When your WordPress site suddenly isn’t loading, looks wonky, or is behaving weirdly, here are some simple steps that you can take to hone in on the problem – and see if there even IS a problem – without messing anything up.
Click the + sign to see when and how to try each step!
When & How: A quick ‘n’ easy test for when a page looks broken, loads incorrectly, or you can’t see changes that should be appearing. Just click the refresh/reload button in the browser taskbar, which should look something like this:
Or press Ctrl + R (Windows) or Cmd + R (Mac).
Why it Might Work: Sometimes pages load incompletely or your browser gets temporarily stuck showing old information. A simple refresh can clear that glitch.
When & How: Try this if refreshing doesn’t help and you suspect you’re seeing an outdated version of the site. Look in your browser settings under Privacy or History to find “Clear Cache.”
Why it Might Work: Your browser stores old versions of web pages to load them faster, but sometimes it keeps showing a broken version even after it’s fixed.
When & How: Try this right away if something seems off. Open a private window (Ctrl + Shift + N or Cmd + Shift + N) and visit your site there.
Why it Might Work: A private window ignores cookies and cache, so you’ll see a “clean” version of your site without browser baggage.
When & How: If something’s broken in Chrome, try opening the same page in Firefox, Edge, or Safari.
Why it Might Work: Some website problems are browser-specific, and switching browsers helps you tell whether the problem is with your site or just your browser.
When & How: Do this any time you see a problem, especially if you’re about to try something else or ask for help. On most computers, you can press PrtScn (Windows) or Cmd + Shift + 4 (Mac) to grab a screenshot.
Why it Might Work: Screenshots help you remember what the problem looked like, capture any error messages, and are gold for tech support when you need to explain what happened.
When & How: If pages aren’t loading or you’re getting timeouts, test another website or run an internet speed test.
Why it Might Work: Slow or flaky internet can look like a broken website when it’s really just your connection.
When & How: Try this if you see blank spaces, buttons that don’t work, or error messages. Right-click on your page and choose “Inspect” or “Inspect Element,” then open the “Console” tab.
Why it Might Work: The console shows behind-the-scenes errors that can give you or your tech support valuable clues.
When & How: If the problem seems to happen for some users but not others, it could be because some people are logged in and others aren’t. In WordPress, go to the dashboard and look for your username at the top right.
Why it Might Work: Some things (like edit buttons or full menus) only show when you’re logged in with admin access — you might not be seeing the full site if you’re logged out. Also, sometimes the Toolbar that WordPress displays at the top of the screen will mess with the layout of the page – but only if you’re logged in.
When & How: If you can’t tell if the problem is with your computer or your site, check your site on your phone or another device.
Why it Might Work: If it works on another device, the problem might just be on the first device you were looking at, not your site.
When & How: If you’re not sure whether the problem is just you, ask a friend to open your site on their device.
Why it Might Work: If they don’t see the problem, it’s probably local to your setup (browser, cache, cookies, internet connection) and not a site-wide issue.
When & How: Try this if you keep getting weird login behavior or pages that don’t seem to recognize you. Go to your browser’s settings to clear cookies, but note: doing this will log you out of most other websites. To avoid this, you can also search for and delete just the cookies that are specific to your website.
Why it Might Work: Cookies store login and site preferences, but sometimes they can get corrupted and cause glitches.
When & How: If features on your website just aren’t working, go to Appearance > Themes in your dashboard and click Live Preview on a default theme like Twenty Twenty-Four.
Why it Might Work: Previewing a default theme (without activating it) gives you a way to see if the problem is with your current theme — and you can do it safely without changing anything on your live site.
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