WordPress Changes Not Showing? 11 Easy Fixes

When you make changes to your WordPress site, you expect them to appear immediately. But sometimes, updates don’t show. This is disturbing, if you have updated your theme, changed CSS styles, added new posts, or modified plugins. You may keep refreshing the page, but the changes won’t appear.

This issue happens because of caching, outdated files, or other technical reasons. Your browser, WordPress cache, or even your web hosting provider may be storing an old version of your website. Sometimes, a conflict between plugins or incorrect settings could be the cause.

If this is the case with you and you’re facing the “WordPress Changes Not Showing” issue, fix it quickly so visitors can see the latest version of your site.

This tutorial explains the most common reasons why WordPress changes not showing. We’ll also share step-by-step solutions to fix this problem quickly. By the end, you’ll know how to clear caches, troubleshoot plugin conflicts, and ensure your website always displays the latest updates.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Caching is usually the main reason if WordPress changes not showing.
• Clear browser, WordPress, server-side, and CDN caches to display the latest changes.
• Outdated or conflicting plugins or themes can sometimes stop updates from showing. Updating or temporarily disabling them can fix the issue.
• Incorrect visibility settings or user permissions may prevent some users from seeing updates, so check post visibility and assigned roles.
• When the WordPress site URL is incorrect in settings, changes may not be reflected correctly. Checking and updating the correct URL can solve this issue.
• Hardcoded URLs in theme files or CSS can block updates. Using relative paths or dynamic URLs ensures WordPress always loads the latest version.
• Coding errors in HTML, CSS, or PHP can break site updates. Also, if you don’t save changes properly before exiting, this can lose updates.
• Double-check the URL and file name you’re trying to access before editing them.

Why WordPress Changes Not Showing

Below are the most common reasons for WordPress updates not showing:

• Browser Cache Issues
• WordPress Cache Plugins
• Server-Side Caching
• Content Delivery Network (CDN) Cache.

Other possible causes include:

• Theme or Plugin Conflicts
• Incorrect Visibility and Permission Setup
• Wrong Site URL in WordPress Settings
• Hardcoded URLs in Theme or CSS
• Coding Errors
• Unsaved Updates
• Editing Wrong File.

When WordPress changes not showing, it’s usually due to one of the above reasons. The good news is that these problems are simple to fix – clear cache, update plugins, and check your site’s settings.

In the next section, we explain how to help you fix it when WordPress page not updating quickly and have your WordPress site display updates correctly. Let’s move on.

11 Ways to Fix WordPress Changes Not Showing

This section covers multiple ways to resolve the problem when WordPress updates not showing, from clearing different types of cache to fixing theme conflicts, correcting URLs, and ensuring changes are correctly saved. Let’s go through each solution step by step below:

Clear Browser Cache

Every time you visit a website, your browser saves some of the page’s data, like images, scripts, and styles. This is called caching, and it helps websites load faster. However, when you update your WordPress site, your browser may still show the old cached version instead of the new changes.

In this case, clearing the browser cache removes these saved files, forcing the browser to download the latest version of your site. Below are the reference guides to clear cache in different browsers:

– How to Clear Browser Cache in Google Chrome

– How to Clear Browser Cache in Mozilla Firefox

– How to Clear Browser Cache in Microsoft Edge

If clearing your browser cache doesn’t fix the issue, try hard refreshing your page. This forces the browser to reload everything from the server instead of using cached files. Here’s how you can do it on various web browsers:

1. Google Chrome: On Windows, press Ctrl + F5; on macOS, use Command + Shift + R.
2. Mozilla Firefox: Windows users can press Ctrl + F5 or Ctrl + Shift + R, while macOS users can use Command + Shift + R.
3. Microsoft Edge: Press Ctrl + F5 on Windows to refresh the page.
4. Safari: On macOS, press Option + Command + E to force browser refresh.
5. Opera: Windows users can press Ctrl + F5, while macOS users should use Command + Option + R to refresh.

If the changes still don’t appear, the problem might not be your browser. You may need to clear your WordPress cache, CDN cache, or check for theme/plugin conflicts. We cover those steps below.

