BugWP logo BugWP
Back to Community
Home / Community / General

How to Fix NextGEN Gallery Pagination Issues After an Update

33 threads Sep 10, 2025

Content

Many NextGEN Gallery users have recently encountered a frustrating issue: after a plugin update, a pagination box (showing numbers like '1' or '1, 2') appears beneath all their galleries, even those with too few images to require pagination. Furthermore, the navigation arrows to move between pages often stop working. This guide will explain why this happens and provide the most common solutions to resolve it.

Why This Happens

This behavior is typically the result of a change in a recent plugin update that altered how galleries handle pagination settings. The new code may be applying pagination rules globally, overriding previous individual gallery settings. In some cases, a conflict with your WordPress theme's built-in lightbox functionality can also cause the navigation arrows to malfunction, as both scripts try to control the image display.

How to Fix NextGEN Gallery Pagination Problems

Solution 1: Clear the Image Cache

Often, the simplest fix is to clear the plugin's cached data. This forces NextGEN Gallery to rebuild its internal data, which can resolve display glitches introduced by an update.

  1. Navigate to NextGEN Gallery > Other Options.
  2. Click on the Miscellaneous tab.
  3. Click the button labeled Clear Image Cache.

Solution 2: Check for Theme Conflicts (For Broken Arrows)

If the pagination arrows are not working, a common cause is a conflict between NextGEN's lightbox and the one built into your theme.

  1. Go to NextGEN Gallery > Other Options.
  2. Select the Lightbox Effects tab.
  3. For the setting What lightbox would you like to use?, select None.
  4. Click Save Options.
  5. Check your gallery page to see if the theme's native lightbox now works correctly. If it does, the conflict is confirmed. You can then choose to use the theme's lightbox or look for a compatible setting in your theme's options to disable its lightbox and re-enable NextGEN's.

Solution 3: Adjust Gallery Settings (For Unwanted Pagination Numbers)

If the pagination numbers appear on a gallery that shouldn't have them, you can adjust the number of images displayed per page.

  1. Edit the page or post containing the gallery.
  2. Edit the NextGEN Gallery block or shortcode.
  3. Look for a setting called Images per page or similar.
  4. Set this number to be higher than the total number of images in the gallery. For example, if your gallery has 10 images, set "Images per page" to 20.
  5. Update the page. This should prevent the pagination box from appearing for that specific gallery.

Conclusion

Pagination issues after an update are often resolved by clearing the cache or adjusting settings. If the problem persists, it may be helpful to check the official NextGEN Gallery documentation or community forums for any specific notes related to the latest update. As always, it is a best practice to perform updates on a staging site first to identify potential conflicts before updating a live website.

Related Support Threads Support