Free SEO Tool

Robots.txt Checker

Fetch any site's robots.txt, read its rules and sitemaps, and test whether a URL is allowed or blocked for Googlebot and other crawlers.

We fetch example.com/robots.txt through Numarr's own server. Robots.txt controls crawling, not indexing.

Checks
Test a URL against the rules
Sitemaps declared
Rule groups
Raw robots.txt

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How to use the robots.txt checker

  1. Enter a website URL (or switch to paste mode) and click Check robots.txt.
  2. Review the rules, sitemaps, and any warnings the checker flags.
  3. Use the tester to confirm whether a specific URL is allowed or blocked for a crawler.

What is a robots.txt file?

Robots.txt is a plain text file at the root of a domain (for example example.com/robots.txt) that tells search engine crawlers which parts of the site they may or may not crawl. It's made up of groups, each targeting one or more user-agents, with Allow and Disallow rules and, often, a link to the site's XML sitemap.

Crawling is not the same as indexing

An important gotcha: robots.txt controls crawling, not indexing. Blocking a URL stops crawlers from reading it, but the page can still appear in search results if other pages link to it. To keep a page out of search entirely, use a noindex meta tag instead, and don't block it in robots.txt.

Frequently asked questions

What is a robots.txt file?

A text file at your domain's root that tells search engine crawlers which parts of the site they can and can't crawl.

Does robots.txt stop a page from being indexed?

No. It controls crawling, not indexing. To keep a page out of search results, use a noindex meta tag rather than a Disallow.

Where should the robots.txt file live?

At the root of the domain, at /robots.txt. It only applies to that exact host and protocol.

What does "Disallow: /" mean?

It blocks crawlers from the entire site for the matching user-agent. Use it carefully, since it can remove your whole site from search over time.

How do Allow and Disallow rules interact?

The most specific rule wins, based on the length of the matched path. If an Allow and a Disallow match equally, the Allow takes priority.

Should I list my sitemap in robots.txt?

Yes. A Sitemap line pointing to your XML sitemap helps crawlers discover all of your pages.

Why is a blocked page still showing in Google?

Because robots.txt only stops crawling. A blocked URL can still be indexed from links, which is why noindex is the right tool for removing pages.

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