Language switcher

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

Problem:
The client is experiencing an issue where the WPML language switcher is not appearing in the top menu despite being selected in WPML settings. Additionally, after changing the default language to Russian, the main page does not display in Russian.
Solution:
We first need to ensure that the website is restored to the state shown in the client's screenshot for accurate troubleshooting. If the site is in maintenance mode or changes are not published, the client might need to log into WordPress to see the changes correctly. For the language switcher issue, it appears there is no WordPress menu available in the WPML > Languages > Menu Language Switcher settings because the menu might be managed via Elementor. We recommend using a custom language switcher by following the documentation on adding language switchers using PHP and shortcodes, and for Elementor compatibility, refer to adding the WPML language switcher widget to Elementor templates and pages.

If these solutions do not resolve the issues or if they seem outdated or irrelevant to your case, please check related known issues at https://wpml.org/known-issues/, verify the version of the permanent fix, and confirm that you have installed the latest versions of themes and plugins. We highly recommend opening a new support ticket for further assistance at WPML support forum.

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Tagged: Exception

This topic contains 4 replies, has 0 voices.

Last updated by Mihai Apetrei 1 year, 2 months ago.

Assisted by: Mihai Apetrei.

Author	Posts
May 18, 2025 at 10:35 pm #17046171
clementD-15	Background of the issue: I am working on a site under development and trying to display the Language switcher in the top menu using WPML settings. Symptoms: The Language switcher doesn't show up in the top menu as I selected in the WPML settings. Questions: Why isn't the Language switcher appearing in the top menu despite being selected in WPML settings?
May 19, 2025 at 11:36 am #17048083
Mihai Apetrei WPML Supporter since 03/2018 Languages: English (English ) Timezone: Europe/Bucharest (GMT+03:00)	Hi there. When I tried to visit your website, it looked as shown in the screenshot I attached below. Are there any issues with the site at the moment? Can you restore it to the state it was in the screenshot you created so that I can better examine the issue? Please let me know. Mihai Apetrei
May 19, 2025 at 12:06 pm #17048264
clementD-15	Hi Mihai, in the meantime, I have changed the default language to Russian this is all I did. Here is the screenshot that I get from the main page. I think you opened the page in a moment the site was uploading the changes. It raises up another problem, the fact that the main page is not showing in Russian, despite that it's now the default language. I assumed that all the post and pages of my backend would show up in this language as well. What did I miss ? And as you can see, the language switcher still doesn't show up in the top menu.
May 19, 2025 at 5:06 pm #17049668
Mihai Apetrei Supporter	Hi there. This is the website URL that I'm visiting: hidden link I'm not sure if this is the correct one, but the site looks the same for me. I tried from different browsers, and I can't see what you see. Maybe the changes are not published, and you need to be logged into WordPress in order to see everything correctly. Also, regarding the new issue you mentioned in the last reply, please note that, per our Support Policy, we can handle only one problem per ticket. Continuing with one issue per ticket helps supporters focus on one problem at once and enables other users to find solutions to their questions faster. Please open a new ticket for the other issue. There's a chance that the translations have not been published yet, and that's why you are not seeing the translated content. If not, it would be best if someone from our team investigated this. For the first issue, please create a full website backup and then share the credentials with me in the private fields I enabled below. I will be waiting for your response.
May 19, 2025 at 6:14 pm #17050173
Mihai Apetrei Supporter	Thank you for the credentials. Since the first reply, no credentials have been shared in this ticket, so I was unaware of any login information. The credentials that you share with my colleagues in other tickets or chats are automatically removed for privacy and security reasons. It seems that there's no WordPress menu here: hidden link So, in WPML > Languages > Menu Language Switcher > there's no menu to select for the language switcher to show up in. It seems you are using Elementor, and the menu is probably added inside Elementor. In situations like this, you can use a custom language switcher as shown in our documentation below: https://wpml.org/documentation/getting-started-guide/language-setup/language-switcher-options/adding-language-switchers-using-php-and-shortcodes/ This might help, too: https://wpml.org/documentation/plugins-compatibility/elementor/adding-the-wpml-language-switcher-widget-to-elementor-templates-and-pages/ Please let me know how things go and if all this information helped you accomplish your goal.