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How to add X-Frame-Options on WordPress

Last updated · Reviewed by a CISSP-certified security practitioner

To add X-Frame-Options on WordPress, set the header in functions.php (child theme) or a headers plugin with the value DENY. Prevents your site being embedded in iframes (clickjacking). Clear page caches (plugin + CDN) and curl -I your homepage. Then confirm it with curl -I or a free FixSecurityHeaders scan.

What does X-Frame-Options do?

X-Frame-Options (or the modern CSP frame-ancestors) tells browsers whether other sites may put your pages inside an iframe.

Risk if missing: Attackers can overlay your page invisibly and trick users into clicking buttons (clickjacking) — e.g. changing settings or confirming payments.

What is the WordPress configuration?

Add this to functions.php (child theme) or a headers plugin:

functions.php (child theme) or a headers plugin
<?php
// Child theme functions.php (or a small mu-plugin)
add_action('send_headers', function () {
    header('X-Frame-Options: DENY');
});

How do I add it step by step?

  1. Open functions.php (child theme) or a headers plugin.
  2. Paste the X-Frame-Options configuration shown below.
  3. Clear page caches (plugin + CDN) and curl -I your homepage.
  4. Run curl -I https://yourdomain.com and look for the x-frame-options line.
  5. Scan your site on FixSecurityHeaders to confirm the grade improved.

How do I verify it worked?

terminal
curl -sI https://yourdomain.com | grep -i "x-frame-options"
# expected:
# x-frame-options: DENY

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What are the common mistakes?

  • Use SAMEORIGIN if your own site frames its pages.
  • ALLOW-FROM is obsolete; use CSP frame-ancestors for allow-lists.
  • If CSP frame-ancestors is present, modern browsers ignore X-Frame-Options.
  • Prefer setting headers at the web server (nginx/Apache) — PHP headers don't apply to static files.
  • Page-cache plugins may serve cached responses without your headers until purged.

Quick reference

HeaderX-Frame-Options
Recommended valueDENY
StackWordPress
Wherefunctions.php (child theme) or a headers plugin
ComplianceOWASP ASVS V14.4.7, NIST 800-171 3.13.1, CMMC SC.L2-3.13.1

FAQ

What value should I use for X-Frame-Options?

A safe default is DENY. Use SAMEORIGIN if your own site frames its pages.

Why isn't X-Frame-Options showing up on WordPress?

Prefer setting headers at the web server (nginx/Apache) — PHP headers don't apply to static files. Also clear any CDN or page cache, and check you edited the config that actually serves your domain.

Does X-Frame-Options affect SEO or performance?

No measurable performance cost — it's a few bytes per response. It doesn't affect rankings directly, but a misconfigured policy can break page resources, so test before enforcing.

Which compliance frameworks reference X-Frame-Options?

OWASP ASVS V14.4.7, NIST 800-171 3.13.1, CMMC SC.L2-3.13.1.

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