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Surfilby Adam Hafez
Free tool

Meta robots tag generator and X-Robots-Tag builder

Meta robots tag generator: build noindex, nofollow, max-snippet and other rules as a meta tag or X-Robots-Tag header. Free, runs in your browser.

Runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you enter is uploaded, logged or stored.

Directives

Output

Key takeaways
  • Google accepts the same rules in a robots meta tag and an X-Robots-Tag HTTP header, which is why this tool generates both from one input.
  • Google reads the rules case-insensitively and combines several in one comma-separated list; when rules conflict, the more restrictive one applies.
  • noarchive is no longer used by Google Search, because the cached link feature it controlled no longer exists.
  • max-snippet, max-image-preview and max-video-preview shape the snippet of an indexed page, so beside noindex they have nothing to shape.
  • If robots.txt disallows a page, Google never sees its robots meta tag, and the rules in it are ignored.
What it takes
  • Directive checkboxes (noindex, nofollow, none, noarchive, nosnippet, notranslate, noimageindex)
  • unavailable_after date
  • max-snippet character count
  • max-image-preview size
  • max-video-preview seconds
  • Output format (meta tag or HTTP header)
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How to use it
  1. 1Pick the directivesCheck every directive that should apply. Selecting none supersedes noindex and nofollow, since it already means both.
  2. 2Set the parameterized valuesunavailable_after needs a date; max-snippet and max-video-preview take a number, where -1 means no limit; max-image-preview takes a size.
  3. 3Read the warning if one appearsThe tool flags a noindex combined with a snippet-appearance directive, since a page that is not indexed has no snippet to control.
  4. 4Choose meta tag or HTTP headerUse the meta tag in the page's head for HTML pages, or the header form when robots directives need to apply to a non-HTML file like a PDF.
  5. 5Copy the outputPaste the meta tag into the head, or add the header line in your server or CDN config for the matching path.
Tick the rules a page needs and the builder writes the finished line: a <meta name="robots">
tag for the page head, or an X-Robots-Tag: header line for your server or CDN. It runs in your
browser and sends nothing anywhere.


What the builder covers


Every rule and value comes from Google’s robots meta tag specification.


    

  • noindex: do not show the page in search results.
    • 

  • nofollow: do not follow the links on the page.
    • 

  • none: Google’s shorthand for noindex, nofollow. Tick it and the builder drops the separate
noindex and nofollow so the output does not repeat them.
    • 

  • nosnippet: no text snippet or video preview in results.
    • 

  • notranslate and noimageindex: no translated result, and no indexing of the page’s images.
    • 

  • unavailable_after: stop showing the page after a date, picked from a calendar and written
in ISO 8601, a format Google lists as accepted.
    • 

  • max-snippet, max-image-preview and max-video-preview: limits on the snippet.
Google defines max-image-preview as none, standard or large, and max-video-preview in seconds,
where 0 allows at most a static image and -1 means no limit. The builder tags these three as
Google-specific; Google itself notes other search engines may not treat any of these rules the
same way.
    • 

  • noarchive: kept, but labeled “No longer used by Google Search”.
    • 



Not covered: indexifembedded, the default all value, the data-nosnippet HTML attribute and
crawler-specific names such as googlebot. Add those by hand if you need them.


How to read the output


The output box shows one line. With nothing ticked, it says the page indexes and is followed with
no restrictions, which matches Google’s default of all.


A warning appears when max-snippet, max-image-preview or max-video-preview is ticked alongside
noindex or none. The combination is valid, but the snippet rules are inert: a page that is not
indexed has no snippet to shape. Google also says that when rules conflict, the more restrictive
one applies, so noindex wins.


Worked example


The builder opens with noindex ticked and outputs:


<meta name="robots" content="noindex">


Tick max-snippet and max-image-preview, leaving their defaults of -1 and standard. The output
becomes:


<meta name="robots" content="noindex, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:standard">


and the warning reads that max-snippet and max-image-preview control how a snippet looks for an
indexed page, and combined with noindex have no effect. Switch the format to HTTP header and the
same rules come out as:


X-Robots-Tag: noindex, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:standard


Untick noindex and the warning clears, leaving a valid tag for an indexed page with a full-length
snippet and standard image previews.


Common mistakes it prevents


    

  • noindex behind a robots.txt block. Google says a disallowed page’s indexing rules are never
found. Serve the tag or header on a crawlable URL.
    • 

  • Meta tags on files. A PDF has no head, so only the X-Robots-Tag header can carry noindex
for it. Use the header form.
    • 

  • Snippet limits on a noindexed page. The warning catches rules that do nothing.
    • 

  • Relying on noarchive. It no longer changes anything in Google Search.
    • 

  • Hand-typed syntax. The builder writes colons, commas and values in Google’s documented
form, such as max-image-preview:large, so a typo cannot slip in.
    • 




Sources
  1. 1.Robots meta tag, data-nosnippet, and X-Robots-Tag specifications - Google Search CentralPrimary
Common questions
What is the difference between a robots meta tag and X-Robots-Tag?
The meta tag sits in an HTML page's head. X-Robots-Tag is an HTTP response header, so it also works for PDFs, images and other non-HTML files. Google says any rule you can use in the meta tag can also be used in X-Robots-Tag.
What does max-snippet:-1 mean?
Google says -1 lets it choose the snippet length it believes is most effective. max-snippet:0 means no snippet is shown, the same as nosnippet. Any other number is a character limit.
Is noarchive still worth adding?
Not for Google. Google says noarchive is no longer used by Google Search, because the cached link feature it controlled no longer exists. The tool keeps it, marked as retired, because other crawlers may still read it.
What date format does unavailable_after need?
Google accepts widely adopted formats including RFC 822, RFC 850 and ISO 8601. This tool writes the date as ISO 8601, for example unavailable_after 2026-12-31, using the date picker.
Why is my noindex tag being ignored?
The most common reason is a robots.txt disallow on the same URL. Google says that if a page is disallowed from crawling, its indexing rules are never found and are ignored. Allow crawling so the noindex can be read.
Can I target only Googlebot?
Google supports a user agent name in place of robots, such as meta name googlebot. This builder always writes name robots; change the name attribute by hand if you want a Google-only rule.
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