Do you encounter problems using WordPress? Are your posts not aligning correctly, or are you unable to leave comments on certain blogs? What’s causing these problems? Is it WordPress, or are you or your device causing them?
Like any online website, the WordPress platform experiences problems. Bugs occur. They can often cause havoc for users. Sometimes, things don’t go to plan when new updates are released.
But what causes these problems, and how can they be fixed?
Case 1 – Your posts are not displaying correctly.
A few years ago, a reader informed me that my blog posts were not displaying correctly.
I checked my blog and couldn’t see any problems. I used another device and couldn’t see any issues.
I contacted the WordPress Happiness Engineers. They assured me that from what they saw, there were no problems with how my blog posts were displaying. They even sent me screenshots and some short video clips showing me what they were seeing at their end.
But I was still not happy.
I decided to write and publish a post about the problem.
I asked my followers to check some of my blog posts and let me know if there were any problems with how they were displaying. Over 100 people came to my call for help. Only one person said there was a problem with how my posts were displayed, and this was the person who reported the problem to me.
It turned out that the problem wasn’t my blog or WordPress. The problem was the device belonging to the reader who reported the issue.
I asked them to make sure their device had the latest updates. They never informed me that my blog was displaying incorrectly again.
Case 2 – I can’t leave comments on certain blogs.
I recently saw a post from a blogger who said he had problems leaving comments on certain blogs.
He named the blogs so they knew who they were and apologised, saying that his comments were being cut off as he wrote them.
He asked if anybody else was having the same problem when leaving comments.
By the time the responses came in (and all were saying ‘No’), he’d gone to another device. He tried leaving comments on the same blogs. They all worked, and he came back and apologised.
The problem was caused by the device he was using. He updated the device’s software and also tried using another internet browser, and his comments worked.
Case 3 – When was the last time you cleaned your house?
Some of my WordPress data and stats were not displaying. ‘Have you tried clearing your browser history, cookies and cache on your computer?” somebody asked?
I did the clear-out, and the data all showed up.
Like your home, your blog device needs some housekeeping to keep it working correctly.
Case 4 – Have you tried the most popular advice when things go wrong?
A user contacted me saying they could not leave comments or ‘likes’ on any blog posts. She was using the Jetpack app on her mobile phone.
I told her to try signing out of the Jetpack app, delete it, reinstall it and sign in again.
Problem solved.
Case 5 – Has the blog theme you’re using been retired?
Another WordPress user was experiencing many problems with her blog. Her posts were not aligning correctly, and some readers contacted her to say they couldn’t leave comments. The sharing buttons at the end of her posts were also not working. There were also other issues like certain tools no longer working.
She contacted WordPress, which informed her that her blog theme was retired and was no longer supported. The advice was to change her theme. She didn’t want to change the theme; she liked it. She tried working around the problems. That worked for a while. Then, the issues worsened, and she eventually gave up on her blog.
The WordPress platform wasn’t the problem. The device she was using wasn’t the problem. She was the problem for refusing to change to a theme that WordPress supported.
If your theme has been retired, you will find this notice on the theme’s info page:
When a theme is retired, it no longer appears in the list of themes at Appearances – Themes or at Appearance – Theme Showcase if using the Classic Editor.
But, if the theme is already active on your site, you can continue to use it. Some retired themes will usually stay available for the lifetime of your site or blog without any issues. However, if you continue using a retired theme, you should note the following:
- A retired theme no longer receives WordPress updates or new features. This includes security updates that protect your blog from spammers and hackers.
- A retired theme should continue functioning on your site. However, WordPress does not guarantee that it will always work well with its ever-evolving software.
- You may lose access to certain features like sharing and reblog buttons, blocks, writing tools and clicking the ‘like’ button.
If you still use a retired theme, you will likely encounter problems at some point. Visitors to your blog may also experience problems viewing it correctly or engaging with you.
How do I change my WordPress theme?
