Activate WPML CMS gives fatal error

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

Problem:
You are trying to activate WPML but encounter a fatal error. Despite deactivating Elementor Pro and Elementor, the issue persists. The error message indicates that the translation loading for the Elementor domain was triggered too early.
Solution:
We recommend enabling WordPress debugging to capture the full error message. Here are the steps you should follow:
1. Edit your

wp-config.php

file and add the following lines before the 'That's all, stop editing! Happy publishing.' comment:

define('WP_DEBUG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false);

2. Attempt to activate the plugin again to reproduce the error.
3. Open the file located at /wp-content/debug.log.
4. Copy and share the full error message you see there, especially anything related to WPML or the plugin you’re activating.

If this solution does not resolve your issue or seems outdated, please check for related known issues at https://wpml.org/known-issues/, verify the version of the permanent fix, and confirm that you have installed the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. If the problem persists, we highly recommend opening a new support ticket for further assistance at WPML support forum.

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Tagged: Exception

This topic contains 2 replies, has 1 voice.

Last updated by Andrey 1 week, 2 days ago.

Assisted by: Andrey.

Author	Posts
January 29, 2026 at 11:23 pm #17775365
stekker.appB	Trying to activate WPML, but we get a fatal error. Debugging gives us this error: Notice: Function _load_textdomain_just_in_time was called incorrectly. Translation loading for the elementor domain was triggered too early. This is usually an indicator for some code in the plugin or theme running too early. Translations should be loaded at the init action or later. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 6.7.0.) in /mnt/customers/customers-bh-/wp-content/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6131 Tried deactivating Elementor Pro and Elementor but still get this error. We run this site on my.elementor.com
January 29, 2026 at 11:40 pm #17775378
stekker.appB	So after some investigation with the bot, running into a few issues when turning debugging errors on. - Notice: Function _load_textdomain_just_in_time was called incorrectly. Translation loading for the elementor domain was triggered too early. This is usually an indicator for some code in the plugin or theme running too early. Translations should be loaded at the init action or later. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 6.7.0.) in /mnt/customers/customers-bh-108dcf/176c5a52-c6fd-4963-b614-39ad42ce57ff/wp-content/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6131 Always shows as an error, not just when activating the plugin. It includes something about elementor and translation, but WPML isn't activated yet. When trying to activate WPML CMS, the only error I get it to produce is "Plugin could not be activated because it triggered a fatal error." There is no debug.log in wp-content despite attempts to create one. PHP version is 8.3, PHP RAM is 1Gb.
January 30, 2026 at 12:04 am #17775384
Andrey WPML Supporter since 06/2013 Languages: English (English ) Russian (Русский ) Timezone: Europe/Kyiv (GMT+02:00)	Thank you for contacting WPML support. Could you please share the exact fatal error you are getting when activating the plugin? The notice you mentioned should not cause this issue by itself. To better understand what’s happening, please enable WordPress debugging, reproduce the problem, and then share the full error message from the debug.log file. Steps to follow 1. Edit your wp-config.php file and add (or update) the following lines before /* That's all, stop editing! Happy publishing. */ define( 'WP_DEBUG', true ); define( 'WP_DEBUG_LOG', true ); define( 'WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false ); 2. Try activating the plugin again to reproduce the error. 3. Open the file located at /wp-content/debug.log. 4. Copy and share the full error message you see there, especially anything related to WPML or the plugin you’re activating. Once I have the actual fatal error, I’ll be able to analyze it further and advise on the next steps.