You can remove the What Is PayPal link at WooCommerce checkout by filtering the gateway icon output specifically for the PayPal gateway, stripping the explanatory link while keeping the payment method’s icon intact.
Why Remove This Link From Checkout
- The link opens a popup explaining PayPal, which can distract or send customers away from completing their purchase
- Most shoppers today are already familiar with PayPal and don’t need the explanation
- A cleaner checkout with fewer optional distractions can support better conversion rates
Step 1: Find the Filterable Hook
WooCommerce’s PayPal gateway class generates its icon (including the “What is PayPal?” link) through a function that passes its output through the woocommerce_gateway_icon filter — this is exactly the hook you need to intercept.
Step 2: Strip the Link, Keep the Icon
/**
* Remove the "What is PayPal?" link from the PayPal gateway icon
* Add to your child theme's functions.php
*/
add_filter( 'woocommerce_gateway_icon', 'remove_what_is_paypal_link', 10, 2 );
function remove_what_is_paypal_link( $icon_html, $gateway_id ) {
if ( 'paypal' === $gateway_id ) {
$icon_html = preg_replace( '/<a.*?<\/a>/', '', $icon_html );
}
return $icon_html;
}Troubleshooting
The Icon Disappears Along With the Link
The regular expression above targets only the anchor tag portion of the output. If your PayPal integration’s markup structure differs (some third-party PayPal plugins format this differently), inspect the actual HTML and adjust the pattern to match precisely.
The Change Doesn’t Apply to a Different PayPal Gateway Plugin
This filter targets WooCommerce’s native PayPal Standard gateway ID (paypal). Third-party PayPal plugins (like PayPal Payments) often register under a different gateway ID, so check and adjust the ID comparison accordingly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will this break PayPal’s payment processing?
No, this only strips a piece of explanatory link markup from the visual display — the actual payment gateway functionality is completely unaffected.
Can I remove similar informational links from other gateways?
Yes, the same woocommerce_gateway_icon filter fires for every gateway, so you can add additional conditions for other gateway IDs as needed.
Is there a setting to do this without code?
Not natively within WooCommerce’s core PayPal Standard settings — this specific link is hardcoded into the gateway class, so a filter is the standard approach.
Conclusion
The woocommerce_gateway_icon filter is the correct way to remove the What Is PayPal link at WooCommerce checkout while keeping the PayPal icon itself visible. Double-check the gateway ID if you’re using a third-party PayPal plugin, since it may differ from WooCommerce’s native paypal ID used in this example.
See also How to Change the PayPal Icon on the WooCommerce Checkout Page. Then read The Best PayPal Gateway Plugin for WooCommerce.
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