Free Robots.txt Generator
Control exactly how Google, Bing, and other search engines crawl your website. Create, test, and validate your robots.txt file online for free — with live preview and a built-in path tester.
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User-agent: *
Disallow: /wp-admin/
Allow: /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php
User-agent: Googlebot
Disallow: /private/
Sitemap: https://site.com/sitemap.xmlEverything you need to manage crawl access
Our robots.txt generator tool goes beyond basic generation — validate your syntax and test your rules before going live.
Smart Generator
Build your rules visually without memorizing syntax. Supports custom user-agents, allow/disallow rules, crawl delay, and sitemap inclusion — all with live output.
Syntax Validator
Catch errors before they reach production. Our validator flags formatting mistakes, duplicate rules, missing sitemaps, and overblocking issues in real time.
Path Tester
Not sure if a specific page is blocked? Enter any URL path to see exactly whether your current rules allow or disallow crawler access — and which rule is responsible.
What is a robots.txt file?
A robots.txt file is a plain text file placed at the root of your website (for example, yoursite.com/robots.txt). It instructs search engine crawlers — like Googlebot or Bingbot — which parts of your site they are and aren't permitted to visit. This follows an industry-wide standard called the Robots Exclusion Protocol, and virtually every major crawler respects it.
While it doesn't strictly prevent pages from appearing in search results, it does control whether crawlers can read the content. This distinction matters: a page you block in robots.txt can still be listed in Google if other sites link to it — Google just won't see the content. To prevent indexing entirely, you need a noindex directive in the page HTML itself. The robots.txt standard is supported by major search engines like Google and Bing, making it a universally reliable way to communicate your crawl preferences.
Crawling vs. Indexing — What's the difference?
Crawling is when a search engine visits your page to read its content. Indexing is when it adds that page to its database of results. Robots.txt controls crawling, not indexing. If a crawler is blocked from a page but other sites link to it, the page can still appear in results — just without any content preview.
Why crawl budget matters
Search engines allocate a limited number of crawl requests per site per day — often called crawl budget. If your site has thousands of low-value pages (like filtered product listings, printer-friendly versions, or admin panels), crawlers may spend their budget on those instead of your important content. A well-configured robots.txt file helps direct that budget toward the pages that actually matter for your rankings.
Why do search engines respect robots.txt?
They follow robots.txt rules voluntarily. There's no technical enforcement — it's an industry convention. Reputable crawlers like Googlebot and Bingbot honor it because it protects website owners and prevents servers from being overloaded. Spam bots and scrapers generally do not respect these rules, so robots.txt should not be treated as a security measure.
Why use a robots.txt generator?
Writing a robots.txt file manually is error-prone. A single typo — like Disalow instead of Disallow — will cause the rule to be silently ignored. A missing space or incorrect wildcard pattern can accidentally block your entire site from Google.
Using a robots.txt generator tool ensures your syntax is correctly formatted from the start. Our tool gives you a visual interface, real-time preview, and a validator that catches mistakes before you deploy anything.
Common robots.txt mistakes to avoid
- Overblocking with Disallow: / — This tells every crawler to avoid your entire site. It's one of the most damaging SEO errors and is easy to do by accident.
- Case-sensitive paths —
/Adminand/adminare treated as different paths. Your rule won't match if the casing is wrong. - Missing sitemap — Always include the full URL to your XML sitemap. This helps search engines find and prioritize your content.
- Blocking CSS and JavaScript — This prevents Google from rendering your pages correctly, which affects how your content is understood and ranked.
- Conflicting Allow/Disallow rules — When a broad Disallow conflicts with a specific Allow, the order and specificity of rules determines which one wins. This varies between crawlers.
How to use this robots.txt generator
- Open our robots.txt generator tool.
- Choose a quick mode — Allow All, Block All, or Custom Rules.
- If custom, select which bots to target (Googlebot, Bingbot, or all bots with
*). - Enter paths to allow or disallow (e.g.,
/admin/,/private/). - Paste your XML sitemap URL in the Sitemap field.
- Review the live preview and check the validator for any warnings.
- Copy or download your file and upload it to your site's root directory.
Need a starting point? Browse our robots.txt examples library for ready-to-use templates, or read the best practices guide for deeper guidance.
Real-world robots.txt examples
Four practical configurations for the most common website types. Copy any of these and adapt them using our free robots.txt builder, or browse the full examples library.
WordPress Site
Blocks the admin panel while keeping admin-ajax.php accessible for plugins.
User-agent: *
Disallow: /wp-admin/
Allow: /wp-admin/admin-ajax.php
Disallow: /wp-includes/
Sitemap: https://yoursite.com/sitemap.xmlE-commerce Store
Blocks cart, checkout, and search results — pages that waste crawl budget and add no indexable value.
User-agent: *
Disallow: /cart/
Disallow: /checkout/
Disallow: /my-account/
Disallow: /?s=
Sitemap: https://yourstore.com/sitemap.xmlSite with Private Sections
Keeps admin and login pages out of reach while allowing everything else to be indexed normally.
User-agent: *
Disallow: /admin/
Disallow: /login/
Disallow: /dashboard/
Sitemap: https://yoursite.com/sitemap.xmlBasic Open Site
The simplest setup — allows all crawlers full access. Ideal for blogs or portfolios with nothing to restrict.
User-agent: *
Allow: /
Sitemap: https://yoursite.com/sitemap.xmlFrequently Asked Questions
Straightforward answers to common robots.txt questions. For a deeper dive, read our best practices guide.
What is a robots.txt file?
A robots.txt file is a plain text file placed at the root of your website (e.g., yoursite.com/robots.txt) that tells search engine crawlers which pages or sections they're allowed to visit. It follows the Robots Exclusion Protocol — a long-standing standard respected by Google, Bing, and most other major crawlers.
How do I create a robots.txt file?
The easiest way is to use our free robots.txt generator — choose a template, configure your rules using the visual interface, and copy or download the result. If you prefer to write it manually, start with 'User-agent: *', followed by 'Allow: /' to allow all crawlers, and end with a 'Sitemap:' line pointing to your XML sitemap URL.
Do I need a robots.txt file?
Not always, but it's a good idea to have one. Without a robots.txt file, search engines will crawl your entire site by default. If you have admin panels, staging environments, duplicate content, or private sections, a robots.txt file is the right way to tell crawlers to stay out. For most websites, at minimum you should use it to point to your sitemap.
Where should I place my robots.txt file?
Your robots.txt file must be placed in the root directory of your domain — at yoursite.com/robots.txt. It won't work from a subdirectory like yoursite.com/blog/robots.txt. After uploading it, you can verify it's accessible by visiting that URL directly in your browser.
Can robots.txt stop Google from indexing my pages?
It can stop Google from crawling pages, but not necessarily from indexing them. If other websites link to a blocked page, Google can still include it in search results — just without content. To prevent indexing, you should use a noindex meta tag or X-Robots-Tag header in addition to (or instead of) robots.txt rules.
What happens if I accidentally block everything?
If you add Disallow: / under User-agent: *, you're telling every crawler to stay away from your entire site. This is one of the most common and damaging robots.txt mistakes — it can cause your site to disappear from search results over time. Always use our generator's live preview and validator to catch this before you deploy.
How do I add a sitemap to robots.txt?
At the end of your robots.txt file, add a line like: Sitemap: https://yoursite.com/sitemap.xml — replacing the URL with your actual sitemap address. This helps search engines discover and index your pages more efficiently. Our generator includes a dedicated field for this so you don't have to add it manually.
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