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Are URLs submitted to Google in a disavow file excluded from the list of external links in Google Search Console?

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Dani AI

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A short clarification for and : the disavow file tells Google you want specific backlinks ignored when evaluating your site, but it does not remove those links from Google's records or necessarily from the Search Console Links report. In practice that means you can (and often will) still see disavowed URLs in Search Console even after uploading a disavow. See Google's official guidance on the disavow tool for details:

Why that happens: Search Console's Links report is a snapshot of what Google has discovered crawling the web. Disavowing is an instruction for ranking/assessment, not a deletion request. Common reasons you still see links include uploading the disavow to the wrong property (http vs https, www vs non-www vs a domain-scoped property), using incorrect file formatting, or simply waiting — Google needs to recrawl and reprocess signals.

Quick, practical checklist

  • Confirm the disavow file is attached to the exact Search Console property you care about.
  • Use the correct format (one entry per line; use domain: when you mean the whole domain).
  • Attempt manual removal first (contact webmasters) and use disavow only as a last resort.
  • Allow time for reprocessing; persistent appearance in the Links report does not necessarily mean the disavow failed.

If you want, post the property type and a sanitized sample of the disavow file and I can point out any obvious issues.

Member Avatar for Amarjeet_1

Yes, URLs submitted to Google in a disavow file are excluded from the list of external links in Google Search Console. The disavow file is used by website owners to tell Google not to take certain links into account when evaluating the website's link profile. By submitting URLs to the disavow file, website owners are effectively asking Google to ignore those links, and they will not be included in the list of external links in Google Search Console. However, it's important to note that using a disavow file should be a last resort and should only be used when there is no other way to remove harmful links pointing to a website.

Member Avatar for Dani

Yes, URLs submitted to Google in a disavow file are excluded from the list of external links in Google Search Console.

It's very odd that you say that. After I posted this question yesterday, I went on to do some more research trying to find an answer. I ended up coming across someone posting on another forum that, months after submitting their disavow file, they recovered from their penalty, but the disavowed links still showed up in their list in Google Search Console.

Is your response based on your own first-hand experience or did you just read it somewhere?

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