How to Remove the WPML Language Switcher From the Footer (Including the Credit Link)

A language switcher in your footer can make a polished WordPress site feel oddly unfinished—especially when it appears alongside a WPML credit link you never intended to show. The good news: removing it will not remove your languages, translations, or multilingual SEO setup. It simply changes where, or whether, visitors see the control.

The catch is that there is no single “footer switcher” setting to undo. A switcher may have been placed through WPML’s settings, a widget area, a block, a shortcode, or your theme’s footer template. That is why a search for wpml remove language switcher from footer can lead to fixes that work perfectly for one site and do nothing on another.

There is also an important distinction between the language selector and a separate WPML credit link. They can appear together, but they are not necessarily controlled by the same option—so removing one does not always remove the other.

First, Identify How the WPML Footer Language Switcher Was Added

The fastest way to remove the wrong footer element is to assume nothing. A language switcher can look like a standard WPML feature while actually coming from a widget, a menu, or a few lines of theme code. Before you try to wpml remove language switcher from footer, identify its source. That also prevents you from deleting the switcher only to find the WPML credit link still sitting underneath it.

Check WPML’s Languages settings

Start in WPML → Languages. This is where WPML lists the language switchers it is configured to display, including locations such as a menu, widget area, shortcode, and the built-in footer placement. Review each enabled location rather than switching off settings at random.

If a Footer language switcher is active here, disable that specific option and save. Then clear any page or server cache and check the public site. If the switcher disappears, you have found the source. If it remains, WPML’s default footer setting was not responsible.

Inspect the footer in WordPress Appearance settings

Classic WordPress themes often place footer content through Appearance → Widgets. Look through footer widget areas for a WPML language switcher widget, a Custom HTML widget containing a shortcode, or a navigation widget that points to a language menu.

Block themes work differently. Open Appearance → Editor, select the footer template part, and inspect its blocks. A Language Switcher block, shortcode block, or reusable pattern may be responsible. Remove only that block, then save the template part.

Look for a switcher added by your theme or developer

Not every footer switcher is controlled in WPML. Some themes include a language selector in their own footer settings; others add it as a footer menu item or render it with a WPML shortcode. A developer may also have inserted PHP directly into a footer template.

If WPML and Appearance settings reveal nothing, check the active theme’s footer options and menus first. For a custom-coded site, search theme files for WPML switcher functions or language-switcher shortcodes. This is the common reason a “removed” switcher keeps returning after you change WPML settings.

How to Remove the WPML Language Switcher From the Footer

A footer switcher is not always created in the same place, which is why deleting one widget often changes nothing. To wpml remove language switcher from footer, first identify how it was added, then remove only that placement. Your header or mobile switcher can remain intact.

Disable the built-in Footer language switcher in WPML

1. In the WordPress dashboard, go to WPML → Languages.
2. Find the Language switchers section and locate the switcher assigned to the footer or site-wide footer location.
3. Open its settings and disable that location, or use the remove/delete option for that individual switcher.
4. Save the changes, clear any page or server cache, and check the live site in an incognito window.

This is also the first place to check when the footer displays a WPML credit link beside the switcher. Removing the configured footer switcher usually removes that output with it; do not hide it with CSS before confirming the setting is gone.

Remove a switcher from a widget, block, or footer menu

If WPML has no footer location enabled, inspect the footer itself. Go to Appearance → Widgets and delete the WPML language switcher widget from the footer area. On block themes, open Appearance → Editor, edit the Footer template part, select the Language Switcher block, and remove it.

For a classic footer menu, visit Appearance → Menus, choose the footer menu, then remove the language-switcher item or custom link. Save the menu. These changes affect that footer placement only, not other WPML switchers.

Remove a shortcode or PHP function from a custom footer

Custom themes can print the switcher directly. Search your child theme’s footer template, custom template parts, or snippets plugin for WPML-related shortcodes, such as a language-switcher shortcode, or PHP calls including wpml_add_language_selector. Remove the relevant line, save, and test.

