If something is not working as expected, this section covers the most common issues and their solutions. Most problems can be resolved in a few minutes without contacting support. Work through the relevant section below before reaching out.
Translated pages show 404 errors
This is the most common issue and almost always has a simple fix.
- Go to Settings > Permalinks in your WordPress admin
- Do not change any settings. Simply click Save Changes
- This forces WordPress to regenerate its URL rewrite rules, which now include Lang Forge’s language routes
- Try visiting the translated page again in an incognito browser window
- If the issue persists, verify that your web server supports URL rewriting (mod_rewrite on Apache, try_files on Nginx). Some shared hosting environments require manual configuration
- If you recently changed the URL format (for example, from Parameter to Directory), the old URLs will no longer work. Make sure you are using the new URL format
- Check that the post is Published, not Draft — drafts do not have accessible frontend URLs
Translation does not appear on the frontend
If you created a translation but visitors cannot see it:
- Open the translation post in the editor and check its status. It must be Published, not Draft or Pending Review
- Go to Lang Forge > Languages and confirm the language is in your Active Languages list
- Open the original post and check the Language & Translations metabox. Verify the translation is listed and linked. If it is missing, use Link Existing to reconnect the posts
- Clear all caches: your caching plugin cache, CDN cache, and browser cache (try an incognito window)
- If using a page builder, make sure the translated content was saved in the builder or Lang Forge’s Visual Editor, not just the WordPress editor. For Elementor, Lang Forge clears the rendered element cache after widget text updates; if only styling looks stale, run Elementor > Tools > Regenerate CSS
The wrong language shows on the homepage
- Go to Settings > Reading and note which page is set as your static homepage
- Open that page in the editor and verify it has a published, linked translation for the language in question
- Check that the translated homepage is linked as a translation of the front page (not of some other page) in the Language & Translations metabox
- If you use “Latest posts” as your homepage format, translated posts will appear based on the language filter. Make sure blog posts exist in the target language
AI translation button is grayed out
- Go to Lang Forge > Account and verify your PRO license is active and not expired
- Check your remaining AI credits. If the balance is zero, the button is disabled until you purchase an add-on pack
- Verify your server can reach the internet. Some hosting environments (especially local development or firewalled servers) block outgoing HTTPS requests
- Clear your browser cache and try again. Sometimes a cached version of the page shows the button as disabled
- Check that you are editing a translation post, not the original. The AI Translate button only appears on translation drafts, not on posts in the default language
Language switcher shows no options
- Confirm that translations exist for the page you are viewing and that they are Published (not Draft)
- Check that you have more than one active language in Lang Forge settings
- If you are testing on the homepage, verify the homepage has linked, published translations
- Verify the switcher is placed correctly: check the widget, shortcode, or menu item configuration
- Clear caches and test in an incognito browser window
Translations are not appearing in Google search results
- Verify translations are Published — drafts are excluded from sitemaps and hreflang tags
- Visit
/sitemap-hreflang.xmlon your site and confirm the translated pages are listed - Submit the sitemap to Google Search Console
- Allow time for indexing — new pages can take days to weeks to appear in search results
- Use the URL Inspection tool in Search Console to check a specific translated page
Menus show in the wrong language
- Go to Appearance > Menus and verify that a separate menu exists for each language
- Check that each menu is assigned to the correct language-specific menu location (e.g., “Primary Menu — Spanish”)
- If you used the Lang Forge Menu Translation page, verify that the translated labels were saved
> Tip: When contacting support, include your WordPress version, Lang Forge version, a list of active plugins, and the URL format you are using. This information helps resolve issues much faster.
> Good to know: Many issues are caused by aggressive caching. When troubleshooting, always test in an incognito browser window after clearing all caches. This eliminates caching as a variable.
[Screenshot: The Settings > Permalinks page with the Save Changes button highlighted, which fixes the most common issue]
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