Disavow File.

A disavow file is a plain text file listing URLs or domains that you want Google to ignore when evaluating your backlink profile. Submitted through Google Search Console's Disavow Links tool, it tells Google: 'don't count these links as votes for my site'. It's used when a site has accumulated harmful backlinks—from link schemes, spam sites, or negative SEO attacks—that may be causing algorithmic or manual action penalties.

When to Use the Disavow Tool

The disavow tool should be used sparingly and only when: you have received a manual action for unnatural links; you have a significant volume of clearly spammy links that you cannot remove through outreach (contacting the linking sites and requesting removal); or you have strong evidence that toxic links are suppressing your rankings. Google's own guidance is that most sites will never need to use the disavow tool—the algorithm discounts most spam links automatically.

How to Create and Submit a Disavow File

The disavow file is a plain text file (.txt) with one URL or domain per line (domain-level disavow: `domain:spammydomain.com`; page-level: the full URL). Prepare by: downloading your backlink profile from Ahrefs or SEMrush; auditing each linking domain for quality; marking spam or manipulative links for disavowal; and building the text file with only clearly toxic links. Submit through Search Console > Links > Disavow. The file replaces any previous disavow submission—always maintain a master version.