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Troubleshooting Hestia's Missing Big Title Section and Customizer Issues

20 threads Sep 16, 2025 Theme → Hestia

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Many users of the Hestia theme report a common and frustrating problem: the Big Title Section, a central feature of the front page, disappears from the WordPress Customizer. This prevents you from editing your headline, button, and background image, even though the section might still be visible on the live site. Based on community reports and solutions, this article explains why this happens and provides the most effective troubleshooting steps.

What is the Problem?

The issue manifests in a few ways. Users find that the Big Title Section menu item has vanished from the Customizer under Frontpage Sections. In other cases, the option is present but changes made there do not reflect on the live website. Sometimes, the entire section is missing from the front page altogether. A related issue involves the Boxed Layout option not applying changes correctly after publishing.

Why Does This Happen?

Analysis of numerous support threads points to two primary causes for these Customizer and display issues:

  1. Plugin Conflicts: This is, by far, the most common culprit. Another plugin's code can interfere with the theme's Customizer scripts, causing sections to not load or save properly.
  2. Browser Caching: Your browser or a caching plugin might be serving an old, stored version of your site's CSS and JavaScript, preventing you from seeing recent changes or the correct Customizer interface.

How to Fix It: Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Clear Your Cache

This is the easiest first step. Clear your browser's cache and perform a hard refresh. On Windows or Linux, press Ctrl + F5. On a Mac, press Command + Shift + R. If you use a caching plugin (e.g., W3 Total Cache, WP Super Cache), clear its cache as well.

Step 2: Check for Plugin Conflicts (The Most Effective Solution)

This process will help you identify if a plugin is causing the problem.

  1. Go to your WordPress dashboard and navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins.
  2. Deactivate all your plugins. Don't worry, this is temporary.
  3. Go to the Customizer (Appearance > Customize) and check if the Big Title Section has reappeared and is editable.
  4. If it has, you know a plugin conflict was the cause. Now, reactivate your plugins one by one, checking the Customizer after activating each one.
  5. When the Big Title Section disappears again, the last plugin you activated is the source of the conflict. You can then choose to keep it deactivated and look for an alternative.

Note: It is highly recommended to perform this test on a staging site or after creating a full backup of your website.

Step 3: Check Your Homepage Settings

Ensure your front page is set up correctly in the WordPress settings.

  1. Go to Settings > Reading.
  2. Verify that Your homepage displays is set to A static page.
  3. Confirm that the correct page is selected as the Homepage.

Step 4: Test in Another Browser

As seen in one user's report, an issue with the Customizer not displaying options was specific to the Firefox browser but worked correctly in Chrome. Open your site in a different browser to see if the problem persists. This can help determine if the issue is with your specific browser's configuration.

Conclusion

If your Hestia theme's Big Title Section or other Customizer options are missing, you are not alone. The vast majority of these issues are resolved by identifying and eliminating plugin conflicts. By methodically working through the steps above—clearing cache, testing for plugin issues, and verifying settings—you can almost always restore full functionality to your theme's Customizer and get your front page looking perfect again.

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