What to Do If WordPress Changes Aren't Showing

So you've been making changes, edits, and updates to your WordPress site. But all of a sudden, when you save a change, you don't see it reflected on the front end. Maybe it's text you added, an image you removed, or plugin settings that won't take effect. When this happens, there are a few things you can do. Usually, this problem is due to caching.

What is WordPress caching?

Caching is the process of storing copies of files in a cache, or temporary storage location, so that they can be accessed more quickly.

Technically, a cache is any temporary storage location for copies of files or data, but the term is often used in reference to Internet technologies.

- Cloudflare

When it comes to caching, there are three different types the could prevent you from seeing changes on your WordPress site:

1. Browser caching – stores certain static files on visitors’ local computers in the web browser cache.
2. Page caching – stores the static HTML version of your site rather than using PHP to generate it “on the fly” for each visit.
3. CDN caching – speeds up global load times by caching your site’s static content on a network of servers around the world.

If you're not seeing changes, you'll want to clear caching in one or all of these areas.

How to clear browser caching

Browser caching is great because it can help load web pages faster once you've visited them one time. But it can also cause certain changes to stick and not update, since the browser has saved an old version to show you.

To clear your browser cache on Google Chrome

1. Visit your browser main settings menu, which can be found by choosing the three dots at the top of your browser toolbar.
2. Choose Settings.
3. From the left-hand menu, choose Privacy and Security.
4. Choose Delete Browsing Data and you'll open up a modal pop-up.
5. From this window we can also delete our stored browser history and clear cookies, but for now all we want to do is clear our cache.
6. Select that option, then choose Delete Data.
7. Quit out of the browser entirely, then re-open it.
8. If that does not work, increase the time range to a longer period of time and try again!

To clear your browser cache on Safari

1. With Safari open, choose Safari all the way at the top left part of your screen.
2. Choose Settings.
3. Choose Privacy on the new modal box that opens.
4. Choose the Manage Website Data button.
5. Choose Remove All to clear your cached data.
6. Quit out of Safari entirely, then re-open the browser.

How to clear page caching in WordPress

The WordPress cache uses server caching rather than browser caching to make pages load faster. You can take significant amounts of control over page caching with WordPress. With cache plugins you can manage and adjust options, including how aggressive the cache is, and clear it whenever you want from your WordPress dashboard.

If changes to your site aren't showing and you already tried clearing your browser cache, try clearing your WordPress page cache.

1. Search for a caching plugin in the plugin library. Popular options include WP Rocket, WP Super Cache, and W3 Total Cache. Pick the one that works best for you.
2. Take a backup of your website, just in case!
3. Once it's installed and activated, look in the plugin settings for a link or button that allows you to purge the cache. For example, with W3 Total cache you can choose the menu item at the top of the page and choose "Purge All Caches"
4. Refresh your page and check to see if the changes are showing.

How to clear CDN caching in WordPress

If you use a CDN, it's possible it's caching is preventing your changes from appearing. A content delivery network (CDN) is a group of servers that keep and then show cached copies of your WordPress site's pages and posts to your site visitors.

Follow these steps to clear your browser cache if you're still not seeing your changes.

1. Open up your CDN settings. This will be different depending on which CDN you use.
2. Take a backup of your site, just in case!
3. In the Settings tab or area, look for a Cache Purge option.
4. Choose the Purge button.
5. Refresh your site to see your changes.