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To share issues with WPML support, our support team may ask you to recreate the issue on a test site, also called a sandbox. Our supporters will provide you with this sandbox, which is essentially a fresh WordPress site without any active plugins. You’ll need to install the theme or plugins causing issues on your site and try to replicate the issue for our support team to see.

Why do you recommend using a sandbox for reproducing issues?

Using an empty WordPress website allows us to see the problem in an isolated setting that we know works well with WPML. It is also free of issues that third-party plugins can cause.

What steps should I follow to replicate my issue in a sandbox?

Use the following steps to identify the issue and confirm its cause:

  1. Install the plugin or theme causing the issue(s) on your site. You do not need to install any additional plugins. If possible, avoid importing demo content.
  2. Configure the plugin or theme in the same way as it is on your site. We might not be familiar with your plugin, so you’ll need to handle the setup process.
  3. Create an example showing what the problem is. If it is related to a WooCommerce product on your site, you’ll need to create a product in the sandbox. It doesn’t have to be identical to any of the products on your site for us to see the issue.
  4. Activate and configure WPML in the same way as it is on your site. You shouldn’t need to install any additional plugins. The core WPML and some add-ons, such as Media and String Translation are already pre-installed on our sandboxes. 
  5. Translate the affected item. Follow this step only if it is necessary to show us your issue.

Is there anything else I should know about using the sandbox?

  • We use the sandbox to reproduce issues, not duplicate sites. Importing a copy of your site to the sandbox will return an error. If we need a copy of your site, we’ll let you know. 
  • You do not need to rush through setting everything up in your sandbox. The link our supporters will provide you with expires after 7 days of inactivity. This counts from the date of your last log in.