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How to Enable or Disable WordPress Cron (WP-Cron)

Enable or disable the internal WP-Cron system in wp-config.php to manage background tasks and email delivery.

WordPress includes a built-in pseudo-cron system known as WP-Cron that handles scheduled events, such as publishing scheduled blog posts, checking for plugin updates, and processing Icegram Express email batches.

Disabling WP-Cron (When Using a Server Cron)

If you have configured a real system-level cron job via cPanel or Plesk, you can disable internal WP-Cron execution to reduce page load overhead for visitors.

Open your site’s wp-config.php file and add the following line above the /* That's all, stop editing! */ comment:

define('DISABLE_WP_CRON', true);

Re-Enabling WP-Cron

If you ever need to restore default WordPress cron behavior:

define('DISABLE_WP_CRON', false);

Or simply delete the define('DISABLE_WP_CRON', true); line from wp-config.php.