Clear WordPress Cache

If clearing your browser cache didn’t solve the issue, the next step is to clear your WordPress cache. Many WordPress websites use caching plugins to speed up loading times. These plugins store a copy of your website, so it loads faster for visitors. However, sometimes they save an older version of your site, causing WordPress changes not showing.

Some caching plugins automatically refresh for updates like new blog posts, comments, or theme customizations, but misconfigured settings can block changes from displaying correctly. Signs that a caching plugin is causing the issue include:

• Changes appear when logged in but not when logged out.
• New blog posts display as separate pages but are missing from the WordPress homepage.

If you suspect a caching plugin is causing the problem, clear the WordPress cache. Each plugin has a different method, so check your plugin’s documentation. For this tutorial, we use the following popular caching plugins:

• WP Super Cache
• W3 Total Cache
• WP Fastest Cache
• LiteSpeed Cache

After clearing the cache, open your website in a private browsing window (a.k.a. Incognito Mode) or log out of your account to check if the changes are visible.

Note: Use only one caching plugin at a time to prevent conflicts that could lead to caching errors. If you’re using multiple caching tools, consider disabling one to see if it resolves the WordPress changes not showing issue.

• HOW TO CLEAR CACHE IN WP SUPER CACHE 

Login to your WordPress Admin Dashboard. Go to Settings → WP Super Cache. 

Under Easy, find Delete Cache and click to remove all cached files.

Alternatively, click Delete Cache on the WordPress toolbar.

Both methods direct you to Contents under Settings → WP Super Cache, where you can remove all cached files. You can also view a List of all cached files and delete specific ones.

To ensure your website stays updated, set an automatic cache timeout. To do that, navigate to Dashboard → Settings → WP Super Cache → Advanced and adjust the Cache Timeout settings under Expiry Time & Garbage Collection. Setting the timeout to 3600 seconds works well for most sites, but high-traffic websites can benefit from reducing it to 1800 seconds.

• HOW TO CLEAR CACHE IN W3 TOTAL CACHE

This plugin runs in the background automatically after installation and provides several ways to clear your cache. The easiest way is to hover over Performance in the WordPress toolbar and select Purge All Caches.

To manage caching settings, go to Performance → General Settings and enable or disable options like Page Cache, Minify, Opcode, and Database Cache. Once you’ve adjusted the settings, click Save Settings & Purge Caches to apply the changes and delete stored cache files.

If you only need to clear cache of a specific page or post, go to Posts → All Posts (or, Pages → All Pages), hover over the post or page in the WordPress dashboard and click Purge from cache.

• HOW TO CLEAR CACHE WITH WP FASTEST CACHE

WP Fastest Cache allows you to clear all cached content or specific pages and posts. It can also clear cache automatically when new content is published or updated.

To clear your website’s cache, go to WP Fastest Cache → Settings and check the box next to Cache System to enable regular cache clearing. If your site doesn’t update frequently, clear cache only after publishing new posts.

If you want the plugin to clear cache automatically whenever you publish new posts or pages, check New Post. A pop-up will appear, allowing you to choose between Clear All Cache or specific cached files such as Homepage, Post Categories, Post Tags, and Pagination. In our example, we select Clear All Cache and click OK.

You can also check Update Post to clear the cache whenever you edit a post or page. Once you’ve made your selections, click Submit to save the settings.

Additionally, if you need to clear the cache for an individual post or page, hover over its title in the WordPress dashboard and click Clear Cache.

• HOW TO CLEAR CACHE IN LITESPEED CACHE

If your WordPress site is hosted on a LiteSpeed server, your caching is likely managed by the LiteSpeed Cache plugin. This plugin optimizes your site for speed but may sometimes store outdated versions of your pages.

To clear cache in LiteSpeed Cache plugin, go to WordPress Admin Panel → LiteSpeed Cache → Toolbox. Under Purge, click Purge All to delete all cached files. If you only want to clear a specific cache, click Purge Front Page or Purge 404 Error.

If you have cleared your WordPress cache and your changes still aren’t showing, you may need to clear your server-side cache, which is another common reason for WordPress changes not showing. We show you how to clear server-side cache in the following section.

