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Troubleshooting the Missing Rewrite & Republish Option in Yoast Duplicate Post

64 threads Sep 16, 2025 Plugin → Yoast duplicate post

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If you've ever gone to use the powerful Rewrite & Republish feature in the Yoast Duplicate Post plugin only to find the option has vanished, you're not alone. This is a common issue reported by users, but the good news is that it's often easily resolved. This guide will walk you through the most common causes and their solutions.

Why the Rewrite & Republish Option Disappears

Based on community reports, the missing option is rarely a flaw in the core plugin itself. Instead, it is almost always caused by one of two specific scenarios:

  1. A Stuck Draft Exists: The most frequent cause is an orphaned draft copy of your post. When you initiate "Rewrite & Republish," the plugin creates a special draft with a unique status. If this process is interrupted—by a plugin conflict, a critical error, or simply closing the browser—the draft can remain hidden in your database. The original post will still "see" this draft, causing it to hide the "Rewrite & Republish" option to prevent creating multiple conflicting copies.
  2. A Plugin or Theme Conflict: Certain plugins, particularly page builders like Elementor, can sometimes interfere with the feature's visibility. As seen in the sample threads, users confirmed that deactivating Elementor made the option reappear. Other plugins, especially those that modify the post editor or admin interface, can cause similar conflicts.

How to Restore the Rewrite & Republish Option

Solution 1: Clean Up Orphaned Drafts in the Database (Advanced)

If you see a message on your post like "A duplicate of this post was made..." but can't find the draft, this is the solution for you. This requires accessing your site's database via phpMyAdmin or a similar tool. Always create a full backup of your database before proceeding.

  1. Identify the ID of the post missing the feature (you can find this in the URL when editing the post).
  2. Open your database and look in the wp_posts table.
  3. Search for any posts where post_parent is set to your original post's ID and the post_status is dp-rewrite-republish.
  4. Also check the wp_postmeta table for any rows where the post_id is your original post's ID and the meta_key is _dp_has_rewrite_republish_copy.
  5. Safely delete these orphaned database entries. Once removed, the "Rewrite & Republish" option should return to your original post.

Solution 2: Perform a Conflict Check

If no orphaned drafts exist, a plugin or theme conflict is the likely culprit. This is the recommended first step for most users.

  1. Use the Health Check & Troubleshooting plugin. Its "Troubleshooting Mode" allows you to deactivate plugins and switch themes without affecting your live site's visitors.
  2. Enable Troubleshooting Mode and activate only the Yoast Duplicate Post plugin and a default WordPress theme (like Twenty Twenty-One).
  3. Check if the "Rewrite & Republish" option is now visible. If it is, you have a conflict.
  4. Re-activate your plugins one-by-one, checking the feature after each one, until you find which one causes it to disappear. Contact the support for the conflicting plugin for further assistance.

Solution 3: Check Your WordPress and PHP Versions

Ensure your site meets the minimum requirements. Running outdated versions of WordPress core or PHP can lead to unexpected behavior. The Yoast Duplicate Post team suggests using updated software for compatibility.

Conclusion

A missing "Rewrite & Republish" option is typically a symptom of a stuck process or an external conflict, not a permanent bug. By methodically checking for orphaned drafts and testing for plugin conflicts, you can almost always restore this incredibly useful functionality to your WordPress workflow.

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