Troubleshooting

Fixing the things that go wrong: getting back in when you are locked out, recovering a site after a failed update, emails that never arrive, images that will not upload, comments that do not appear, and tracking down the plugin or theme behind a broken page.

6 articles

What to do when an image will not upload

You picked a photo, clicked upload, and nothing landed in your library — almost every refused image comes down to one of three things: the file is bigger than your site accepts, WordPress does not recognise the file type, or the uploader itself gave up partway. Work through the checks below in order; the first two fix most cases.

5 checks Troubleshooting

What to do when you are locked out of your site

You know your site, but it won't let you in. A rejected login is almost always one of a few familiar causes — work through the steps below in order and you'll be back inside in a few minutes.

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Why emails from your site never arrive

Password resets, comment notifications, welcome emails for new users — they all leave your site the same way. When none of them turn up, the answer is usually sitting in two settings screens and one quick test.

4 checks Troubleshooting

What to do when an update breaks your site

An update goes wrong, and suddenly your site won't load. Take a breath — WordPress catches that kind of failure on its own and emails you a link that gets you back into your dashboard, no files to touch.

5 checks Troubleshooting

Tracking down what is breaking your page

When a page suddenly looks wrong or won't load, the cause is almost always a plugin or your theme — not the page itself. This guide walks you through turning things off to find a working page again, then turning them back on one at a time until you catch the culprit.

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Why your comments are not showing up

If a comment isn't showing up on your site, it's almost always sitting in one of three places in your dashboard. Here's how to find it and get it published.

3 checks Troubleshooting