Clear Server-Side Cache

Some web hosting providers, including Hosted, use server-side caching to make websites faster. This means your hosting server keeps a copy of your site to reduce load times. While helpful, this can also cause your site to show old content.

If your hosting provider offers caching (such as LiteSpeed), log in to your hosting account and clear the cache from the control panel. Otherwise, contact your host’s support team and request they flush the cache for you. However, if you’re using Hosted.com’s WordPress Hosting, do as follows:

Login to the Hosted.com cPanel. Under Advanced, click Advanced Web Cache Manager.

Scroll to Flush LSCache and click Flush All to flush all cached files.

Clear Your CDN Cache

If your WordPress updates are still not showing after clearing your browser, WordPress, and server-side cache, your Content Delivery Network (CDN) may be the cause. CDNs store cached versions of your website across multiple locations worldwide to improve loading speed.

When the cached version is outdated, visitors usually can’t see your latest changes. In this case, clearing your CDN cache guarantees that the most recent version of your website is displayed.

CDNs, such as Cloudflare and BunnyCDN, improve website performance by storing static web content, like images, scripts, and stylesheets, on multiple global servers. When a user visits your website, the CDN serves content from the nearest server, reducing load time and enhancing user experience.

However, even after clearing your browser and WordPress cache, the CDN may still deliver an outdated version of your site. This happens because the CDN saves a cached copy of your pages and doesn’t automatically fetch updates unless manually refreshed.

In this case, you need to clear CDN cache. Each CDN has different methods to clear cached files. Below is how you can do it with Cloudflare:

Go to the Cloudflare Dashboard and sign in to your account. Once logged in, you will see a list of websites connected to Cloudflare. Click on the domain name for the site where you want to manage caching. Next, in the left-hand menu, navigate to Caching → Configuration.

Here, you’ll have 2 options: Custom Purge and Purge Everything.

If you want to clear a specific page’s cache, click Custom Purge, enter the URL, and click Purge. Enter the complete file path, as wildcards are not currently supported for single URL purging. You can clear up to 30 URLs simultaneously, with each URL listed on a separate line.

However, to clear the entire website cache, select Purge Everything and confirm the action by clicking Purge Everything again.

Ensure your website constantly displays fresh content by clearing your CDN cache every other week. This helps prevent caching conflicts and ensures visitors see the most updated version of your site.

If clearing the cache doesn’t resolve the issue, consider temporarily disabling the CDN. The steps to disable a CDN vary depending on your hosting provider, so check their documentation or contact support for assistance.

Fix Theme or Plugin Conflicts

An outdated or conflicting plugin or theme can prevent WordPress changes not showing sometimes. If a plugin isn’t working well with your theme, it may override new updates. To get rid of this situation:

First, try disabling all plugins to see if the issue is resolved. You can do this by going to WordPress Dashboard → Plugins → Installed Plugins and clicking Deactivate for each plugin.

If the problem disappears, reactivate the plugins one at a time to find the one causing the issue. Also, ensure your theme and plugins are updated. For your ease, we’ve already covered this in detail in the guides listed below:

– How to Update WordPress Theme: 5 Effective Methods

– How to Update WordPress Plugins: A Step-by-Step Guide

Additionally, certain themes are designed to function only with specific WordPress versions. If your WordPress changes not showing after switching to a different template, the issue may be due to compatibility problems with your current WordPress version. Determine if this is the cause by reviewing theme details and verifying whether it supports your installed WordPress version.

Resolve Incorrect Visibility & Permission Setup

WordPress uses a role management system to control user access across a website. Every role, such as Administrator, Editor, Contributor, or Subscriber, has different privileges. If changes to your site aren’t visible to some users, the issue may be related to incorrect permissions or post visibility settings.

WordPress allows you to set 3 different visibility options for posts and pages:

1. Public: Anyone can view the content, including website visitors and registered users. Means the content is published.
2. Private: Only Administrators and Editors can see the content.
3. Password Protected: The user needs a password to access the content.

If some users don’t see your changes, check the post visibility settings under the post editor by clicking on the link next to Status. Ensure the content is set to Public to be visible to all users.

Also, if multiple users manage your WordPress site, permissions may limit access to certain content. For example, a Subscriber does not have editing access, while an Editor can modify posts. If users cannot see changes, ensure their role grants the appropriate permissions.

