Troubleshooting Common Hestia Logo Upload and Display Issues

Many users of the Hestia WordPress theme encounter difficulties when working with logos, from upload problems in the customizer to display issues on the front end. This guide compiles the most common problems and their solutions, based on community reports and fixes.

Common Logo Issues and Their Symptoms

• A blank screen or unresponsive interface when trying to upload or change a logo in the Appearance > Customize > Site Identity section.
• Being forced to crop an image for the transparent header logo with no option to skip, unlike the primary logo.
• Logos appearing blurry, partially transparent, or not displaying at all on the live site, particularly on mobile.
• Inability to resize the logo or remove the header overlay using CSS.

Why These Issues Happen

These problems typically stem from a few key areas:

1. Plugin Conflicts: Other plugins, especially page builders like Elementor, can sometimes inject code or scripts that interfere with the theme's customizer functionality.
2. Browser or Caching Issues: A corrupted browser cache or a stale server cache can prevent the customizer from loading assets correctly or cause old logos to persist.
3. Theme Code Bugs: Past versions of Hestia had a known bug that forced cropping on the transparent logo due to a typo in the code (flex-width instead of flex_width).
4. JavaScript Errors: Errors in other scripts on the site can break the customizer's functionality, preventing logos from being selected or cropped.

How to Troubleshoot and Fix Logo Problems

1. Perform a Conflict Test

This is the most critical first step for upload issues and blank screens in the customizer.

1. Deactivate all plugins on your site.
2. Check if the logo upload functionality works in the customizer.
3. If it works, reactivate your plugins one by one, checking the customizer after each activation, to identify the conflicting plugin.

2. Clear All Caches

Clear your browser cache, any server-side caching (like Varnish), and your WordPress caching plugin (e.g., WP Rocket, W3 Total Cache). Then, try uploading your logo again.

3. Check for JavaScript Errors

If you see a blank crop screen or nothing happens when you click a button, a JavaScript error may be the cause.

1. Open your browser's developer tools (F12 on most browsers).
2. Go to the "Console" tab.
3. Reproduce the issue (e.g., try to upload a logo).
4. Look for any red error messages in the console. These errors can often point to a conflicting script.

4. Address the Forced Cropping Bug (Transparent Logo)

This was a known bug in older versions. First, ensure your Hestia theme is updated to the latest version, as this should include the fix. If you cannot update, a manual code fix was provided by the Hestia team:

1. Access your site's files via FTP or your hosting file manager.
2. Navigate to /wp-content/themes/hestia/inc/customizer/general/.
3. Edit the file class-hestia-header-controls.php.
4. Find the lines:

   'flex-width'  => true,
   'flex-height' => true,

5. Change them to:

   'flex_width'  => true,
   'flex_height' => true,

6. Save the file and clear your cache.

Warning: Editing theme files directly is not recommended as changes will be lost on update. This is a temporary fix until you can update the theme. Using a child theme is the best practice for customizations.

5. Resize Logos and Control Display with CSS

To control the size of your logo, you can use Custom Additional CSS in the WordPress customizer. The exact CSS needed can vary based on your header layout, but the following is a common example:

.navbar-brand img {
    max-height: 60px !important; /* Adjust this value as needed */
    width: auto !important;
}

To remove the dark overlay from the header, the correct CSS selector is often:

.header-filter::before {
    background-color: transparent !important;
}

When to Seek Further Help

If none of these steps resolve your issue, the problem may be more specific to your site's configuration. When asking for help in community forums, be prepared to provide:

• The URL of your website.
• A clear description of the problem and the steps you have already taken.
• Any error messages you found in the browser console.
• A list of the plugins you are using.