The problem updating WPML plugins on staging site

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

Problem:
You are trying to update WPML plugins on your staging site but encounter an error stating 'WPML plugin cannot connect to wpml.org' and 'Unable to register: Site key not matching' when using the site key from your main site.
Solution:
Each site requires a unique key. Here are the steps to resolve the issue:
1) Visit https://wpml.org/account/websites/ and register the URL of your staging site to obtain a new site key.
2) Click 'Show key' and copy the new site key.
3) Go to your WordPress admin under Plugins > Add New > Commercial, and enter the new site key to register WPML. If WPML is already registered, you may need to deregister it first.
In some cases, you might need to remove and re-register the site URL on your WPML account to generate a new site key. Ensure you use the correct site key for each site.
If issues persist, please provide the URLs of your production and staging sites for further assistance.

This solution might be outdated or not applicable to your specific case. We 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 continues, please open a new support ticket at WPML support forum.

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Tagged: Account Issues

This topic contains 5 replies, has 1 voice.

Last updated by Andreas W. 3 weeks, 4 days ago.

Assisted by: Andreas W..

Author	Posts
May 1, 2025 at 10:49 pm #16987573
feruzK	<b>Background of the issue: </b> I am trying to update WPML plugins on my staging site. I went to WP--Plugins--Add plugin--Commercial to update my plugins. I see a message 'WPML plugin cannot connect to wpml.org.' I attempted to register the site key from my main site but received an error 'Unable to register: Site key not matching.' My main site works without issues. I am referencing this forum answer: https://wpml.org/forums/topic/staging-site-appears-not-recognized-and-does-not-allow-plugin-updates/. I am concerned about losing translations and future content copying between staging and main sites. Screenshot of the error: hidden link. <b>Symptoms: </b> I see the message 'WPML plugin cannot connect to wpml.org.' When registering with the site key of my main site, I receive 'Unable to register: Site key not matching.' <b>Questions: </b> Can the forum answer solve my problem with my staging site? After changing the key, will all my translations be lost? When I want to copy from the staging site to the main site in the future, will all content be copied without any problems?
May 2, 2025 at 6:28 am #16987961
Dražen Supporter Languages: English (English ) Timezone: Europe/Zagreb (GMT+02:00)	Hello, Thanks for contacting us. While you wait for my colleague to take over the ticket, let me try to help you with the issue quickly. We require 1 key per 1 URL / Website, so you will need to register it with new key. You will not lose any translations or similar, it is only meant for updates. Follow next steps: - In your website, go to Plugins -> Add New -> Commercial. - Unregister WPML by clicking the unregister link. - Then go to https://wpml.org/account/sites/. - Delete the existing site key. - Then go back to Plugins -> Add New -> Commercial on your website. - Click the register link Regards, Drazen
May 2, 2025 at 9:10 am #16988685
feruzK	Hello Dražen, Thank you for your reply and support. I followed the steps you indicated and renewed the site key for the main site, but the problem is that this site key doesn't work for my staging site, and I'm still getting the message "Unable to register: Site key not matching." Could you please help me resolve this issue? Thank you for your reply.
May 3, 2025 at 7:08 pm #16992377
Andreas W. WPML Supporter since 12/2018 Languages: English (English ) Spanish (Español ) German (Deutsch ) Timezone: America/Lima (GMT-05:00)	Hello, Each site needs a unique key. This means on wpml.org you register one site key for the live site and another site key for the staging site. Then you use each unique site key respectively on each WordPress install to register WPML. WPML must be re-registered after each website migration or after changing the domain or domain provider. 1) Go to https://wpml.org/account/websites/ 2) Register the site URL of your staging site. This will create a new site key. 3) Click "Show key" and copy it. 4) Enter the key under Plugins > Install > Commercial (tab) to re-register WPML. If WPML is still registered there, deregister it first. In some cases, you might need to remove a site URL from your account on wpml.org and register the site URL again to create a new site key. Important is that the site key is different between both sites and that you use the correct site key to register WPML on each site in WordPress. If the problem persists, please let me know the site URLs of your production and staging sites. ---- It would also be very helpful if you could provide us with WPML debugging information. More information here: https://wpml.org/de/faq/provide-debug-information-faster-support/ Best regards, Andreas
May 10, 2025 at 11:14 pm #17019548
feruzK	Hello Andreas, Thank you for your detailed answer and support. The issue has been resolved.
May 13, 2025 at 12:37 pm #17027518
Andreas W. WPML Supporter since 12/2018 Languages: English (English ) Spanish (Español ) German (Deutsch ) Timezone: America/Lima (GMT-05:00)	Thank you for your confirmation. Have a nice day! 🙂