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Troubleshooting Common WordPress Multisite Network Setup Issues

45 threads Sep 7, 2025 Core → Networking wordpress

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Setting up a WordPress Multisite network can be a powerful way to manage multiple sites from a single dashboard. However, the process is complex and often leads to a variety of common errors that can leave users frustrated. Based on community reports, this guide outlines the most frequent problems and their solutions.

1. The "Network Setup" Option is Missing from the Tools Menu

Problem: After adding define('WP_ALLOW_MULTISITE', true); to the wp-config.php file, the 'Network Setup' option does not appear under Tools > Network Setup.

Why it happens: This is almost always caused by the code being added to a local file that was not uploaded back to the live server. The change must be made directly on the server's wp-config.php file.

Solution:

  • Use FTP or your hosting provider's file manager to directly edit the wp-config.php file on your server.
  • Ensure the code is placed above the line that says /* That's all, stop editing! Happy publishing. */.
  • Save the file and refresh your WordPress admin dashboard.

2. Error 404 or "Page Not Found" for Network Admin or New Sites

Problem: After creating the network, clicking on "Network Admin" or trying to visit a newly created site results in a 404 error.

Why it happens: This is typically a server configuration issue. For subdomain installations, a wildcard subdomain must be set up in your DNS, pointing to your main site's root directory. Furthermore, the web server (Apache or Nginx) must be configured to recognize these virtual subdomains.

Solution:

  • For Apache: Ensure the Multisite-generated rewrite rules are correctly placed in your .htaccess file.
  • For Nginx: The .htaccess file is ignored. You must manually add the equivalent rewrite rules to your server's Nginx configuration file (e.g., nginx.conf or a site-specific config file).
  • For Subdomains: Contact your hosting provider to confirm they support wildcard subdomains and ask for assistance in configuring them correctly. The subdomains should be virtual, not pointing to separate physical directories.

3. "The link you followed has expired" When Adding a New Site

Problem: When attempting to add a new site within the network admin, the process fails with the error "The link you followed has expired."

Why it happens: This error is often related to server resource limitations, such as PHP's max_input_vars or max_execution_time being too low for the Multisite operations.

Solution:

  • Increase PHP limits by creating or modifying a php.ini or .user.ini file in your site's root directory. Key values to increase include:
    • max_input_vars = 3000
    • max_execution_time = 300
    • upload_max_filesize = 64M
    • post_max_size = 64M
  • If you cannot create these files, contact your hosting provider and ask them to increase these values for your account.

4. New Sites Are Listed But Not Accessible (No Tables Created)

Problem: The network admin shows a new site in the list, but it does not appear under "My Sites," and visiting its URL returns a error or a broken page. The database tables for the new site are not created.

Why it happens: The database user assigned to WordPress may not have sufficient privileges to create new tables.

Solution:

  • Access your database management tool (e.g., phpMyAdmin).
  • Check the privileges for the database user your WordPress site uses. This information is found in the wp-config.php file.
  • Ensure the user has ALL PRIVILEGES granted for the WordPress database.

5. Constant Already Defined or Other wp-config.php Errors

Problem: After setup, you see PHP warnings like "Constant MULTISITE already defined" or experience other configuration errors.

Why it happens: The Multisite configuration code has been duplicated in the wp-config.php file.

Solution:

  • Carefully review your wp-config.php file.
  • Remove any duplicate lines related to Multisite, such as define( 'MULTISITE', true ); or define('WP_ALLOW_MULTISITE', true);.
  • Keep only one, clean set of the rules provided during the network creation process.

General Troubleshooting Tips

  • Clear Caches: Always clear your browser cache and any server-side or plugin-based caches after making configuration changes.
  • Check Error Logs: Your hosting provider should offer access to server error logs (e.g., in cPanel). These logs provide specific details about what is causing a 500, 403, or 404 error.
  • Default Permalinks: If you are undoing a Multisite installation, note that removing its rules from .htaccess will reset your site to plain permalinks. You will need to re-save your permalink structure in Settings > Permalinks afterward.

WordPress Multisite is a complex feature that interacts deeply with server settings. If these steps do not resolve your issue, your hosting provider is often the best resource, as they can directly check server configurations and error logs specific to your environment.

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