Some bloggers are terrified of changing the theme of their WordPress blog. It can seem like a daunting task.
Once upon a time, changing your WordPress blog theme was a nightmare. I recall the first time I changed the theme of my blog. It took a whole weekend to finish.
But changing the theme of your WordPress blog is now easy and quick. WordPress provides full details on how to do it on the ‘Change your theme‘ page.
Have you checked the WordPress forum?
A user experiencing problems with their WordPress blog does not necessarily mean that other users are experiencing the same problems. Sometimes, problems can be exclusive to one blog (as in some of the above cases).
The WordPress forum page is great for determining if problems affect other users. Here, you can report issues and check what other issues users are experiencing.
Another way to find out if other users are experiencing the same problems with their WordPress blog is to ask them (as I did in Case Number One). Sometimes, issues can be theme-related. Once reported and provided the theme has not been retired, WordPress quickly fixes theme-related problems.
Let’s Wrap It Up!
- Like any website, the WordPress platform will suffer from bugs and problems.
- While some problems are widespread, many problems can be caused by a user’s device when blogging, especially if the device is old and does not have the latest updates installed.
- If you can access another device, try using it to determine whether the problem is only related to one device or a certain web browser.
- Some problems are related to themes. If a theme has been retired, consider changing to one WordPress support.
- Changing your blog theme is now easier and quicker.
- You can check if other bloggers are experiencing the same problems you’re having with your blog by asking them, posting on the WordPress forum, or doing both.
- Consider that any issues lie outside of WordPress first before blaming them solely.
- Ensure all devices you use to blog have the latest updates.
- Report issues and problems to WordPress. They may not know about issues unless you report them.
Are you experiencing any problems using WordPress? Have you checked if the issues are sitewide or only affecting you? How do you deal with issues using the WordPress platform?
Layout, content, settings, and format might differ on self-hosted blogs.
More blogging tips posts from Hugh
Blogging Simplified: Adding Images From Your Phone To A WordPress Post
You can now add images to WordPress posts directly from your phone using the Jetpack app, with simple resizing options.
Read my posts for all the details.
Keep reading
Blogging Simplified: Engagement. Am I Doing It Right?
How do you engage with your readers and other bloggers? Are you taking full advantage of the comments you leave?
Keep reading
Blogging Simplified: It’s Easy, Isn’t It? Things I’ve Learned
Do you like talking about blogging? I do, and I’ve lots to say about it. What about you?
Keep reading
Click the buttons below to follow Hugh on Social Media
Copyright @ 2024 hughsviewsandnews.com – All rights reserved.
Discover more from Hugh's Views & News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Hugh's Views & News 
The thing that’s annoying me at the moment is having to log in to reply to comments on my own blog!
But, strangely, I don’t need to log in to leave this one here… I see my photo already at the bottom of the box!. I’ll have to try logging out of my blog and in again and see if that helps.
Logging off and in again often helps. Try doing the same if you’re using the Jetpack app on a table or phone. If you’re using a laptop or desktop computer, try clearing the cache, cookies, and browser settings. The latter always works for me.
I spooke too soon. In spite of havinv identified me, WP wanted me to log in again because I was n’t logged in as myself (!!!) i fear ther is confusion between my personal emil login n chrome and my ‘writerly’ email login. Especially since I’m using hubby’s laptop…
It’s all too much in this heat !
Yes, it’s best to stick to just having one login details to save confusion.
Great post as ever, Hugh. I try to do blog housekeeping regularly and do check that my theme I’d still current. I agree that people don’t always think about their own device as a source of the problem, but we should explore everything. Sometimes we try different things and cause problems because we don’t really understand what we’re doing. One of my biggest “faux pas” was changing font colour for my posts. Sounds straightforward, but on the Web, my articles were fully highlighted in yellow – not my intention
Many bloggers fail to do blog housekeeping, Brenda. Then, they wonder why they have problems with their blogs and usually blame WordPress.
