Free Robots.txt Generator — Create Your Robots.txt File | Linkrify
SEO & Crawler Tools

Free Robots.txt Generator — Create Your Robots.txt File Easily

Select your options below. The tool generates a ready-to-use robots.txt file you can copy and upload to your site root.

Ready

Generated robots.txt output

User-agent: *
Disallow: /admin/
Crawl-delay: 2
Sitemap: https://example.com/sitemap.xml

You accidentally blocked Google from your entire site once. Or you've never touched your robots.txt file. Either way, you probably need help.

This linkrify robots.txt generator creates the file for you. Select which bots to target, choose which folders to block, add a crawl delay, and include your sitemap URL. The tool builds the file instantly. Copy it. Upload it to your server. Done.

Below the generator, you'll learn what robots.txt actually does, common directives you'll actually use, and the one mistake that hides your whole site from Google.

What Is Robots.txt?

Robots.txt is a text file sitting in your website's root directory (example.com/robots.txt). It tells search engine crawlers which pages or folders they can access and which they should ignore.

Think of it as a "do not enter" sign for bots. A polite request, not a locked door. Most well-behaved crawlers (Google, Bing, Yahoo) respect it. Malicious scrapers ignore it.

What robots.txt can do

  • Block crawlers from admin pages, login screens, or internal search results
  • Prevent duplicate content from being indexed (like printer-friendly versions)
  • Keep staging or development environments out of search results
  • Point crawlers to your sitemap.xml file
  • Slow down aggressive bots with crawl-delay

What robots.txt cannot do

  • Hide pages from search results if other sites link to them (Google can still index)
  • Block determined scrapers or hackers (they ignore robots.txt)
  • Remove pages already indexed (use noindex meta tags or remove the pages)
  • Protect sensitive data (use password authentication instead)

Common Directives You'll Actually Use

The robots.txt generator uses these standard directives. Here's what each means.

User-agent

Specifies which crawler the rule applies to.
User-agent: * — all crawlers
User-agent: Googlebot — Google's web crawler only
User-agent: Bingbot — Microsoft's crawler only
Most sites use * for everything. Use specific user-agents only when you need different rules for different bots.

Disallow

Tells crawlers NOT to access a specific path.
Disallow: /admin/ — blocks the entire admin folder
Disallow: /private-page.html — blocks a single page
Disallow: /images/ — blocks all images in that folder
Important: Disallow: / blocks your entire site. Don't use this unless you know what you're doing.

Allow

Tells crawlers they CAN access a specific path within a blocked parent folder.
Example:
Disallow: /admin/
Allow: /admin/public-info.html
This blocks the entire admin folder but allows one public page inside it.

Sitemap

Points crawlers to your XML sitemap file.
Sitemap: https://example.com/sitemap.xml
Add this to every robots.txt file. It helps crawlers find all your important pages.

Crawl-delay

Tells bots to wait X seconds between requests. Useful for slowing down aggressive crawlers on shared hosting.
Crawl-delay: 5 — wait 5 seconds between page requests
Googlebot ignores crawl-delay. Use Google Search Console's crawl rate settings instead.

When to Use a Robots.txt File

You don't always need one. An empty robots.txt file (or none at all) works fine for many sites. Use the robots txt generator when you have specific problems to solve.

Block admin pages

User-agent: *
Disallow: /wp-admin/
Disallow: /admin/
Disallow: /cgi-bin/
Search engines don't need to index your login screens. Block them.

Prevent duplicate content

User-agent: *
Disallow: /*?print=true
Disallow: /*?sort=
Parameter-based URLs create duplicates. Block the parameters.

Block staging environments

User-agent: *
Disallow: /
Put this on staging.yoursite.com. Google won't index your test content.

Add sitemap reference

Sitemap: https://example.com/sitemap.xml
Add this even if you have no other rules. Helps crawlers discover your sitemap.

Common Mistakes That Kill Your SEO

One wrong line in your robots.txt file can hide your site from Google. Avoid these errors.

Mistake #1: Disallow: / on your live site

This blocks every crawler from every page. Your site disappears from search results. No warnings. No errors in Search Console. Just gone.
Fix: Never use Disallow: / unless you want to de-index your site.

