---
title: How to Hide or Show the Back Button by Page or URL
description: "Hide or show the WordPress back button by page or URL: keep it off the homepage or show it only when a URL parameter is present. Pro."
url: "https://wpfactory.com/docs/hide-or-show-back-button-by-url-or-page/"
updated: "2026-09-27"
category: Pro Features
---

# How to Hide or Show the Back Button by Page or URL

To control where the back button appears, use the conditional options in [Back Button Anywhere Widget for WordPress](https://wpfactory.com/item/back-button-widget-wordpress-plugin/). These are Pro features: you can keep the button off your homepage, hide it when a specific URL parameter is present, or show it only when a parameter is present.

### Before you start

- [Back Button Anywhere Widget for WordPress](https://wpfactory.com/item/back-button-widget-wordpress-plugin/) Pro, activated. On the free version these fields are visible but disabled, and the rules do not run.

### Hide on the front page

In the **Back Button** widget (Appearance > Widgets), set **Hide on front page** to **Yes**. The button then renders on every page except your site's front page.

### Hide when a URL parameter is present

Use **Hide on URL param** and its value field to hide the button on URLs that carry a specific query parameter. For example, to hide the button whenever the URL contains `?noback=1`:

- **Hide on URL param:** `noback`
- **Param value:** `1`

Any page requested with `?noback=1` then hides the button.

### Show only when a URL parameter is present

The shortcode also supports the reverse: `show_on_url_param` and `show_on_url_param_value`. With these set, the button is hidden everywhere *except* URLs that carry the matching parameter and value. This is useful when you only want a back button on pages reached from a particular flow.

```
[alg_back_button show_on_url_param="from" show_on_url_param_value="results"]
```

Here the button appears only when the URL includes `?from=results`.

### Options and attributes reference

| Widget field / attribute | Key | Effect |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Hide on front page | `hide_on_front_page` | Hides the button on the site front page. |
| Hide on URL param | `hide_on_url_param` | Query parameter name that triggers hiding. |
| Param value | `hide_on_url_param_value` | Value the parameter must equal to hide. |
| Show on URL param (shortcode) | `show_on_url_param` | Show the button only when this parameter is present. |
| Show on URL param value (shortcode) | `show_on_url_param_value` | Value that parameter must equal to show. |

**Note:** Hide on front page and Hide on URL param are available as widget fields. Show on URL param is available as a shortcode attribute. All of them only take effect on the Pro version.

### Troubleshooting

- **Rules have no effect:** confirm you are on the Pro version. The fields are disabled on free.
- **Button never shows with show_on_url_param:** that is expected until the matching parameter and value are in the URL.

### Ready to set this up?

Hide and show rules are Pro features of [Back Button Widget](https://wpfactory.com/item/back-button-widget-wordpress-plugin/). Upgrading takes a couple of minutes and unlocks them along with menu placement and the floating button. [Get Back Button Widget Pro](https://wpfactory.com/item/back-button-widget-wordpress-plugin/).

Related articles

- [How to Add a Floating Back Button](https://wpfactory.com/docs/add-floating-back-button/)
- [How to Add the Back Button to a WordPress Menu](https://wpfactory.com/docs/add-back-button-to-wordpress-menu/)
- [Back Button Widget: Free vs Pro Versions Compared](https://wpfactory.com/docs/pro-vs-free-versions-back/)
- [Back Button Widget Pro for WordPress](https://wpfactory.com/docs/back-button-widget-pro/)
- [How to Translate the Back Button](https://wpfactory.com/docs/translate-the-back-button/)