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[Resolved] Old ACF custom fields still present in WPML Editor

This thread is resolved. Here is a description of the problem and solution.

Problem:
You are experiencing issues with old ACF custom fields still appearing in the WPML Editor when translating content, even though these fields are no longer used.
Solution:
We recommend two approaches to resolve this issue:
1. Create a new page with the same content but without the unused fields. This method ensures that the old data isn’t carried over.
2. Manually delete the old field values from the database to remove any traces of these fields.

If these steps do not resolve your issue or if the solution seems outdated or irrelevant to your current setup, we highly recommend checking related known issues at https://wpml.org/known-issues/, verifying the version of the permanent fix, and confirming that you have installed the latest versions of themes and plugins. If the problem persists, please do not hesitate to open a new support ticket at WPML support forum for further assistance.

This is the technical support forum for WPML - the multilingual WordPress plugin.

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This topic contains 1 replies, has 0 voices.

Last updated by Noman 4 months ago.

Assisted by: Noman.

Author Posts
August 11, 2025 at 11:36 am #17309462

saraG-28

Background of the issue:
I have some custom fields created with ACF but now they are not used anymore. When I translate content with WPML editor, I can still see the old custom fields.

Symptoms:
Old ACF custom fields are still present in WPML Editor when translating content.

Questions:
How can I remove the old custom fields from the WPML Editor?
August 11, 2025 at 5:16 pm #17311035

Noman
WPML Supporter since 06/2016

Languages: English (English )

Timezone: Asia/Karachi (GMT+05:00)

Hi,

Thank you for contacting WPML Support. These old ACF fields still appear in the WPML Editor because their data is still stored in the database, even if the fields were removed from ACF. WPML detects and lists any custom field that exists in the database. To remove them, you can either:

- Create a new page with the same content (without the unused fields) so the old data isn’t carried over, or

- Manually delete those field values from the database.

Please let me know if this resolves the issue or if you need further assistance with this issue.

Thank you