I remember the ‘highlight yellow’ incident and somebody pointing it out to you. There may have been a bug with the blog theme you were using. I know of another blogger who did the same, but her blog ended up having faint grey text on a white background. Although I’ve told her about it, she still hasn’t done anything about it. No wonder the comments section of her posts are now like ghost towns.
I don’t think my theme has been retired but I’ve been considering updating it so I will definitely check out that tutorial.
I don’t even try to leave comments using my iPad anymore. So many don’t go through so it’s not worth the hassle. Even if I read a post on my iPad, I wait until I get to my desktop to comment. Unfortunately, sometimes this means that I forget to comment. I have followed a blogger for a long time but suddenly I can’t leave a comment on her site, no matter what device I use, or how I try to enter my comment. She’s not on WordPress but she has tried to get help with the issue and hasn’t yet fixed it. Others can leave comments so maybe it’s just me.
Are you sure your comments are not ending up in the spam folder of the blogger for whom you’re leaving the comment? My comments on one blog I follow always end up in her WordPress spam folder. I usually message her and ask her to check; my comments are always there. I’ve no idea why they go straight to spam, but I did suggest the blogger check her spam folder more often, especially as she found other genuine comments there. If you’re using the Jetpack app on your tablet, I’d recommend signing out, deleting the app and reinstalling it again. That may work.
I’d say the problem is more at her end. I gave up leaving comments on the ‘blogger’ platform because it makes you jump through hoops to leave a comment, and the majority never go through. It shouldn’t be like that.
I don’t usually complain about WordPress, but lately I’m far more frustrated by several things:
I could go on, but I don’t want to turn this into a rant when I’m largely happy with WordPress. Most of us like familiarity, and they often have updates and “upgrades” that cause a host of other problems.
It is a shame that WordPress has followed many other companies in adopting the ‘Help-bot’ approach. However, they have hsometimes been helpful when I have needed assistance.
And I’m still able to get help from a Happiness Engineer via the following route –
a. Open the Help Center by clicking the question mark icon in the upper right corner of your blog’s dashboard.
b. Click “Still need help?” at the bottom of the Help Center.
c. In the chat window, type “Connect me to a Human”.
d. Click “Contact WordPress.com Support” to reach the support team.
However, access to Happiness Engineers now depends on your WordPress plan. Those on a free or personal plan have no access. Those on the Premium plan have access to the Happiness Engineers Monday through Friday between 09:00 and 17:00. Those on the business (and above) plan have access 24/7.
I’d recommend logging out if you’re using a tablet or phone and the Jetpack app, deleting the app, downloading it again, and logging back in. You can also turn off Two-Step verification, although I would not recommend it. I get the two-step verification notification on my Apple Watch and iMac, so I don’t need to find my phone to do it.
I use Grammarly, and it sometimes doesn’t work on WordPress. However, if I log out of the post I’m working on and log back in again about an hour later, it seems to work again. I’ve no idea what causes that problem.
Thanks for all of the suggestions, Hugh. I’ll try some of these things and see if I have better luck. I have a paid plan, but I need to be more conscious of the hours to ask for help.
It’s a shame WordPress has cut back on whether and when the Happiness Engineers are available, depending on your WordPress plan. But they seem to be following the same route as many other companies doing the same thing, Pete.
I recently changed from premium to free as I am in midst of deciding whether to continue blogging . I retained my domain name. The result now I cannot post any pictures on recent travel piece as I have saturated the entire 3 GB .
I do not want to pay also
This post may help in freeing up space in your blog’s media library.
Thank you. I will work on the suggestions.
The retired theme issue is one I wouldn’t have thought of. Thanks, Hugh.
Oh, more thing, have you tried turning it off and on. 😀
The simplest of advice can often be the key to sorting out technology problems, Kevin.
still don’t like the new changes, like the old wordpress, but know things change. Sigh.
What changes are you referring to? I used to dislike change, but then somebody said to me, ‘Imagine how dull life would be if nothing changed.’ I now find embracing change far less stressful than trying to fight it.
