Are you looking for ways to fix your WordPress website’s “updating failed” or “publishing failed” errors?
These errors usually occur when WordPress cannot communicate with the REST API, which is essential for updating and publishing content. Several factors can cause this issue, including plugin conflicts, security settings, incorrect site configurations, or server-related problems.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through the most common causes of this error and provide step-by-step solutions to help you resolve it quickly.
Let’s dive in.
Table of Contents
What Does “Updating Failed” or “Publishing Failed” Mean in WordPress?
The “Updating Failed” or “Publishing Failed” error in WordPress occurs when the Block Editor (Gutenberg) cannot communicate with the WordPress REST API.
This API enables data exchange between the Block Editor and the website’s database, where content, settings, and user information are stored.
When communication with the REST API is disrupted due to connectivity issues, plugin conflicts, security restrictions, or server problems, WordPress cannot save or publish content, triggering the “Updating Failed” or “Publishing Failed” error message.
Common Causes For Updating or Publishing Failure
Several factors can contribute to the display of the “Updating Failed” or “Publishing Failed” errors in WordPress. These include:
- REST API Issues: The REST API is essential for WordPress to communicate with its database. If the API is blocked or disabled, the Block Editor cannot function properly, resulting in publishing and updating errors.
- Plugin Conflicts: Incompatible or outdated plugins can interfere with the REST API or the Block Editor, causing errors.
- Security & Firewall Interference: Overly strict security settings, including firewalls and WordPress security plugins, can block REST API calls and prevent communication between your website and the WordPress database.
- Connectivity Problems: A slow or unstable internet connection can prevent WordPress from successfully sending publishing or update requests.
- Server Issues: Problems such as insufficient server resources, server downtime, or slow response times could be the main culprit.
- Database & .htaccess Conflicts: Issues with database settings, corrupted files, or problems with the .htaccess file can interfere with WordPress’s ability to update or publish content.
- Coding & Theme Errors: Custom code snippets or poorly coded themes may conflict with the REST API or the Block Editor.
- Website & WordPress Address Issues: Incorrect settings in your WordPress Address (URL) or Site Address (URL) can break API communication, resulting in update and publish failures.
Now that you know what could be causing the errors, let’s look at the possible solutions.
In case you need more time to fix the issue, try to use Coming Soon Page and Maintenance Mode Pages.
How to Fix Update & Publishing Errors in WordPress?
Below, we’ve outlined a step-by-step guide to resolving update and publishing errors in WordPress.
First Off, Take a Backup of Your Website
Since the solution involves making changes to your website, there’s always a risk that something could go wrong, potentially crashing your site.
To avoid data loss, backup your entire website before proceeding. You can use a plugin like WPVivid, UpdraftPlus, or BackupBuddy to back up your site files and database.
Alternatively, consider taking a manual backup by downloading your website files via FTP and exporting your database using phpMyAdmin.
And, Review Your Site’s Debug Log
WordPress maintains a log of system errors that can help diagnose publishing issues. The debug log can grow large over time, so remember to disable debugging after troubleshooting.
To enable the debug log, add the following lines to your wp-config.php file (located in your WordPress root directory). The file can be accessed using an FTP client or your hosting’s File Manager.
define( 'WP_DEBUG', true );define( 'WP_DEBUG_LOG', true );Save and upload the file to your server. Attempt to publish your post and then check the wp-content/debug.log file for error messages. Errors related to specific plugins or themes can help pinpoint the issue.
1. Verify Your WordPress Site URL
Incorrect WordPress URL settings can prevent you from updating or publishing content. This is particularly important after migrating a website or changing domains.
To check your site’s URL settings, navigate to Settings → General in your WordPress dashboard.
Ensure that the Site Address (URL) and WordPress Address (URL) fields contain the correct URLs. The Site Address is where visitors access your site, while the WordPress Address is where your WordPress core files are installed.
If the URLs are incorrect, update them and save the changes. Then, try publishing or updating your content again.
If the issue persists, proceed to the next step.
2. Update Your WordPress Core
Running an outdated version of WordPress can lead to publishing and updating errors due to unresolved bugs.
