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How to Fix Common Plugin Conflicts with Autoptimize

44 threads Sep 16, 2025 Plugin → Autoptimize

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Autoptimize is a powerful tool for optimizing your WordPress site's performance. However, it can sometimes conflict with other plugins, causing features like cookie banners, e-commerce functions, or galleries to break. This guide explains why these conflicts happen and provides the most common, effective solutions to resolve them.

Why Do These Conflicts Occur?

Autoptimize works by aggregating and minifying JavaScript and CSS files. While this process speeds up your site, it can sometimes change the order in which scripts load or how they interact with each other. This is a common cause of conflicts with plugins that rely on specific scripts to function correctly, such as cookie consent tools, payment gateways, or gallery lightboxes.

Step 1: Identify the Source of the Conflict

The first and most crucial step is to identify which type of optimization is causing the issue. The Autoptimize team suggests a methodical approach:

  1. Go to Autoptimize → Settings.
  2. Disable CSS optimization and clear all caches. Test if the problem is resolved.
  3. If not, re-enable CSS optimization and disable JS optimization. Clear all caches and test again.
  4. Continue this process with HTML optimization and Image optimization (including lazyload) until you find the setting that fixes the issue.

This process will tell you exactly which optimization to reconfigure.

Step 2: Apply the Most Common Solutions

Based on the sample threads, here are the most effective solutions for specific types of conflicts:

1. For JavaScript Conflicts (Most Common)

If the problem is with JS optimization, try these solutions in order:

  • Disable "Also aggregate inline JS": This is a very common fix for scripts that break, especially for Google Tag Manager, AdSense, and many cookie consent plugins like Iubenda and Borlabs.
  • Use the exclusion list: Exclude the specific plugin's JavaScript files from being optimized. You can find the path to exclude by looking at the plugin's directory in wp-content/plugins/. For example:
    • To exclude a plugin named "example-plugin," you would add wp-content/plugins/example-plugin/ to the "Exclude scripts from Autoptimize" field.
    • Specific file paths like easy-affiliate-links/dist/public.js can also be excluded.
  • Try a different JS method: Instead of aggregating, try the "Defer JavaScript" option. This can often resolve conflicts while still improving performance.

2. For CSS Conflicts

If a gallery or visual element breaks (like Huge-IT Portfolio Gallery or WordPress Duotone), try these steps:

  • Add the plugin's directory to the CSS exclusion list (e.g., /plugins/portfolio-gallery/).
  • Ensure the "Minify excluded CSS and JS files?" option is unchecked.

3. For Page-Specific Conflicts

To disable optimization on a specific page or post:

  1. In Autoptimize's main settings, enable the option: "Enable configuration per post/page?".
  2. Edit the specific page or post where the conflict occurs.
  3. Look for the "Autoptimize this page" meta box and uncheck the optimizations (JS, CSS) that are causing the issue.

Step 3: Clear All Caches

After making any configuration change, it is critical to clear Autoptimize's cache and any other page caches (from your hosting provider or a separate caching plugin) to ensure the changes take effect immediately.

When the Problem Might Not Be Autoptimize

In some cases, the issue may be related to page caching, not optimization. If a problem (like a broken "Add to Cart" button) is temporarily fixed by clearing Autoptimize's cache, it's likely because that action also cleared your page cache. The root cause could be cached elements, like security nonces, that have expired. In this scenario, you may need to adjust the settings or expiration times in your page caching plugin or service.

Conclusion

Plugin conflicts with Autoptimize are common but usually easy to diagnose and fix. The key is to systematically identify which optimization is causing the problem and then apply a targeted solution, most often by tweaking JavaScript settings or using the exclusion lists. By following these steps, you can enjoy the speed benefits of Autoptimize without losing functionality from your other essential plugins.

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