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Troubleshooting Common Conflicts with EWWW Image Optimizer

53 threads Sep 16, 2025 Plugin → Ewww image optimizer

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EWWW Image Optimizer is a powerful tool for improving website performance, but like any plugin, it can sometimes conflict with other themes or plugins. Based on community reports, here are the most common issues and how to resolve them.

1. Blank Pages or Layout Issues

The Problem: After activating EWWW Image Optimizer, some users report seeing a blank white screen, a page where only the header loads, or a broken layout.

Why It Happens: This is often caused by the plugin's WebP rewriting features. The 'Alternative WebP Rewriting' or JS WebP script can sometimes interfere with a theme's scripts or other plugins, causing a fatal error that stops the page from rendering.

How to Fix It:

  1. Disable Alternative WebP Rewriting: Navigate to Settings → EWWW Image Optimizer and ensure the 'Alternative WebP Rewriting' option is turned off.
  2. Clear All Caches: This includes your browser cache, any caching plugins you have installed, and your CDN or server-level cache.
  3. Check for Plugin Conflicts: Temporarily disable all other plugins. If the issue is resolved, reactivate them one by one to identify the conflicting plugin.

2. Lazy Load Conflicts

The Problem: Features like image comparison sliders, slideshows, or theme editors may break or display incorrectly.

Why It Happens: EWWW's Lazy Load feature can conflict with similar functionality in other plugins (like Jetpack) or themes (like Elementor). When two lazy load systems run simultaneously, they can prevent images from loading correctly.

How to Fix It:

  1. Disable Lazy Load in EWWW: Go to the plugin's settings and turn off the Lazy Load option.
  2. Choose One Lazy Loader: Decide which plugin's lazy loader you want to use (EWWW's or the other plugin's) and disable the other to prevent conflicts.

3. Admin Panel or Settings Page Issues

The Problem: Users may find the WordPress admin menu looks strange, the EWWW settings page is blank, or a blank overlay appears in the admin area.

Why It Happens: These issues are typically related to a conflict with another plugin or theme that affects how scripts and styles are loaded in the admin dashboard.

How to Fix It:

  1. Check for JavaScript Errors: Open your browser's developer console (F12) and look for any red error messages that appear when the problem occurs.
  2. Conflict Test: Deactivate all other plugins and switch to a default WordPress theme (like Twenty Twenty-One). If the problem disappears, reactivate your plugins one by one to find the culprit.

4. CDN or ExactDN Content Lingers After Uninstall

The Problem: Even after removing the EWWW Image Optimizer plugin, images or other resources may still be served from the exactdn.com domain.

Why It Happens: This is almost always a caching issue. The URLs were rewritten by the plugin and then stored in a cache.

How to Fix It: Purge all caching layers. This includes any caching plugins you use, your CDN cache, and your server or object cache. Once the cache is completely cleared, the old URLs should no longer load.

General Troubleshooting Steps

If you encounter an issue not listed above, these steps can help isolate the cause:

  1. Disable EWWW Features One by One: Start by turning off Lazy Load, then JS WebP Rewriting, and then Picture WebP Rewriting. Check if the problem resolves after disabling each one.
  2. Enable WordPress Debugging: Temporarily enable WP_DEBUG to see if any hidden PHP errors are logged that point to the conflict.
  3. Check Server Error Logs: Contact your web host and ask if they can check the server's error logs for any relevant messages around the time the issue occurs.

By methodically testing these common solutions, most conflicts with EWWW Image Optimizer can be resolved, allowing you to benefit from its image optimization features without disrupting your site's functionality.

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