WPML widget doesn't show the default language on the translated pages

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

Problem:
If you're experiencing an issue where the WPML widget does not display the default language (Croatian) on the English and German versions of your site, it might be due to insufficient database permissions.
Solution:
We recommend checking if your WordPress database user has the necessary permissions to create, drop, or modify database tables. This is essential for WPML to function correctly. You can find more information on resolving database permission issues at https://stackoverflow.com/questions/9887364/create-command-denied-to-user and http://stackoverflow.com/a/8124868.
Here are the steps to follow:
1. Ensure you back up your site.
2. Navigate to WPML >> Support >> Troubleshooting page.
3. Select 'This operation will reset WPML's language tables and reinstall it. Any custom languages that you added will be removed.'
4. Click the 'Clear language information and repopulate languages' button.
5. Go to WPML >> Languages page, click 'Add / Remove languages', and then press 'Save'.

If this solution does not resolve your issue or seems outdated, we highly recommend checking related known issues at https://wpml.org/known-issues/, verifying the version of the permanent fix, and confirming that you have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.

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

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Tagged: Exception

This topic contains 8 replies, has 0 voices.

Last updated by Noman 2 weeks, 1 day ago.

Assisted by: Noman.

Author	Posts
June 18, 2025 at 10:32 am
deaV	Background of the issue: I made a website in Croatian as the default language and translated it into English and German. However, when I visit the English or German version of the site, the WPML widget to change the language doesn't show Croatian as an option. The Croatian flag appears only on the Croatian version of the website. The issue can be seen at hidden link. Symptoms: The WPML widget doesn't show the default language (Croatian) on the translated pages. Only the two translations (English, German) are available. Questions: Why doesn't the WPML widget show Croatian as an option on the English and German versions of the site? How can I make the WPML widget display all three languages (Croatian, English, German) on all versions of the site?
June 18, 2025 at 11:47 am
June 19, 2025 at 9:58 am #17149708
Noman WPML Supporter since 06/2016 Languages: English (English ) Timezone: Asia/Karachi (GMT+05:00)	I’m still debugging this issue on your site and get back to you with an update soon. Thank you for your cooperation
June 20, 2025 at 10:30 am #17153800
Noman WPML Supporter since 06/2016 Languages: English (English ) Timezone: Asia/Karachi (GMT+05:00)	It looks like you're running WordPress with a database user who has no rights to drop, or modify database tables. WPML must be able to create/modify its language tables to run smoothly. If you're on a shared hosting plan, I suggest contacting the hosting company and asking them to change the database user to a user who can create/drop/modify database tables. This way is also required for installing WordPress properly. There is some more information about resolving this in the following answer: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/9887364/create-command-denied-to-user http://stackoverflow.com/a/8124868 After that, please try to follow the below procedure: 1. Take a backup of your site first for safety reasons. 2. Go to WPML >> Support > Troubleshooting page. 3. Choose the “This operation will reset WPML's language tables and reinstall it. Any custom languages that you added will be removed.” 4. Press the “Clear language information and repopulate languages” button as you can see in the attached screenshot. 5. Visit the WPML >> Languages page, Click the Add / Remove languages button and press the Save button. Please let me know if this helps resolve your issue or if you need any more help. Thank you
June 20, 2025 at 11:51 am #17154165
deaV	This is what I got after following your steps for WPML, do I still need to contact the hosting provider with the info you gave me?
June 20, 2025 at 12:11 pm #17154207
deaV	I contacted the hosting provider they told me this: "Try with the database data that you have in the wp.config.php file of the aforementioned WordPress - that user has all the permissions. You can create a user yourself in cPanel under the MySQL tool" I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do with this information.
June 20, 2025 at 6:49 pm #17155163
deaV	I found this: https://wpml.org/forums/topic/wpml-is-missing-some-records-in-the-language-tables/ And I think the problem I'm having is the exact same, is there a way we can reset the WPML plugin and try to redo everything the right way so that the databases get installed properly and I can add languages from the menu (since right now there are no languages available to choose from)?
June 20, 2025 at 7:41 pm #17155281
deaV	I tried resetting the plugin too but it still doesn't work, when I go to setup the plugin the list of languages doesn't appear. Can you try to delete it completely and reinstall manually and fix what needs to be fixed in the database? I'm paying for this plugin and it's really frustrating that it's not working properly at all and nobody seems to be able to help. This is not the first time I'm reaching out.
June 20, 2025 at 11:13 pm #17155445
Noman WPML Supporter since 06/2016 Languages: English (English ) Timezone: Asia/Karachi (GMT+05:00)	I will check all details and work on it first thing on Sunday, because I am OFF Fridays and Saturdays (my weekend), just wanted to give you a quick status update. In the meantime please tell me if you have added any translations for any pages/posts etc or not yet? This info is important before resetting WPML and yes resetting and re-installing is easy. Also before resetting please ensure you have taken Full site and database Backup, this is for safety reasons. I will continue and update you on Sunday, rest assured I am committed to help you resolve this issue properly. Thank you very much for your cooperation and patience.
June 22, 2025 at 9:15 am #17156699
Noman WPML Supporter since 06/2016 Languages: English (English ) Timezone: Asia/Karachi (GMT+05:00)	Thanks for resetting WPML. I've installed the WPML plugins properly on your site and now all languages and their flags are available as you can see in the attached screenshot. Now, please try to translate your site and I hope it will work without any issues. Please let me know if this resolves the issue or if you need further assistance with this issue. Thank you for your cooperation and patience