Back to Community
Home / Community / Plugin → Pinterest for woocommerce

Troubleshooting Pinterest for WooCommerce: Fixing Oversized XML Feed Files

13 threads Sep 10, 2025 Plugin → Pinterest for woocommerce

Content

Many users of the Pinterest for WooCommerce plugin have reported a critical issue where the plugin generates temporary XML feed files that grow to an enormous size, sometimes reaching 50GB, 90GB, or even larger. These files can quickly consume all available disk space on a server, leading to website downtime and performance problems. This guide explains why this happens and provides steps to resolve it.

Why Does This Happen?

Based on user reports, the issue appears to be a bug within the plugin itself. The temporary file (named something like pinterest-for-woocommerce-XXXXXX-tmp.xml) is created during the feed generation process. Under certain conditions, the plugin enters a loop where it writes product data to this file repetitively instead of finalizing it. This results in a single file containing millions of product entries, even on sites with only thousands of products, causing it to balloon in size.

How to Identify the Problem

Check your website's wp-content/uploads/ directory for files with the following naming pattern:

  • pinterest-for-woocommerce-XXXXXX-tmp.xml
  • pinterest-for-woocommerce-.xml

If these files are several gigabytes in size, you are likely experiencing this bug.

Common Solutions and Workarounds

1. Immediate Action: Delete the Problematic Files

To immediately free up disk space and restore site functionality, connect to your server via FTP or your hosting provider's file manager and delete the oversized temporary XML files. Monitor the directory to see if they are regenerated at an abnormal size.

2. Update the Plugin

Ensure you are running the latest version of the Pinterest for WooCommerce plugin. The development team has released updates in the past to address specific feed generation issues. While user reports indicate the problem has resurfaced across multiple versions, it is always the first recommended step.

3. Reinstall the Plugin

Some users have reported that completely uninstalling and then reinstalling the plugin can serve as a temporary fix. This process may reset the feed generation cycle and stop the creation of the massive files, at least for a period of time.

4. Disable the Plugin (Last Resort)

If the issue persists and is causing critical site stability problems, the only guaranteed solution is to deactivate the Pinterest for WooCommerce plugin until a permanent fix is released in a future update. This will stop the generation of the XML feed files altogether.

Seeking Further Help

This bug has been reported multiple times in the plugin's support forums. If you encounter this issue, you are not alone. When seeking help, be prepared to provide the following information from your WooCommerce store:

  • System Status Report: Found under WooCommerce > Status > Get system report.
  • Plugin Logs: Enable debug logging in the plugin's settings (under Marketing > Pinterest > Settings). Then, check for any relevant logs under WooCommerce > Status > Logs.

Sharing these details can help others in the community identify if the problem is related to a specific server configuration or plugin conflict.

Related Support Threads Support