Preload Image Warning

Question

I am getting a warning about a preload link for a background image on WordPress most likely caused by a previously installed theme or by a current Elementor theme kit.

The warning states that this preloaded link does not actually load the image in the required timeframe and throws an error. I do not need it to preload. How do I remove the link statement? If possible I would like to use a function or filter added to my child theme functions.php file?

The statement that causes the error is as follows (changed to generic names):

<link rel="preload" href="https://www.website_name.com/wp-content/uploads/blog-image.jpg" as="image">

I am using WordPress with Elementor and the Hello Elementor theme and child theme.

I looked at the Elementor Settings from the dashboard and turned off Features > Element Caching. It made no difference. So then I tried clearing the browser cache and purging the cache at Hostinger, ny website host.

Then I checked the Elementor "Page Transitions" feature, which has a "Preloader" option that can be set to use an image. It was off.

I read that a function can be added to find and remove the link statement but I am unsure how to do that.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

MWMoriarty · Accepted Answer · 2025-10-22 00:41:09Z

What I did to resolve my issue with the preloaded image that was generating a warning was to remove the link statement altogether. To accomplish this I added a function that scans the header section of the website for that link statement, removes it and then reloads the remaining code. I added the following code to my child theme functions.php file and that solved the problem. No more warnings:

/**
 * Starts an output buffer at the beginning of the <head> to capture its content.
 */
function my_start_head_buffer() {
    // Start buffering all output
    ob_start('my_filter_head_output');
}
add_action('wp_head', 'my_start_head_buffer', 0);

/**
 * Takes the captured <head> content, removes the specific preload link,
 * and then prints the cleaned HTML.
 */
function my_filter_head_output($buffer) {
    // The specific link tag we want to remove.
    // Be very precise with the string.
    $target_link = '<link rel="preload" href="https://www.website_name.com/wp-content/uploads/blog-home.jpg" as="image">';
    
    // Remove the target link from the buffer
    $buffer = str_replace($target_link, '', $buffer);

    // Return the cleaned buffer
    return $buffer;
}

/**
 * Flushes the final, cleaned <head> content to the browser.
 */
function my_end_head_buffer() {
    // End buffering and send the filtered output to the browser
    if (ob_get_level() > 0) {
        ob_end_flush();
    }
}
add_action('wp_head', 'my_end_head_buffer', 9999);

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