Page slugs refusing to change

  • Resolved cemcgill

    (@cemcgill)


    1 year ago

    Hi there – I can’t get any of my pages to update from the default “?page_id=[some number]” slug they’re automatically assigned when they’re created. I’ve tried:

    • Clearing the site cache
    • Clearing my browser cache, and logging out and back in
    • Disabling all plugins
    • Changing the theme from the current one (Twenty Twenty Five) to Twenty Twenty Four
    • Checking for other files in Trash or media that might be using the same slug (there are no pages in my trash; and even when I try to change the page slugs to “gafgljflgjiggfdgjfldgajgr” or something that definitely isn’t shared by any of my media files, it doesn’t work)
    • This is happening on all my pages, not just one

    I suppose my next steps would be trying to manually access the site files via FTP/SFTP access, but I have no experience whatsoever with editing sites on the back end like that, so I’m very wary and reluctant to take that step without ruling out all other solutions first.

    Any input on what could possibly be causing this issue would be much appreciated. Thanks!

    The page I need help with: [log in to see the link]

Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)
  • lisa

    (@contentiskey)

    1 year ago

    How are your PERMALINKS settings set up? (https://wordpress.org/documentation/article/settings-permalinks-screen/)

    Note: PAGES/POSTS etc are managed in the DATABASE not in files. In your hosting plan look for an area labeled PHPMYADMIN. (depending on your hosting plan, this label may be different).

    See if your hosting plan has a “staging site area” available so you can test changes in a safe environment instead of your live production site. If your hosting plan does not offer a staging site….you can look into a tool like https://instawp.com/

    Jarno Vos

    (@jarnovos)

    1 year ago

    Hi @cemcgill

    As mentioned in @contentiskey’s post above, it indeed sounds like you’re currently using “Plain” Permalinks (e.g., http://example.com/?p=123) while your intention is to use “Pretty” Permalinks (e.g., the “Post Name” setting, which will result in links such as http://example.com/2012/12/30/post-name).

    You can change these settings by navigating to Settings -> Permalinks in the left-hand WordPress Menu on your site, so, this can be done directly in the WordPress interface.

    Kind regards, Jarno

    Thread Starter cemcgill

    (@cemcgill)

    1 year ago

    Hi all – that fixed it, thank God! I’m utterly baffled as I never even knew that setting existed, and even if I had stumbled upon it I would have thought that applied only to Posts, not Pages. (Why even offer a field in Quick Edit to enter a custom slug if they’re overwritten by default?) I’ve never encountered this issue before with any of my other sites – I wonder if it’s only in some recent update that Plain Permalinks became the default…

    Thanks so much all, that’s been driving me insane for the better part of a day and I never would have stumbled across that myself! 🤦

Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)

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