To check User Roles: 

Go to Users → All Users in the WordPress dashboard, verify each user’s role, and update it if necessary. Additionally, ensure all users who need access have the correct permissions.

TIP: The User Switching plugin allows you to switch between user roles and temporarily check visibility issues. If you activate the plugin, you can test how different roles view the site, helping identify permission-related problems.

Check & Correct Your Site URL in WordPress

If your WordPress changes not showing, an incorrect site URL could be the cause. This issue may arise from misconfigured settings or unintentionally opening the wrong page. However, verifying your WordPress settings and URLs are accurate can help fix the problem. Here’s how:

First, go to WordPress Dashboard → Settings → General and ensure the WordPress Address (URL) and Site Address (URL) are correct and match your domain. You must check this especially after migrating a site to a new domain or changing hosting providers.

If they are incorrect, update them and save the changes. This will ensure your website loads the correct version and reflects any new updates.

However, if these URL settings are correct, you may have opened the wrong URL to view your website updates. This usually happens when a page has been duplicated, and you unknowingly access an outdated version instead of the most recent one.

For example, URLs can appear similar at first glance (refer example below), making it easy to confuse them. If you’re not careful, you may keep checking the wrong page, thinking your changes didn’t go through.

EXAMPLE 1 URL: www.example.com/blog/article
EXAMPLE 2 URL: www.example.com/blog/article1

To avoid this issue, double-check the URL you are opening and ensure it matches the updated page. Additionally, when creating new pages, use clear and distinct naming conventions to reduce the chances of confusion in the future.

Fix Hardcoded URLs in Theme or CSS

Sometimes, WordPress fails to display updates because URLs are hardcoded directly into the theme or CSS files. When file paths are set manually instead of dynamically retrieving the latest content, WordPress may continue loading an outdated version.

To fix this issue, go to Appearance → Theme File Editor and look for URLs written directly into the code. If you see absolute URLs like:

background-image: url('https://yourwebsite.com/wp-content/uploads/image.jpg');

replace them with relative URLs:

background-image: url('/wp-content/uploads/image.jpg');

Remember, using relative paths ensures that WordPress loads the most updated file version, preventing caching or versioning conflicts.

Note: If you don’t find the Theme File Editor in WordPress dashboard, connect to your website files using an FTP client. Alternatively, you can edit your files using your hosting’s File Manager.

Correct Coding Mistakes

Another reason changes may not appear is coding errors in either HTML, CSS, or PHP. Even a minor syntax error, such as a missing semicolon, misplaced comma, or incorrect closing tag, can break your theme functionality or cause WordPress changes not showing issue.

If your recent modifications aren’t reflecting, return and carefully review the code you edited. Check for typos, missing characters, and incorrect syntax. If you’ve changed PHP files, enable WordPress debug mode to detect potential errors. Correcting small mistakes can ensure that your updates appear as expected.

Verify Modifications Are Saved

Another common reason for WordPress not updating changes is simply forgetting to save the recent modifications before exiting. When you’ve modified a post or page but don’t click Publish or Save, WordPress will not apply the updates.

To check if this is the issue, return to your WordPress editor and verify whether your changes are there. This applies not only to posts and pages but also to WordPress widgets, menus, and plugin settings, where saving changes is required.

Even though saving updates seems simple, it is easy to overlook, especially when making multiple edits simultaneously. Always double-check you have saved your changes before previewing or exiting the editor to ensure WordPress updates appear correctly.

Double-check File Name Before Editing

When updating a file on your WordPress site, ensure you modify the correct one. If you have multiple files with similar names, you can easily select or reference the wrong file, causing your changes to go unnoticed.

For example, file names like file1.pdf and filel.pdf (uppercase I instead of 1) may look nearly identical at first glance, but refer to different files. To avoid this mistake, double-check your media library and file manager to confirm the correct file is being updated.

A good practice is to use clear and meaningful file names whenever adding new content, especially when replacing an existing file. Instead of overwriting a file with a generic name, consider using a versioned or descriptive name. This prevents confusion and ensures the updated file displays properly.

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