How to Disable Right Click and Copy in WordPress (and What It Can't Stop)

To disable right click in WordPress, install ExtenderX, open ExtenderX → Site Enhancements → Content Protection and turn on Disable Right Click — plus Disable Copy, Disable Image Drag or Disable Inspect if you want them. It deters casual copying. It can't make copying impossible, so use it selectively and pair it with watermarks and web-sized images for work that matters.

Why people disable right click

• Original writing being lifted onto other sites.
• Photography and artwork being saved and reused.
• Recipes, course material or premium content being shared without permission.

These are real problems. Content protection makes copying less convenient for the casual visitor, which is often enough to stop it.

What it can't stop

Be clear-eyed about this before you switch it on. Anything a browser can display, a visitor can save:

• View source or the browser's save-page option.
• Reader mode and "print to PDF".
• Screenshots of text and images.
• Turning JavaScript off, which disables most protection scripts.
• Scrapers, which read your HTML directly and never right-click.

So protection is a speed bump. ExtenderX's own documentation says the same: these controls "deter casual copying rather than guaranteeing it is impossible".

Option 1: ExtenderX (free)

ExtenderX includes five content-protection controls, all free and each independent:

1. Install ExtenderX from Plugins → Add New.
2. Go to ExtenderX → Site Enhancements → Content Protection.
3. Turn on only the controls you need, and save.
4. Test in a private window — as an admin you may see different behaviour.

Option 2: WP Content Copy Protection & No Right Click

WP Content Copy Protection & No Right Click (100,000+ active installs) is the most-installed dedicated option. According to its readme, it combines JavaScript and CSS techniques to block right click, text selection and copy shortcuts, lets you control who can copy, and includes a free Protection Center that counts blocked actions. Watermarking images is in its Pro version.

Pick it if: you want a dedicated protection plugin with reporting on what was blocked.

From its WordPress.org readme as of October 27, 2026. Disclosure: WPXERO makes ExtenderX.

The costs of blocking copy

Before switching on Disable Copy site-wide, weigh what it breaks for honest visitors:

• Quoting and sharing. People who want to link to you and quote a sentence can't.
• Translation. Visitors who paste text into a translator can't.
• Accessibility. Some assistive tools and people with motor or cognitive disabilities rely on selecting text. Blocking it works against the rest of your accessibility efforts.
• Forms and code. Customers can't copy an order number, an address or a code snippet from a tutorial.

A sensible middle ground: Disable Image Drag and Disable Right Click on a photography site, but leave text selection on — or protect only where it matters.

Better ways to protect your work

• Upload web-sized images. A 1600px image is fine on screen and far less useful for print. Keep your originals offline.
• Watermark images that matter — a visible but tasteful mark in a corner.
• Copyright metadata. Most photo tools add your name and copyright to the file's metadata on export.
• Excerpts in feeds. Under Settings → Reading, show an excerpt rather than the full text in your RSS feed, which scrapers often copy.
• Canonical links. Your SEO plugin's canonical tag tells search engines yours is the original.
• Takedown notices. If someone republishes your work, a DMCA notice to their host or a report to search engines is the remedy that actually removes it.

Which approach fits?

ExtenderX's protection controls sit alongside its other free tools — an accessibility toolbar, dark mode, back to top and more. See the ExtenderX plugin page for the full list.