Mistake #2: Blocking CSS, JS, or image files

Disallow: /css/
Disallow: /js/
Disallow: /images/
Google needs these files to render your pages correctly. Blocking them prevents Google from seeing your mobile layout.
Fix: Don't block assets. Block only admin pages, duplicate content, and parameters.

Mistake #3: Forgetting the sitemap reference

No sitemap means Google discovers your pages slower. New content takes weeks to appear instead of days.
Fix: Add Sitemap: https://yoursite.com/sitemap.xml to every robots.txt file.

Mistake #4: Multiple conflicting rules

Specific user-agent rules override wildcards. But this gets confusing fast. Keep your robots.txt simple.
Fix: Use one User-agent: * section for most rules. Add specific user-agents only when necessary.

Mistake #5: Not testing your file

You wrote rules. You think they work. But did you test?
Fix: Use Google Search Console's robots.txt Tester (under Settings > Crawling). Paste your file. See exactly which URLs are blocked or allowed.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a robots.txt file?
A robots.txt file is a text file in your website's root directory that tells search engine crawlers which pages or folders to access and which to skip. It's a set of instructions, not a security measure.
How do I create a robots.txt file?
Use this robots txt generator free tool. Select your options. Copy the generated output. Save it as "robots.txt". Upload it to your website's root directory (example.com/robots.txt).
Where do I upload the robots.txt file?
Upload it to your website's root folder. That's the same directory where your homepage file (index.html) lives. For WordPress, that's usually /public_html/. For other platforms, check your hosting file manager.
Can I block Google from specific pages?
Yes. Use Disallow: /page-url/ under User-agent: Googlebot. Googlebot will stop crawling those pages. But if other sites link to those pages, Google might still index them without crawling. Use noindex meta tags for stronger blocking.
What's the difference between robots.txt and noindex?
Robots.txt prevents crawling. Noindex prevents indexing (appearing in search results). For sensitive pages, use noindex. Robots.txt only hides pages from crawlers, but Google can still index them if other pages link to them.
Does robots.txt hide my pages from Google?
Not completely. Google can still index a page if other websites link to it, even if your robots.txt blocks crawling. For true removal, use a noindex meta tag or password protection.
What is crawl delay?
Crawl-delay tells bots to wait X seconds between requests. It prevents aggressive crawlers from overloading your server. Googlebot ignores crawl-delay. Use Google Search Console's crawl rate settings for Google.
Should I block ChatGPT or AI crawlers?
That's your choice. OpenAI's GPTBot and other AI crawlers respect robots.txt. Add User-agent: GPTBot followed by Disallow: / to block them. Most sites allow AI crawlers. Some block them. No SEO impact either way.
Can I have multiple sitemap references?
Yes. List each sitemap on its own line. Example: Sitemap: https://example.com/sitemap1.xml then Sitemap: https://example.com/sitemap2.xml. Crawlers read all of them.
How do I test my robots.txt file?
Use Google Search Console's robots.txt tester (under Settings > Crawling). Paste your file. Enter a URL from your site. The tool shows whether that URL is allowed or blocked. Test every rule before uploading.
What happens if I don't have a robots.txt file?
Nothing bad. Google assumes all pages are allowed. Your site works fine. Add a robots.txt file only when you need specific rules (blocking admin pages, adding a sitemap reference, etc.).
Can I block bad bots with robots.txt?
Well-behaved bots respect robots.txt. Malicious bots ignore it. For real protection, use a firewall or .htaccess rules. Robots.txt stops honest crawlers, not attackers.
Is this robots.txt generator free?
Yes. No sign-up. No limits. Generate as many files as you need. Copy the output. Upload it to your site.
XML Sitemap Generator → Page Speed Checker → SSL Checker → Backlink Checker →

Generate Your Robots.txt File Now

You've got the tool at the top of this page. Select your rules. Copy the output. Upload to your site root. Test it in Google Search Console.
One wrong rule can hide your site. One correct rule can protect your admin pages and speed up crawling. Use the robots txt generator to get it right the first time.

Next, generate an XML Sitemap to help Google find all your pages. Check your Page Speed — fast sites get crawled more often. And run the SSL Checker to ensure your site loads securely before bots crawl it.

Powered by Linkrify — 28+ free tools, no sign‑up required.