Skip Navigation

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

Problem:
If you're experiencing issues with images not appearing in the Media Library when WPML is activated, but they do appear on the frontend when uploaded to a post or product, this might be due to a compatibility issue.
Solution:
We recommend setting up a staging or development site to troubleshoot this issue without affecting your live site. Additionally, enable the WordPress debug log to collect more detailed information about the problem. Here are the steps to enable debugging:

  • Open your wp-config.php file located in the root directory of your site.
  • Find the line
    // Enable WP_DEBUG mode
    define( 'WP_DEBUG', true );
     
    // Enable Debug logging to the /wp-content/debug.log file
    define( 'WP_DEBUG_LOG', true );
     
    // Disable display of errors and warnings 
    define( 'WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false );
    @ini_set( 'display_errors', 0 );
    

After enabling debugging, reproduce the issue by uploading media files while WPML is active and check for any errors or warnings in the debug.log file within the

/wp-content/

directory. Also, verify if there are any JavaScript errors in your browser console.
For further instructions on debugging, you can visit WPML Debugging Documentation and WordPress Debugging Documentation.

If this solution does not resolve your issue or seems irrelevant due to being outdated or not applicable to your case, we highly recommend checking related known issues at https://wpml.org/known-issues/, verifying the version of the permanent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 needed, please open a new support ticket for further assistance.

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

Everyone can read, but only WPML clients can post here. WPML team is replying on the forum 6 days per week, 22 hours per day.

Tagged: 

This topic contains 4 replies, has 2 voices.

Last updated by Andrey 1 month ago.

Assisted by: Andrey.

Author Posts
April 7, 2025 at 12:36 pm #16904228

charlotteM-2

Background of the issue:
I am trying to upload an image to the Media Library, but the image does not show up there. When I upload it to a post or product, it is uploaded and shown on the website. I tested for plugin conflicts with Health Check & Troubleshooting, and the issue occurs when I activate WPML. Link to a page where the issue can be seen: hidden link

Symptoms:
The uploaded image is shown on the frontend but not in the Media Library.

Questions:
Why does the image not appear in the Media Library when WPML is activated?
How can I resolve the issue of images not showing in the Media Library?

April 8, 2025 at 7:21 pm #16910729

Bigul
WPML Supporter since 01/2013

Languages: English (English )

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

Hello,

Welcome to the WPML support forum. Before passing this thread to my colleague, I would like to share some suggestions and possible solutions for the issues you mentioned.

This may be a compatibility issue. Do you have a staging/dev site (a clone copy of the live site)? Becuase it will help us troubleshoot this bug without affecting the live site.

Please share the WordPress debug.log (not WPML debug information) with us so we can collect more details. Refer to the following pages for instructions

https://wpml.org/documentation/support/debugging-wpml/

https://wordpress.org/documentation/article/debugging-in-wordpress/

To enable the WordPress Debug log, open your wp-config.php file of site root and look for define('WP_DEBUG', false);. Change it to:

// Enable WP_DEBUG mode
define( 'WP_DEBUG', true );
 
// Enable Debug logging to the /wp-content/debug.log file
define( 'WP_DEBUG_LOG', true );
 
// Disable display of errors and warnings 
define( 'WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false );
@ini_set( 'display_errors', 0 );

The errors will be saved to a debug.log log file inside the */wp-content/* directory.

Please follow the steps to reproduce the bug (upload media files when WPML is active) and check if you are getting any errors or warnings related to WPML in the log file.

Also, check you are getting any JavaScript errors in the browser console while having this bug.

If you can paste your debug.log to http://pastebin.com/index.php and provide me with that link, it would be great! (This is the cleanest way because sometimes the logs are long and create a complete mess of discussion).

--
Thanks!

Bigul

April 10, 2025 at 1:34 pm #16918889

charlotteM-2

Hi, thank you for the reply. I accidentally discovered that the site is hosted on a outdated server. We are goning to migrate the site to a new server and I maybe that that solves the problem. I wil let you know somewhere next week or the week thereafter.

Kindly,
Charlotte

April 11, 2025 at 2:37 am #16920748

Bigul
WPML Supporter since 01/2013

Languages: English (English )

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

Hi Charlotte,

Thank you for the updates. Take your time. We will wait for your feedback.

--
Thanks!

Bigul

April 11, 2025 at 12:19 pm #16922612

Andrey
WPML Supporter since 06/2013

Languages: English (English ) Russian (Русский )

Timezone: Europe/Kyiv (GMT+03:00)

Let us know if you still have the same issue after the migration is done. Have a nice weekend ahead.