You just ran your website through an SEO audit tool or a security scanner. Everything looks green, except for one scary-sounding red alert:
“Missing HTTP Header: X-Frame-Options”
Or perhaps:
“X-Frame-Options Policy Not Set”
If you are not a developer, your first instinct might be to ignore it. Don’t. This isn’t just a technical glitch; it is an open door for hackers to use your website against your own visitors.
The good news? You don’t need to be a coding wizard to fix it. In fact, you can solve this problem in about 2 minutes.
Here is the Inspired Monks guide to fixing X-Frame-Options the easy way.
First: What Is This Error and Why Is It Dangerous?
To understand the fix, you need to understand the threat. This header protects your site from a specific attack called “Clickjacking.”
The “Invisible Trap” (Clickjacking)
Imagine a hacker builds a website that offers “Free iPhones.” When a user visits that site, the hacker places your website inside a transparent (invisible) frame on top of their “Claim Prize” button.
- The user thinks they are clicking “Claim Prize.”
- In reality, they are clicking a button on your site (like “Buy Now” or “Delete Account”) that was hidden underneath.
The X-Frame-Options header is essentially a “Do Not Disturb” sign. It tells browsers: “Do not allow other websites to display my site inside a frame.”
The Old Way: The “Code” Method (Avoid This)
If you search for a solution online, most tutorials will tell you to edit your .htaccess file or your functions.php file.
They will ask you to paste code like this: Header always append X-Frame-Options SAMEORIGIN
Why this is risky:
- If you miss a semicolon or a space, your entire website can crash.
- It requires FTP access or file manager skills.
- It’s hard to manage if you ever do want to allow a specific partner to frame your site.
The New Way: The “No-Code” Solution
At Inspired Monks, we realized that essential security shouldn’t require a Computer Science degree. That’s why we developed tools to handle this automatically.
Step 1: Use a Dedicated Security Headers Plugin
Instead of editing server files, you can use a lightweight plugin that “injects” these security rules for you.
We recommend using our own HTTP Security Header Plugin. It was built specifically for this purpose, it’s lightweight, free of bloat, and doesn’t slow down your site.
How to do it:
- Install & Activate: Go to your WordPress Dashboard > Plugins > Add New. Upload/Install the Inspired Monks HTTP Security Header Plugin.
- Navigate to Settings: Find the “Security Headers” tab in your admin panel.
- Locate “X-Frame-Options”: You will see a simple dropdown menu.
- Select “SAMEORIGIN”:
- What this means: “Only pages on my own website can frame my content.” (This is the safest and most common setting).
- Click Save.
That’s it. You are now protected against Clickjacking.
Step 2: Verify the Fix
Never assume a security fix worked—always test it.
You don’t need a complex audit tool for this. We created a free, instant scanner for our community.
- Go to the Inspired Monks HTTP Security Header Online Scanner.
- Enter your website URL.
- Look for the X-Frame-Options row. It should now be Green and say
SAMEORIGIN.
Troubleshooting: “I Still See the Error!”
If you installed the plugin but the scanner still shows an error, here are the two most common culprits:
- Caching Plugins: If you use WP Rocket, W3 Total Cache, or Cloudflare, you might be seeing an “old” version of your site. Clear your cache and scan again.
- Hosting Overrides: Some budget hosting providers force their own headers on your site. If the plugin doesn’t work, contact your host’s support and ask them: “Can you please enable X-Frame-Options: SAMEORIGIN at the server level?”
Summary
Security headers like X-Frame-Options are the “seatbelts” of your website. You hope you never need them, but you are crazy to drive without them.
You don’t need to risk crashing your site with code snippets. Use the right tools, lock the door against hackers, and get back to business.
