How to Disavow Links in Bing Webmaster Tools

By Emily Redmond, Data Analyst at Emilytics · April 2026

TL;DR: Use Bing's Disavow Links tool to tell Bing "ignore these backlinks." Create a .txt file listing domains or URLs, upload it, and Bing will exclude them from ranking calculations.

What Is Link Disavowal?

Link disavowal tells Bing: "Ignore these links. Don't count them toward my domain authority."

Use it for:

• Spam links pointing to you
• Low-quality directory links
• Paid links you didn't earn
• Links from hacked sites
• Links from irrelevant industries

Important: Disavow is a last resort. Only use it for links that actually harm your site. Most links you can ignore without disavowing.

When to Disavow Links

Do Disavow:

• Spam comment links (casino, pharma, etc.)
• Paid links from suspicious sources
• Links from unrelated industries (you're a financial site, links from gambling sites)
• Links from hacked sites
• Links from link networks
• Links with unnatural anchor text (50+ links with exact keyword anchor from irrelevant sites)

Don't Disavow:

• Links from low-authority but legitimate sites
• Links with generic anchor text
• Links from sites that didn't respond to removal requests (try removal first)
• Old links (Bing usually ignores them anyway)

💡 Emily's take: I disavowed links for a client who had been hit by a negative SEO campaign. Someone bought links pointing to their site from casinos and gambling sites. The client wasn't responsible, but the links were hurting their credibility. Disavow file fixed it within a month—rankings recovered.

How to Disavow Links in Bing Webmaster Tools

Step 1: Export Your Backlinks Report

Go to Backlinks in Bing Webmaster Tools.

Look at your backlinks and identify ones you want to disavow.

Note the domain or full URL.

Step 2: Create a Disavow File

Create a .txt file with one domain or URL per line:

# Domains to disavow
casino-links.com
pharma-spam.ru
poker-site.net

# URLs to disavow
https://example-spam.com/page1
https://example-spam.com/page2

Format:

• domain.com – Disavow all links from this domain
• https://domain.com/page – Disavow only links from this specific page
• # comment – Add notes (optional)

Step 3: Upload to Bing Webmaster Tools

Go to Disavow Links (under "Tools & Settings").

Click Upload a disavow file.

Select your .txt file and upload.

Bing will process it within a few hours. You'll see confirmation.

Step 4: Monitor Results

After uploading, check:

• Your ranking after 1–2 weeks
• Crawl errors decrease
• Domain authority improves (if you use a third-party tool)

Disavow File Format: Best Practices

Example 1: Disavow Multiple Domains

domain1.com
domain2.com
domain3.com
domain4.com

This tells Bing to ignore all links from these four domains.

Example 2: Disavow Specific URLs

https://spam-site1.com/page1
https://spam-site1.com/page2
https://spam-site2.com/page3

This tells Bing to ignore only these three URLs (but still count links from other pages on spam-site1.com).

Example 3: Mix Domains and URLs

# Spam casino network
casino1.com
casino2.com

# Specific pages from otherwise legitimate site
https://example-site.com/bad-page
https://example-site.com/another-bad-page

Disavow vs. Remove

Before disavowing, try removing:

1. Contact the linking site – Ask them to remove the link
2. Use Google Search Console's removal tool – Works for some sites
3. Wait for natural link decay – Links disappear over time

Only disavow if:

• You can't find the linking site
• Site won't respond to removal requests
• Links are clearly spam and damaging your domain

Common Disavow Mistakes

Mistake 1: Disavowing Good Links

Problem: You disavow legitimate links thinking they're spam.

Fix: Only disavow links that are clearly harmful. When in doubt, don't disavow.

Mistake 2: Disavowing Too Broadly

Problem: You disavow an entire domain when only one page has spam links.

Fix: Disavow specific URLs instead. This way, if that domain publishes good content later, you can count it.

Mistake 3: Not Reviewing Before Disavowing

Problem: You upload a disavow file without reviewing the links.

Fix: Always review Bing's backlinks report first. Verify they're actually harmful before listing them.

Mistake 4: Forgetting to Remove Spam Links First

Problem: You disavow spam but never remove the comment/link from the source site.

Fix: If possible, contact the linking site and remove the link. Disavowing is backup.

Monitoring Your Disavow File

Monthly Checklist

• Check if links were removed naturally (look at Backlinks report)
• Check if new spam links appeared (need to add to disavow file)
• Monitor rankings (did disavow help?)
• Review disavow file (can you remove old entries?)

Updating Your Disavow File

If you disavow 50 links and later want to add 10 more:

1. Create a new disavow file with all 60 links
2. Upload the new file (it replaces the old one)
3. Bing processes the new file

Or create a second file and upload it separately (Bing can handle multiple disavow files).

Disavow in Bing vs. Google Search Console

Both support the same disavow file format, so you can use one file for both platforms.

Advanced: Creating a Negative SEO Disavow Strategy

If you're hit by a negative SEO campaign (spammers buying links to your site):

1. Export all backlinks from Bing Webmaster Tools
2. Analyze for spam signals:
   • Unrelated industries
   • Suspicious anchor text
   • Same link text 30+ times
   • Links from casino, pharma, dating sites
   • Links from obvious link networks
3. Create disavow file with spam domains
4. Upload to Bing
5. Repeat monthly (spammers may continue buying links)
6. Monitor rankings (should recover in 2–4 weeks)

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Will disavowing links hurt my rankings?

A: No. Disavowing harmful links helps your rankings. You're telling Bing to ignore bad links, not good ones.

Q: How long does it take for disavow to work?

A: Bing processes the file within hours, but ranking improvements take 1–4 weeks. Be patient.

Q: Can I undo a disavow?

A: Yes. Delete the lines from your disavow file, upload a new version, and Bing will re-evaluate those links.

Q: Should I disavow low-authority links?

A: Only if they're clearly spam or harmful. Low-authority links from legitimate sites don't need disavowing.

Q: Can I disavow links from my own site?

A: Yes, but unusual. This would be for internal linking mistakes (if your internal links are pointing to pages you don't want indexed).

Q: Does Bing notify me when the disavow file is processed?

A: Yes. You'll see confirmation in the Disavow Links tool. Check back after uploading.

The Bottom Line

Use Bing's Disavow Links tool to ignore spam backlinks. Create a .txt file listing domains or URLs, upload it, and Bing will exclude them from your ranking calculations. Only disavow links that are clearly harmful. For most low-authority links, you can safely ignore them without disavowing.

Emily Redmond is a data analyst at Emilytics — the AI analytics agent watching your GA4, Search Console, and Bing data. 8 years of experience. Say hi →