Overview

When you try to make changes to your WordPress site and get an error message like “Updating Failed” or “Publishing Failed,” the effects might be frustrating and impede users from getting what they need.

If you run into this problem, there are a few typical causes and workarounds that can help you address it. You should be back to your regular posting schedule in no time after a little troubleshooting.

We’ll look at what causes the “Updating Failed” and “Publishing Failed” issues in WordPress in this article. Then we’ll go over four strategies to remedy or work around the issue so that your material is ready for readers.

Let’s get started!

Contents Table of Contents
Why WordPress Sometimes Fails to Update or Publish Content
How to Fix Updating Failed and Publishing Failed Errors in WordPress (In 4 Steps)
Why Does WordPress Fail to Update or Publish Content on Occasion?
The Block Editor has existed for quite some time. However, it continues to elicit conflicting reactions, and WordPress users may experience new issues and errors as a result of it.

One such issue is a notification in the WordPress editor that says “Publishing Failed”:

Errors related to wordpress upgrading and publishing
In the Block Editor, there was a publishing failure.
This message may display when you click the blue Publish button to try to publish your article. The “Updating Failed” message is a variant of this problem that appears when you try to make changes to a post or page that has already been published:

Error when updating WordPress
Updating In the Block Editor, there was a failed error.
As you can expect, this issue can be particularly aggravating for bloggers, as well as any site owner that needs to update critical content on their web pages.

The “Publishing Failed” problem can be caused by a number of factors, one of which is related to the Block Editor. To create, save, and publish posts, the new WordPress editing interface uses the REST API. You won’t be able to launch fresh content if something on your site is obstructing or inhibiting this procedure.

Any mention of the REST API can be daunting to a newcomer or a less-technical user. There’s no need to be concerned in this scenario.

For the sake of fixing the “Publishing Failed” error, all you need to know is that the Block Editor communicates with WordPress using the REST API.

The Block Editor’s publishing feature is broken or disabled when this communication is broken or deactivated. If that’s what’s causing the problem on your site, you’ll need to reactivate the REST API to resolve it.

How to Fix the WordPress Updating Failed and Publishing Failed Errors (In 4 Steps)
Resolving the issue becomes easy if you understand why your WordPress content is failing to update or publish. There are four steps you can do to resolve this issue on your website.

Step 1: Check to see if the REST API is blocked.
Step 2: Fix the specified error and re-enable the REST API.
Step 3: Select Debugging Mode to Look for Errors.
Step 4: As a workaround, install and activate the Classic Editor Plugin.
Step 1: Check to see if the REST API is blocked.
The REST API being banned or deactivated is a typical source of the “Publishing Failed” error in WordPress (since the Block Editor was launched). If you’re getting this error, a good place to start troubleshooting is by checking the REST API for functionality.

The Site Health tool in WordPress can help you with this. To get there, go to Tools > Site Health:

health of the place
Using WordPress to access the Site Health feature.
WordPress will display any existing problems with your installation under the Status tab. You’ll receive the following notice if the REST API is blocked:

“An unexpected result was returned by the REST API.”

WordPress and other applications can communicate with the server using the REST API. The block editor screen, for example, is reliant on this to show and preserve your posts and pages.”

The Site Health tool will also show you which mistake is causing the ‘unexpected outcome.’ A “401 Not Authorized” answer, an operation timeout, a “403 Cookie Nonce Is Invalid” message, or another issue could be the cause of this.

The method for addressing this issue and re-enabling the REST API will vary depending on the error you see stated above.

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Step 2: Fix the specified error and re-enable the REST API.
The Site Health tool should, in theory, give you some guidance on how to re-enable the REST API on your WordPress site. The following are some examples of common solutions:

I’m checking to see if Cloudflare is preventing the REST API from working. If you utilize Cloudflare, it’s possible that your firewall is blocking legitimate requests by accident. Check your Rule Set to see whether the REST API is being blocked, and disable any rules that are blocking it.
Ensure that no plugin is blocking or disabling the REST API. Some plugins may also prevent you from using the REST API. Disabling your plugins one at a time can help you figure out which one, if any, is the source of the issue. You can then disable the REST API by removing, replacing, or changing the settings for that plugin. Plugins for security and performance enhancement are popular offenders.
Using your.htaccess file to authenticate your WordPress site with the REST API. Before connecting to the REST API, your website must first authenticate itself. If your site isn’t doing so, you can fix the problem by making a tiny change to your.htaccess file.
Identifying whether the problem is server-related. When running WordPress on a Windows server, several customers have reported experiencing this issue. To repair it, you’ll need to change your web.config file.
Most of the time, plugins and firewall software are the source of the problem, so begin your troubleshooting efforts there.

You’ll probably be able to locate the tool that’s producing the “Publishing Failed” error in WordPress and disable or alter its settings to fix the problem.

Step 3: Select Debugging Mode to Look for Errors.
If one of the methods indicated in Step 2 fails to re-enable the REST API, you might try turning on WordPress’ debug mode. This function is intended to be used as a temporary troubleshooting tool.

When debug mode is enabled, all PHP replies are logged in a file called debug.log in your site’s wp-content directory. This file can be searched for issues that prohibit WordPress from connecting to the REST API and, as a result, from publishing or modifying content.

Add the following code to your wp-config.php file before the line that says “/* That’s all, stop editing!” to enable debug mode. */”: Good luck with your blogging.

/ Turn on WP DEBUG mode.

define(‘WP DEBUG’, true); define(‘WP DEBUG’, true); define(‘WP DE

/ Debug logging is enabled in the /wp-content/debug.log file.

define(‘WP DEBUG LOG’, true); define(‘WP DEBUG LOG’, true); define(‘WP DE
Once you’ve fixed the mistake, make sure to remove this code from wp-config.php.

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Customers can also access the error logs in their MyKinsta dashboard as an alternative.

Log into your MyKinsta account and go to the Sites page to see yours:

In the MyKinsta dashboard, go to the Sites tab.
In the list that appears, select the name of the website that is experiencing the difficulty. Then go to Logs and click on Error. use the drop-down option to log in:

Viewer of MyKinsta error logs
You should then get a list of any existing issues with your WordPress site.

Step 4: As a workaround, install and activate the Classic Editor Plugin.
If the previous actions do not help you with the “Publishing Failed” error in WordPress, you will most likely need to seek help from one of the following sources:

If you feel the problem is due to your server or if your host offers WordPress help, contact your hosting provider.
If you believe a tool that is critical to your site is blocking the REST API and you are unable to fix the problem yourself, you can use a particular plugin or firewall application like Cloudflare.
If you require additional assistance, such as for a free plugin that does not provide user support, visit the WordPress Support forums.
Install the Classic Editor plugin as a temporary solution while you work with a suitable service provider to remedy the “Publishing Failed” error:

Plugin for the Classic Editor
You should be able to make the necessary modifications to your content using the TinyMCE editor because it does not require the use of the REST API to publish or amend posts.

This, however, is merely a band-aid solution. You’ll need to resolve the error’s primary cause in the Block Editor before re-enabling it.

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Summary
The inability to publish or update content on your WordPress site might be a major issue. Fortunately, there are a few frequent reasons of these issues that you can solve quickly to restore order.

If the message “Updating Failed” or “Publishing Failed” appears in the WordPress Block Editor, try the following:

Identifying whether or not the REST API is being obstructed.
Resolve the indicated error to re-enable the REST API.
To search for errors, enable debugging mode.
As a temporary fix, install and activate the Classic Editor plugin.
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