Back up the site first. Editing a parent theme is a mistake because updates overwrite changes; use a child theme or ask a developer if the footer code is unfamiliar.

How to Remove the WPML Credit Link Separately

Turn off the credit in the language switcher settings

A WPML credit link and a footer language switcher are related only when the switcher itself is configured to display that credit. That distinction matters: removing the switcher is overkill if you only want to remove one linked line of text.

In the WordPress dashboard, open WPML’s language switcher settings and edit the switcher assigned to the footer. Look for an option concerning a WPML credit, attribution, or a link to WPML’s website. The exact label can vary by WPML version and switcher type. Disable it, save the configuration, then clear any page, object, and CDN caches before checking the public footer in a private browser window.

This is the cleanest answer when the goal is to wpml remove language switcher from footer credit text without changing the visitor-facing language controls.

Check whether the credit is part of the theme footer

If the link remains after changing WPML settings, assume nothing. Footer credits are often manually added during a site build, especially on older WordPress installations.

Check Appearance settings for footer widgets, footer-builder sections, and theme footer options. With block themes, inspect the Footer template part in the Site Editor. With a classic theme or child theme, review files such as footer.php and any custom template used by the page builder. Search for “WPML,” the link URL, or the visible credit wording. If it appears there, remove the markup from the template rather than altering WPML.

Avoid hiding the link with CSS unless necessary

CSS can make a credit invisible, but it leaves the link in the page HTML. That can confuse future editors, complicate troubleshooting, and leave an unnecessary element for crawlers and assistive technologies. Use CSS only as a short-term workaround when you cannot edit the relevant setting or template. A settings-based or template-based removal is more durable—and actually removes the link.

Test the Change Without Breaking Your Multilingual Site

Clear caches and test every language

A footer edit can look successful in your browser while visitors still see the old switcher for hours. After you wpml remove language switcher from footer, purge every cache layer you use: WordPress caching plugins, host or server cache, and any CDN such as Cloudflare. Then open the site in a private browser window and check the footer in every active language.

Do this on desktop and mobile. A switcher hidden by a theme setting or CSS rule may still appear at a responsive breakpoint, especially in mobile footer menus.

Keep an accessible way to change languages

Removing a duplicate footer control is sensible; removing every route between languages is not. Confirm that visitors can find a working language switcher in an intentional location, such as the header, primary navigation, sidebar, or a dedicated utility menu.

Test it as a visitor would: switch from one language to another, confirm the destination is correct, and make sure the control has a clear text label or accessible language name rather than relying on flags alone.

Confirm that URLs and multilingual SEO still work

A footer switcher is presentation, not the engine behind WPML. Removing it should not change translated posts, language-specific URLs, or WPML’s hreflang output. Still, verify a few important translated pages after publishing the change.

• Open the original and translated versions of a page.
• Check that each language URL resolves without redirects or 404 errors.
• View page source to confirm hreflang tags remain present.
• Test one product, archive, or contact page if your site uses them.

Translate WPML content with more control over costs

For sites already committed to WPML, LATW AI Translator for WPML is an add-on that can translate posts and pages through your own supported AI or translation-provider API credentials. It requires WPML and enhances its existing multilingual setup; it does not replace WPML’s language routing, switcher, or translation relationships. That BYOK approach can give teams more direct control over automation spend while retaining the workflow they already use.

Leave the Footer Clean Without Losing Language Access

To wpml remove language switcher from footer safely, first identify what placed it there: WPML’s own footer settings, your theme, a widget area, a block, a navigation menu, or custom code. The visible switcher and its credit link are not always controlled by the same setting, so treat them as separate elements rather than assuming one change will remove both.

Once you publish the change, check the site on desktop and mobile in every active language. Make sure visitors can still find a clear, working way to change languages—whether that is in the header, menu, or another intentional location. A cleaner footer is only an improvement when every visitor can still find their way.