I’m still terrified of changing my theme!!!!
I have tried it once or twice and the layouts have cocked up. Thankfully I’ve been able to go back to the old theme and all was well…
When was the last time you tried changing themes?
However, beware if your current theme has been retired. Once you start the process of looking for a new theme, you can’t go back to a retired theme anymore.
It was about a year ago, I think. My theme isn’t retired as far as I know, but I don’t think it’s one of the new block themes.
I reckon I will just leave it be for the moment as I don’t have time to faff with it :-)
Thank you for all your tips, Hugh. They are absolutely spot on as usual!
The theme I’m using isn’t a block theme either, Jacqueline. It’s a classic theme that is still supported by WordPress. Do not believe anyone who tells you that WordPress is retiring all classic themes. They’re not, although they have retired many of them. At the last count, over 50 classic themes were still available with full support.
Brilliant, Hugh. Which theme do you use, btw? (If you don’t mind me asking.) I like it, as it is very uncluttered.
I using the Toujours theme, Jacqueline.
I found myself nodding my head when I read a few of these issues. You explain them so well and make the solutions sound straightforward. Thank you.
You’re welcome, Esther. I’m glad these types of posts help. Thank you for the great feedback.
These are really good tips and examples, Hugh. A nugget of a blog post to save for later! So much can affect why a reader or a blogger encounters an issue. I usually don’t have the time or patience to do something about a problem and usually – luckily – things turn back to normal for that reader after some time goes by.
I’m guessing that’s because other users have reported the problems, Liesbet. This has also happened to me when somebody has beaten me to report an issue. What I can’t understand, though, are those bloggers who rant on on about the same problems they’re having with their blog but don’t report the issues.
Excellent advice on troubleshooting WordPress problems.👍🌷
Thanks, Hugh! I’m a big believer in device and app management. I occasionally have problems leaving comments, usually I’m asked to sign in to WP even if I’m already signed in. I’ve never looked at the forum – that sounds like another good resource.
The forum is a great resource, even if many of the reported problems are posted by self-hosted bloggers blaming WordPress even though WordPress is not their blog host, Barbara. I can’t imagine how silly some of them feel when WordPress points out their mistake.
Yes, since I help a lot of people at my library job with computer problems (unrelated to WP, but technology is technology), some of the best advice is to update or delete and reload their apps, restart their device, etc. One time a patron was having trouble with her phone and carrier (don’t ask me why this is for a librarian to solve, but people come to us with no other resources) and the simple answer was to power off and power on!
The simplest advice can often be the key to solving problems. I used to roll my eyes whenever I was told to try turning off a device and switching it back on again. I don’t roll my eyes at that advice anymore.
I changed my blog theme about 8 years ago. It was a nightmare. Actually, everything worked fine out … once everything was installed correctly which took me several days and a lot of nerves. It is good to know that changing the blog theme is now much easier and quicker.
The first time I changed themes eight years ago, it took me a whole weekend, but it worked out well, too, Erika. It was much easier the last time I did it (about three years ago), and from what I hear, it’s even easier now.
Oh, thank God, maybe I should give it a try. I have a paid theme. Do you know how this works just in case I choose a cheaper one?
I believe your blog is self-hosted, Erika. I’m a WordPress.Com user, and all themes come free with the WordPress plan I’m on, so I’m not entirely sure, I’m afraid.
Hmm, good question. I had a free theme in the beginning. When I chose a different theme that fit my needs I saw I had to pay for it which I accepted to avoid advertisments. I could choose between the .com, .org, or .me. for free. However, when I have a minute I shall check it out, at least. Again, thanks for the input, Hugh!
Thanks for this, Hugh. No doubt I’ll need to change my theme in the near future. I’ll try and save this post if that’s ok.
There comes a time when we all need to change our blog themes, Cathy. But it’s much easier now than it was a few years ago, and I’ve no doubt that it’ll become even easier to do.
