Slug-Free Permalinks

• You do not want to think about slugs every time

  Reduce the work of choosing and maintaining slugs whenever you publish posts or add categories and tags.

• You want shorter URLs for multilingual content

  Avoid long encoded URLs and switch to stable ID-based URLs that stay readable even when titles change.

• You want titles and URLs to be separate

  Later title or slug edits are less likely to force URL changes.

• Choose post types individually

  You can target only the post types you need, including custom post types.

• Choose taxonomies individually

  Categories and custom taxonomies can also be switched one by one.

• Two URL formats

  Choose either `/post/123/` or `/post-123/`.

• Optional redirects from old slug URLs

  When needed, old slug URLs can be redirected to the new ID-based URLs with 301 redirects.

• Keeps language and path prefixes

  Prefixes added by plugins such as Polylang, including `/en/`, can stay in place.

• Refreshes permalink settings on save

  Permalink settings are refreshed when the plugin settings are saved.

• Latest stable release

  The current public release is `1.4.6`.

• WordPress

  Works on WordPress 5.8 or later and is tested up to WordPress 7.0.

• PHP

  Works on PHP 7.4 or later.

1. Open `Plugins > Add New` in your WordPress admin.
2. Search for `Slug-Free Permalinks`.
3. Click `Install Now`, then activate the plugin.
4. Open `Settings > Slug-Free Permalinks` and choose post types, taxonomies, and the URL format you want.

For manual installation, download the latest ZIP from GitHub and upload it from `Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin` in your WordPress admin.

• Does this change every post type automatically?

  No. Only the public post types you explicitly check in the settings screen are affected.

• Does it support pages?

  No. Pages are intentionally excluded because many WordPress sites already rely on custom page URL structures, and removing slugs there can cause collisions, especially with pagination such as `/page/2/`.

• Does it support taxonomies too?

  Yes. Public taxonomies can also be switched to ID-based URLs when you select them in the settings.

• Will it redirect every old URL?

  No. Redirects are handled only when WordPress can already resolve the target content.

• Why not search by slug on every 404?

  Because that approach can create unnecessary database queries, especially on sites with heavy bot traffic. The plugin avoids adding that overhead on each 404.

• Can it work with language directory URLs such as `/en/`?

  Yes. The ID-based URL is generated from the site home, and language-directory plugins can add their prefixes on top of that path.

• Can a post type and taxonomy share the same slug?

  That is not recommended. Shared slugs make WordPress routing more likely to collide.

• If a post type and taxonomy share the same name, URL routing can collide.
• If your site already has many published pages and wide slug-based URL usage, review backlinks, search traffic, social shares, and editorial workflow before adoption.

• 1.4.6

  Confirmed compatibility with WordPress 7.0.

• 1.4.4

  Improved consistency for ID-based permalinks with language-directory URLs, with or without Polylang.

• 1.4.0

  Renamed the plugin to `Slug-Free Permalinks` and added the optional redirect setting for legacy slug URLs.

Full release history is available on WordPress.org and GitHub Releases.

• WordPress.orgDistribution page, supported versions, and reviews.
• GitHubSource code, releases, and development status.
• Background articleAn article about why I built it and how I approached the design.
• ContactUse this for feedback or usage-related questions.