><span class=\"translation-block translation-block-banner-text\">Early access<\/span><\/span>\r\n      <h4><span class=\"translation-block translation-block-banner-text\">Still need help?<\/span><\/h4>\r\n      <p><span class=\"translation-block translation-block-banner-text\">Contact our customer service team.<\/span><\/p>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <div class=\"banner-right-inpost\">\r\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/panel.mybox.com\/helpdesk2\/v\/list\/\" class=\"banner-button-inpost\"><span class=\"translation-block translation-block-banner-text\">Message us<\/span><\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"translation-block translation-block-merged\"><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For low-traffic websites, this approach works well. However, on busy websites, repeated execution of <code>wp-cron.php<\/code> can increase CPU usage and negatively affect website performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A more efficient solution is to disable the built-in WordPress cron system and replace it with a real server-side cron job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_86 ez-toc-wrap-left counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/how-to-disable-wp-cron-php-in-wordpress\/#1_Disable_wp-cronphp_in_WordPress\" >1. Disable wp-cron.php in WordPress<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/how-to-disable-wp-cron-php-in-wordpress\/#2_Create_a_CRON_Task_in_Mybox_Panel\" >2. Create a CRON Task in Mybox Panel<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/how-to-disable-wp-cron-php-in-wordpress\/#Profile\" >Profile<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/how-to-disable-wp-cron-php-in-wordpress\/#Program\" >Program<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/how-to-disable-wp-cron-php-in-wordpress\/#URL\" >URL<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/how-to-disable-wp-cron-php-in-wordpress\/#Interval\" >Interval<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/how-to-disable-wp-cron-php-in-wordpress\/#Benefits_of_Using_a_Server-Side_CRON\" >Benefits of Using a Server-Side CRON<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/how-to-disable-wp-cron-php-in-wordpress\/#Summary\" >Summary<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Disable_wp-cronphp_in_WordPress\"><\/span>1. Disable wp-cron.php in WordPress<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Connect to your hosting account using FTP or SSH and locate the <code>wp-config.php<\/code> file in your website&#8217;s root directory (usually <code>public_html<\/code>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Open the file for editing and add the following line before the comment:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>\/* That's all, stop editing! Happy publishing. *\/\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Add:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>define('DISABLE_WP_CRON', true);\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>define('DISABLE_WP_CRON', true);\n\n\/* That's all, stop editing! Happy publishing. *\/\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Save the file after making the change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This prevents WordPress from executing cron tasks whenever a visitor loads a page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Create_a_CRON_Task_in_Mybox_Panel\"><\/span>2. Create a CRON Task in Mybox Panel<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Log in to your Mybox Panel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From the left-hand menu, navigate to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>Advanced \u2192 CRON Jobs\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Click <strong>Add Task<\/strong> and configure the task as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Profile\"><\/span>Profile<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Select:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>Every 5 minutes\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Program\"><\/span>Program<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Select:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>Wget\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"URL\"><\/span>URL<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Enter your website address using the following format:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>https:&#47;&#47;yourdomain.com\/wp-cron.php?doing_wp_cron\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Replace <code>yourdomain.com<\/code> with your actual domain name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>https:&#47;&#47;example.com\/wp-cron.php?doing_wp_cron\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Interval\"><\/span>Interval<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Select:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>Every 5 minutes\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For most websites, a 5-minute interval is sufficient. Websites with very frequent scheduled tasks may require a shorter interval.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Finally, click <strong>Add Task<\/strong> to save the cron job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Benefits_of_Using_a_Server-Side_CRON\"><\/span>Benefits of Using a Server-Side CRON<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Replacing WordPress&#8217;s built-in cron system with a real cron job offers several advantages:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Reduced server load<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Improved website performance<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>More reliable execution of scheduled tasks<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Better scalability for high-traffic websites<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Fewer timeout and resource usage issues<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Summary\"><\/span>Summary<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To optimize WordPress scheduled tasks:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Disable the built-in WordPress cron system by adding:<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>define('DISABLE_WP_CRON', true);\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">to the <code>wp-config.php<\/code> file.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"2\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Create a server-side CRON task in the Mybox Panel that calls:<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>https:&#47;&#47;yourdomain.com\/wp-cron.php?doing_wp_cron\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">every 5 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This ensures that scheduled WordPress tasks continue to run reliably while reducing the performance impact on your website.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","manualknowledgebasecat":[25],"manual_kb_tag":[4277,4505,4506,4507,4508,4509,4510,4511,4512,3991],"class_list":["post-9928","manual_kb","type-manual_kb","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","manualknowledgebasecat-hosting","manual_kb_tag-cron-job","manual_kb_tag-wordpress-cron","manual_kb_tag-wp-cron","manual_kb_tag-wp-cron-php","manual_kb_tag-disable-wp-cron","manual_kb_tag-disable-wp-cron-php","manual_kb_tag-server-side-cron","manual_kb_tag-server-side-cron-job","manual_kb_tag-real-cron-job","manual_kb_tag-scheduled-tasks"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb\/9928","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/manual_kb"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb\/9928\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9929,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb\/9928\/revisions\/9929"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9928"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"manualknowledgebasecat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manualknowledgebasecat?post=9928"},{"taxonomy":"manual_kb_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb_tag?post=9928"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}