Title: WordPress doesn't understand HTML Last modified: August 22, 2016 --- # WordPress doesn't understand HTML * [hj](https://wordpress.org/support/users/hj/) * (@hj) * [11 years, 9 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpress-doesnt-understand-html/) * Firstly, I’m still using 2.9.2 – yes I’m sure I should upgrade, but that will be another question 😉 * However, I’ve successfully built quite a reasonable site with 2.9.2 and maintained it over a few years – [http://www.mulucaves.org](http://www.mulucaves.org) * Recently, however, I’ve noticed that in the visual editor, no amount of carriage returns can create paragraph breaks. It looks like it’s happening in the editor, but it’s not reflected when you preview your page. WYSIWYG it most certainly ain’t! * Even editing using the HTML editor doesn’t improve things. Adding ‘

’ or ‘ ‘ tags would make most html pages respond with a break or line gaps…but not here, no response whatsoever. * Basically I can’t add simple paragraph and line breaks to my pages – the most fundamental of writing requirements!! * What on earth is going on?…. Viewing 2 replies - 1 through 2 (of 2 total) * [Pyrate.Ned](https://wordpress.org/support/users/pyratened/) * (@pyratened) * [11 years, 9 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpress-doesnt-understand-html/#post-5170893) * Well the HTML editor add the `

` tags automatically, by default anything inside the HTML editor that is not a h1-h6, ol or ul become p. Second I believe you can just hold down shift and hit enter to make a line break in the text. * Thread Starter [hj](https://wordpress.org/support/users/hj/) * (@hj) * [11 years, 9 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpress-doesnt-understand-html/#post-5171034) * > Second I believe you can just hold down shift and hit enter to make a line > break in the text. * Tried that already – similarly has no effect. * I notice that while it can look ok in the editor field, if you then preview or publish your page the editor field loses all the space formatting you just put in and return to showing no line breaks or paragraph spaces. The editor does seem to respond to and save things like H tag formats or Bold, italic etc. But spacing and carriage returns?…..it doesn’t want to know. Viewing 2 replies - 1 through 2 (of 2 total) The topic ‘WordPress doesn't understand HTML’ is closed to new replies. ## Tags * [html editor](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/html-editor/) * [visual editor](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/visual-editor/) * In: [Fixing WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/how-to-and-troubleshooting/) * 2 replies * 2 participants * Last reply from: [hj](https://wordpress.org/support/users/hj/) * Last activity: [11 years, 9 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpress-doesnt-understand-html/#post-5171034) * Status: not resolved ## Topics ### Topics with no replies ### Non-support topics ### Resolved topics ### Unresolved topics ### All topics