My changes aren't showing up

You saved your edits in WordPress, but when you look at the live website, nothing has changed. Or you see the old version. This is a very common experience, and it is almost always caused by caching, not a mistake on your part.

Troubleshooter

Why aren't my changes showing?

Do your changes appear after a hard refresh?

What is a cache and why does it matter?

A cache (pronounced "cash") is a saved copy of your website stored either in your browser or on the web server. Caches make websites load faster by serving a pre-built copy instead of building the page fresh every time.

The downside: when you make a change, the cached copy might still show the old version, to you and to your visitors.

There are two main types:

Type	Where it lives	Who it affects
Browser cache	Your computer or phone	Just you
Server/site cache	Your hosting server	All visitors

Most of the time you only need to clear one of them.

Each of these sits at a different point on the same path, and a request travels only as far down as the first layer that already has what it is asking for. Not every site has all of them. You do not need to manage them, but it helps to know they exist.

Read this as text

Three of the types of caching described above sit at different points on one path: the path a request takes from a visitor down to the content your pages are built from. The fourth, object caching, is not on this path: it works inside the site’s own work, saving the results of database queries so they do not have to be repeated.

Closest to the visitor is the browser cache, which keeps images, stylesheets and fonts on the visitor’s own computer. Next is the CDN cache, which keeps copies of your pages and files in data centers around the world, so content comes from the server closest to the visitor. Then the server-side page cache (a plugin or a hosting tool), which saves a complete HTML copy of each page.

Only when none of those has a copy does the request reach WordPress and the database, which look the page up, fetch the content, run the plugins and assemble the HTML.

Not every site has all of these. There are several layers where caching can happen, and you do not need to manage all of them, but it helps to know they exist.

Step 1: Hard refresh your browser

This is the fastest fix, and it often solves the problem.

Press Ctrl + Shift + R in Chrome or Edge. It forces your browser to download a fresh copy of the page. Other browsers may use a different shortcut.

Did that fix it?

If your changes now appear, you're done. No further action needed.

Step 2: Clear your site cache from WordPress

If a hard refresh didn't help, the cached copy is stored on the server, not just in your browser. You need to clear it from within WordPress.

Many WordPress sites use a caching plugin. Common ones include WP Rocket, W3 Total Cache, WP Super Cache, and LiteSpeed Cache. The exact steps and button names vary (clear, delete, flush or purge), but the process is similar:

Log in to WordPress. The address is usually yoursite.com/wp-admin.

Look at the bar across the top of the screen (the admin bar). Some caching plugins and hosts add an option there. For example, WP Rocket adds a WP Rocket menu with Clear and preload cache, and Kinsta adds a Clear Cache link. Click it.

Alternatively, find the plugin's settings. Look for your caching plugin in the left menu. Some sit under Settings instead (WP Rocket is at Settings → WP Rocket). Open it and find the option to clear or purge the cache.

Visit your live site and do a hard refresh (see Step 1 above). Your changes should now appear.

Not sure which caching plugin you have?

If you don't see a cache button anywhere, contact us. We'll clear the cache for you and confirm which plugin is in use.

Step 3: Check that you actually saved the changes

It happens to everyone: you edited a page but closed the tab before clicking Save or Publish.

Log in to WordPress and find the page or post you edited.

Look at the content. Does it reflect what you intended to change?

Re-save if the change is missing. If not, make your edits again and this time click Save (for pages that are already published) or Publish (for new content). On WordPress 6.5 and earlier, the button on published pages says Update.

If you're using the block editor, look for the Save button in the top right corner of the screen.

Step 4: Check if the page is set to draft

If a whole page is missing or not accessible, it might have accidentally been set back to draft (unpublished) mode.

Open Pages or Posts. In your WordPress dashboard, go to Pages or Posts.

Look for the affected page under the "Draft" link at the top of the list (it says "Drafts" when there's more than one). If it's there, open it and click Publish.

Step 5: Hosting-level cache

Some hosting providers, especially managed WordPress hosts like WP Engine, Flywheel, and Kinsta, have their own server-level cache that runs separately from your caching plugin. You clear it from your hosting dashboard (some hosts also add a button inside WordPress).

If you have access to your hosting account, look for an option to clear or flush the cache. Flywheel has a Flush Cache button on the site's Advanced tab. Kinsta and WP Engine each have a Cache or Caching page with an option to clear all caches. If you're not sure how to find it, contact us. We can clear it directly.

Common questions

My changes showed up for me but not for a colleague. Why?

Your colleague's browser probably still has the cached version. Ask them to do a hard refresh (in Chrome or Edge, Ctrl+Shift+R on Windows or Command+Shift+R on Mac; see Step 1 for other browsers). That should show them the new version.

The changes disappeared again after a while. Is that normal?

No, that is not normal. It can mean the cache is being rebuilt from an old saved copy. This is unusual and suggests a configuration issue. Please let us know. It needs investigation.

I cleared everything and changes are still not showing. What else could it be?

There are a few less common causes: a CDN (a global content delivery network) serving a cached version, a plugin conflict, or the page being reverted by a scheduled backup restore. Contact us and describe exactly what you changed and when.

How long does it take for changes to show up for everyone?

After you clear the cache, changes usually appear quickly for most visitors. If you're using a CDN (a global cache), it can take a little longer to catch up everywhere. Visitors whose browsers saved an older copy may also need to refresh.