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

Problem:
The client is experiencing high CPU utilization and slow queries on their website when WooCommerce is activated along with WPML.
Solution:
We recommend the following steps to address the issue:
1. Ensure all WPML components are up to date by going to Plugins -> Add New Plugin, clicking on the Commercial tab, and then clicking the Check for updates button. Install any available updates for WPML Multilingual CMS, WPML SEO, Advanced Custom Fields Multilingual, and Ninja Forms Multilingual.
2. If updating does not resolve the issue, follow these troubleshooting steps:
- Create a full site backup or a staging site with a copy of the production site.
- Flush any cache memory.
- Update all outdated plugins and themes, especially the WPML plugins.
- Deactivate all plugins, including WPML ones, and activate a default WordPress theme like Twenty Twenty.
- Reactivate the WPML plugins, WooCommerce, and WCML. If the issue disappears, reactivate the theme and then other plugins one by one to identify the problematic plugin.
For more detailed guidance on identifying slow queries, visit https://wpml.org/faq/how-to-debug-performance-problems/.

If these steps do not resolve the issue or if the solution becomes outdated, we highly recommend checking related known issues at https://wpml.org/known-issues/, verifying the version of the permanent fix, and confirming that you have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 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 Carlos Rojas 3 weeks, 5 days ago.

Assisted by: Carlos Rojas.

Author Posts
April 17, 2026 at 5:22 am #17975805

lordG

Hello WPML Support Team,

We would like to request your assistance in investigating and resolving an issue related to slow queries and high CPU utilization on our website.

We have observed that under normal conditions, without WooCommerce enabled, our server CPU usage remains around 50% to 60%. However, once WooCommerce is activated (along with WPML), the CPU utilization significantly increases, reaching 90% to 100%. This spike is causing performance issues and is currently blocking further deployment.

We suspect that some queries related to WPML and WooCommerce integration may be contributing to the slowdown and high resource usage.

Could you please advise on the following:
Are there known performance issues or heavy queries related to WPML when used with WooCommerce?
Are there recommended configurations, optimizations, or best practices to reduce query load and CPU usage?
Any tools or debugging steps we can use to identify problematic queries?

Server Specs: Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
OS/Image: debian-11-bullseye-v20241112
Disk: 10GB (Balanced persistent disk)
Architecture: x86/64
Machine Type: e2-standard-8 (8 vCPUs, 32 GB Memory)
CPU platform: Intel Broadwell
Zone: asia-southeast1-a

We would appreciate any guidance or recommendations you can provide to help us resolve this issue.

Thank you in advance for your support.

April 20, 2026 at 10:19 am #17980252

Carlos Rojas
WPML Supporter since 03/2017

Languages: English (English ) Spanish (Español )

Timezone: Europe/Madrid (GMT+02:00)

Hello,
Thank you for contacting us

I recommend following these steps to isolate the cause of the performance issue and gather more information:
- Create a full site backup or create a staging site with a copy of the production site
- Flush any cache memory that might exist
- Update all outdated plugins and themes, especially the WPML plugins
- If the issue persists, then:
-- Deactivate all plugins, including the WPML ones
-- Activate a default WordPress theme, like Twenty Twenty
-- Activate the WPML plugins, WooCommerce and WCML
-- If the issue disappeared, start by activating the theme and then the rest of the plugins, one by one, until the issue appears again and you find the culprit

In this link: https://wpml.org/faq/how-to-debug-performance-problems/ you will find a guide to spot slow queries that might be causing the performance issue.

Please let me know the results of the steps described above.
Regards,
Carlos