Title: Sitemap Error
Last modified: December 29, 2018

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# Sitemap Error

 *  Resolved [deepakem](https://wordpress.org/support/users/deepakem/)
 * (@deepakem)
 * [7 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/sitemap-error-62/)
 * I have used the Health Check plugin as suggested by articles on Yoast website
   and found that when Yoast was activated the problem was still there. According
   to the article, this suggests some problem with the Yoast plugin itself. I have
   raised an issue on the Yoast website as well with an attached Bug Report.
 * The sitemap_index.xml page throws an error “error on line 3 at column 6: XML 
   declaration allowed only at the start of the document” on Chrome, and keeps loading
   in Firefox with an orangish red box displayed. I have checked and function.php
   and wp-config.php and there are no whitespaces or empty lines at the beginning
   or the end of them. Please help me fix this.
 * The page I need help with: _[[log in](https://login.wordpress.org/?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fwordpress.org%2Fsupport%2Ftopic%2Fsitemap-error-62%2F%3Foutput_format%3Dmd&locale=en_US)
   to see the link]_

Viewing 4 replies - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)

 *  Plugin Support [amboutwe](https://wordpress.org/support/users/amboutwe/)
 * (@amboutwe)
 * [7 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/sitemap-error-62/#post-11036262)
 * This happens when something in your WordPress install is outputting white space
   and it shouldn’t.
 * As you’ve checked the common places like the config file, something else in your
   install is outputting whitespace.
 * Do you have any must use or drop in plugins as these are not disabled when using
   the Health Check plugin?
 * Does enabling the [WP debug](https://codex.wordpress.org/WP_DEBUG) change the
   whitespace in the source code to an error message?
 *  Thread Starter [deepakem](https://wordpress.org/support/users/deepakem/)
 * (@deepakem)
 * [7 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/sitemap-error-62/#post-11039350)
 * There are no must use plugins, other than Health Check itself which I have installed
   only yesterday as instructed by a Yoast article. I enabled WP debug as well, 
   the error is the same and whitespace doesn’t change either.
 * This is how it appears on Chrome – [https://www.screencast.com/t/ObhmTTWy](https://www.screencast.com/t/ObhmTTWy)
 * On Firefox – [https://www.screencast.com/t/RIBLggcou88X](https://www.screencast.com/t/RIBLggcou88X)
 * The whitespace earlier was two blank lines before XML declaration, now there’s
   one after I removed unnecessary default themes.
    -  This reply was modified 7 years, 5 months ago by [deepakem](https://wordpress.org/support/users/deepakem/).
 *  [Pcosta88](https://wordpress.org/support/users/pcosta88/)
 * (@pcosta88)
 * [7 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/sitemap-error-62/#post-11041960)
 * Hi,
 * We understand that you are getting the XML declaration error on your sitemap:
   [http://manjeettattooz.com/sitemap_index.xml](http://manjeettattooz.com/sitemap_index.xml).
   We would like some more information.
 * When the healthcheck plugin was installed, did you perform the complete conflict
   check as described in this article: [https://kb.yoast.com/kb/how-to-check-for-plugin-conflicts](https://kb.yoast.com/kb/how-to-check-for-plugin-conflicts)/?
 * Did you switch to a basic theme like 2015 and deactivate all plugins except Yoast?
 *  Thread Starter [deepakem](https://wordpress.org/support/users/deepakem/)
 * (@deepakem)
 * [7 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/sitemap-error-62/#post-11044092)
 * I found the issue, it was with a gallery plugin. Thank you for your response.

Viewing 4 replies - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)

The topic ‘Sitemap Error’ is closed to new replies.

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## Tags

 * [sitemap](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/sitemap/)
 * [xml-declaration](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/xml-declaration/)

 * 4 replies
 * 3 participants
 * Last reply from: [deepakem](https://wordpress.org/support/users/deepakem/)
 * Last activity: [7 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/sitemap-error-62/#post-11044092)
 * Status: resolved