Check for updates by going to Dashboard → Updates and update to the latest version.
Keeping WordPress updated ensures compatibility with plugins and themes, reducing the likelihood of errors.
3. Check REST API Status
WordPress has relied on the REST API since version 4.7 to communicate with the server. If the REST API is blocked, you may see an error message when publishing content.
Common causes of REST API blocking include security plugins, server-level mod_security rules, and incorrect permalink settings.
Navigate to Tools → Site Health and check for messages like “The REST API encountered an unexpected result.” Review the error details to identify the cause, such as firewall restrictions or plugin conflicts.
If the REST API is being blocked, continue to the next step.
4. Disable All Your WordPress Plugins
A malfunctioning plugin can interfere with the REST API and cause publishing failures. Before proceeding, note which plugins handle critical functions like security or caching, as you may need to reconfigure them after reactivation.
Go to Plugins → Installed Plugins, check the box to select all plugins, and use the ‘Bulk Actions‘ dropdown to select Deactivate.
Try updating or publishing your post again. If the error disappears, reactivate plugins individually to identify the culprit. Consider testing this process in a staging environment first, if possible.
Once you identify the problematic plugin, you can replace it or contact the developer for support.
5. Check Website Firewall
Security services like Cloudflare and Sucuri sometimes block REST API requests, which can prevent WordPress from updating or publishing content.
To check if this is the issue, temporarily disable your firewall and see if the error persists. If disabling the firewall resolves the problem, contact your security provider’s support team to whitelist your IP or adjust settings to allow REST API requests while keeping your site secure.
Some web hosting servers use mod_security, a security tool designed to protect websites from potentially harmful activity. This may occasionally be overly restrictive and block legitimate WordPress update or publication requests, misidentifying them as security risks.
So, if your hosting provider has mod_security enabled, you may need to adjust its settings to ensure it does not interfere with your website’s functionalities.
6. Check File Permissions
Incorrect file permissions can prevent WordPress from saving changes to posts or pages.
Use an FTP client or File Manager in your hosting panel to check file permissions.
Ensure that the wp-content folder is set to 755 (owner can read/write/execute, others can read/execute) and the files inside it to 644 (owner can read/write, others can only read).
Different hosting environments might require slightly different permissions based on their user/group configurations.
7. Increase Your PHP Memory Limit
Updating or publishing content requires adequate PHP memory on your hosting server. If WordPress runs out of allocated memory, these actions may fail.
By default, WordPress sets a memory limit of 32MB or 64MB, but 256MB is recommended for most sites. To increase the PHP memory limit, add the following line to your wp-config.php file:
define( 'WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M' );To do this, connect to your website using an FTP client or File Manager in your hosting control panel. Locate the wp-config.php file in the root directory of your WordPress installation. Open the file and add the above line before the /* That’s all, stop editing! */ comment. Save the file and upload it back to the server.
Note: Some hosting providers enforce a maximum PHP memory limit that cannot be overridden via wp-config.php. If the issue persists, contact your hosting support and request an increase in the PHP memory allocation.
8. Contact Hosting Provider if All Fails
If you’ve tried all the previous steps and cannot update or publish content, the issue may be related to your hosting environment. Your hosting provider can help identify and fix problems beyond your control.
When contacting support, provide them details about the issue and steps you’ve already taken to troubleshoot. This will help them diagnose the problem more efficiently.
Read more: Best WordPress Hosting Providers
Conclusion
The “Updating Failed” or “Publishing Failed” error in WordPress can be frustrating, but in most cases, it can be resolved by methodically troubleshooting the underlying issue.
From verifying your site URL and updating WordPress to disabling conflicting plugins and adjusting server settings, this guide has outlined all the key steps to help you fix the problem.
If none of the solutions work, your hosting provider can assist in identifying server-related issues that may be blocking updates.
Keeping your WordPress installation, plugins, and themes up to date while regularly backing up your site will also help prevent such errors in the future.
By following these steps, you can ensure a smooth content publishing experience in WordPress without disruptions.
That’s all for now. If you have any questions about how to fix the “updating failed” and “publishing failed” errors, let us know in the comments below.