Fingers crossed 🤞🏼
Thanks for this, Hugh. I’ve actually saved your post as a document in case I have problems. But I thought I should tell you I’m off X now. ( just in case you missed me!!) I’ve gone on Instagram and Threads. x
Thanks for letting me know, Judith.
I left Instagram a few years ago because I wasn’t seeing any benefits. I’ve never tried Threads, but I may give it a try sometime.
Not sure what benefits either are, Hugh, but I couldn’t stay on X. Hope to see you around sometime.
I’m following your blog, so I’ll certainly catch you there, Judith.
Those are some great tips. I know a few who can benefit from them 😊
So do I. Please share them with those you know.
Thank you Hugh.
Very informative and helpful.
Some of the Bloggers posts whom , I follow don’t show up in my reader, and just gave up.( I tried to unfollow and follow but no use). The blogger says, it’s happening only in my case and he regularly gets comments on his posts from other bloggers.
There are some reasons for posts not showing up in the WordPress Reader, the main one being that the post has had too many categories and tags added to it (more than 15 combined).
Just because other people are leaving him/her comments doesn’t mean that those readers have seen the post in the WP Reader. They may get notifications of new posts via email or their web browser. I’d recommend you do the same, as the problem seems more likely at his/her end than yours.
I hope that helps.
Thank you for this information, Hugh.
I shall keep him informed about the tags and categories.
There are other reasons, too, but in my experience, too many tags and categories on posts are the main reason why they don’t appear on the WP Reader.
I’m so glad you’re here, helping us understand WP better. Thank you for another great post!
You’re welcome. I just wanted to outline that WordPress is not always to blame when things go wrong with our blogs. Whenever I see a comment like ‘WordPress is a mess, there are so many issues at the moment,’ I wonder just how many of those issues are caused by the user rather than by WordPress.
I think this is an excellent point.
I’ve been with WordPress for 14 years and have had very few problems to be honest. I am still using the same retired theme which I like and gives me no issue. I find if i have a problem, i just wait a day or so and it goes away.
Problems can often disappear because other users have reported them. It’s great to hear you’ve experienced very few issues with WordPress over the 14 years you have blogged. The retired theme you’re using may last you a lifetime, but if any major bugs occur, WordPress may not fix the issues. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you.
If that happens, I’ll change to a new theme. But as a wise man (my dad) once told me, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!”
That’s very true. However, be aware that retired themes don’t get WordPress updates, including security updates. However, if the anti-virus software is up to date on the device you use, your blog should remain safe.
Thanks for that, Hugh. My anti-virus is up to date so I feel OK with it. (for now)
This is a nice series of good reminders, Hugh. I just returned from a trip where, I was unable to do anything (Like or comment) on WordPress without logging in, often more than once. I assumed it had to do with my laptop being on the hotel’s network. I think my security software ramped things up a notch because I wasn’t on my home network.
I wasn’t blogging at all, and reading very little, so I opted not to try any of these steps (clearing the cache affects other things). When I returned home, all was well again. I wish WordPress would find a way to reduce their reliance on Cookies. You can avoid many problems with WP by allowing third-party cookies or, if your browser supports it, allowing them just for WP, but it’s a step many people are not comfortable with.
I had a similar problem at a hotel where I was staying: I could not access WordPress at all. I enquired at reception, and it turned out that somebody in their IT department had added WordPress to a ‘not safe’ list. My only option was to go elsewhere and use the wifi (which I did, and had no problems with).
I’ve also had similar problems using my mobile phone. My internet provider offers ‘hotspots’, but some sites won’t load because they feel they could be insecure (even though I can access those sites at home). What I’m getting at here is that it’s not always WordPress’s fault. I have two wifi connections at home. Sometimes, I have to switch between them to get things to work. One site I have to do this for is the company from which I get home broadband. It seems crazy why it happens, but at least I know how to get things working again.