WordPress Sitemap: Where It Is and How to Fix and Submit It

Where is my WordPress sitemap? It depends on what builds it. WordPress itself (version 5.5 and later) publishes one at /wp-sitemap.xml. Yoast SEO and Rank Math replace it with /sitemap_index.xml, and All in One SEO uses /sitemap.xml. If you’re not sure, open yoursite.com/robots.txt and look for a Sitemap: line.

Find Your WordPress Sitemap

We checked a live site for each option on September 25, 2026:

All three plugins build a sitemap index: a short file that links to one sitemap per content type, such as posts, pages and categories. Always submit the index, not the individual files.

The Built-in WordPress Sitemap

According to the WordPress 5.5 release notes, the core sitemap lives at /wp-sitemap.xml and covers public post types, public taxonomies, author archives and the homepage. Each sitemap file holds up to 2,000 URLs, and WordPress adds the sitemap to the robots.txt it serves. It needs no setup.

Its limit is control: there is no settings screen. You change what it includes with filters, for example in a small plugin:

// Leave a post type out of the core sitemap
add_filter( 'wp_sitemaps_post_types', function ( $post_types ) {
    unset( $post_types['my_post_type'] );
    return $post_types;
} );

// Leave out specific posts
add_filter( 'wp_sitemaps_posts_query_args', function ( $args, $post_type ) {
    if ( 'post' === $post_type ) {
        $args['post__not_in'] = array( 123, 456 );
    }
    return $args;
}, 10, 2 );

// Turn the core sitemap off (only if another tool makes one)
add_filter( 'wp_sitemaps_enabled', '__return_false' );

The core sitemap doesn’t know which pages an SEO plugin has marked noindex, so leave such pages out with the query-args filter, or let an SEO plugin build the sitemap instead.

Yoast, Rank Math or All in One SEO?

Any of them is fine, and each one switches off the core sitemap and publishes its own, with settings screens for which content types and taxonomies to include and extras such as image entries. What matters is running one SEO plugin. Two plugins can each publish a sitemap, and if you submit both, you give Google two lists to reconcile.

Keep Thin URLs Out of the Sitemap

WordPress creates archive pages automatically, and they end up in the sitemap unless you exclude them. Review these before you submit:

• Tag and category archives with only a few posts. They repeat content that already exists on the posts themselves. Exclude the taxonomy, or use fewer tags.
• Author archives on a site with one author. They duplicate the blog index.
• Attachment pages, one per uploaded image. WordPress 6.4 and later turn them off by default on new sites; older sites keep them unless you or your SEO plugin turn them off.
• Leftover custom post types from plugins you no longer use. Their content can still sit in the database and appear in the sitemap. Run wp post-type list with WP-CLI to see what is registered.

Submit Your WordPress Sitemap to Google and Bing

1. In Google Search Console, open Sitemaps.
2. Enter the index path (wp-sitemap.xml, sitemap_index.xml or sitemap.xml) and click Submit.
3. In Bing Webmaster Tools, submit the full URL under Sitemaps, or import your site from Search Console.

If you switch SEO plugins, the sitemap URL usually changes. Remove the old sitemap in Search Console and submit the new one.

Common WordPress Sitemap Problems

The sitemap returns a 404

First check Settings → Reading. If "Discourage search engines from indexing this site" is ticked, WordPress hides the site from search: since version 5.3 it adds a noindex robots tag, and the core sitemap is switched off. Untick it. If the setting is fine, go to Settings → Permalinks and click Save Changes without changing anything; this rebuilds the rewrite rules that serve the sitemap URL.

You see two sitemaps

Two SEO plugins are active, or a plugin’s sitemap is running next to one you added by hand. Keep one generator and submit only its index.

The sitemap lists pages you marked noindex

This happens when the core sitemap is in use but noindex comes from somewhere else. Either filter those pages out of the core sitemap or let your SEO plugin build the sitemap so the two settings agree.

New posts are missing

Plugins and caching layers can serve an older copy. Clear your SEO plugin’s sitemap cache and any page cache, then reload the sitemap.

Multisite Networks

Each site in a multisite network has its own sitemap, for example site1.example.com/sitemap_index.xml or example.com/site1/sitemap_index.xml. Submit each site separately in Search Console rather than combining them. See WordPress multisite sitemaps for the details.

Check the Result

Open your sitemap index, then one of the files it lists, and spot-check a few URLs. For an outside check, the free sitemap finder reads your robots.txt, loads the sitemap it points to, and tests 30 of its URLs for 404s, redirects, noindex tags and canonical problems.

Related Guides

• WordPress Multisite Sitemap Guide
• WordPress SEO Guide
• Robots.txt Disallow All: Block All Crawlers Safely
• How to Submit a Sitemap to Google
• Drupal Sitemap: Which Module to Use and How to Set It Up
• Joomla Sitemap: Create an XML Sitemap with OSMap