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Troubleshooting: When Your TranslatePress Language Switcher Only Works on the Homepage

13 threads Sep 10, 2025 Plugin → Translate multilingual sites – translatepress

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A common issue reported by users of the 'Translate Multilingual sites – TranslatePress' plugin is a language switcher that functions correctly on the homepage but fails to change languages on any other page. Instead of switching, clicking a different language simply reloads the current page. This guide explains the likely causes and provides steps to resolve the problem.

Why This Happens

Based on community reports and official responses, this behavior is most frequently caused by a conflict with your website's permalink structure. The 'Translate Multilingual sites – TranslatePress' plugin requires a specific WordPress configuration to properly encode language information into the URLs of all pages, not just the homepage.

Common Solutions

1. Check Your Permalink Structure

The primary cause for the language switcher only working on the homepage is the use of unsupported "almost pretty" permalinks (e.g., yoursite.com/index.php/sample-page/). The plugin requires "pretty permalinks" to be enabled for full functionality.

How to fix it:

  1. Navigate to your WordPress Dashboard.
  2. Go to Settings > Permalinks.
  3. Select any option other than "Plain" or a setting that includes index.php in the URL structure. The "Post name" setting is most common.
  4. Click Save Changes. This will flush your rewrite rules.
  5. Clear any caching on your site (server, plugin, or CDN) and test the language switcher again.

2. Enable the 'Force Language in Custom Links' Setting

If your permalinks are already correct, another setting might need adjustment. This setting helps maintain the selected language when navigating through internal links.

How to check it:

  1. In your WordPress Dashboard, go to TranslatePress > Settings.
  2. Navigate to the General tab.
  3. Locate the setting labeled Force language in custom links.
  4. Ensure this option is enabled (checked).
  5. Save your changes and test the switcher on a subpage.

3. Clear All Caches

Sometimes, outdated cached pages can prevent the language switcher from functioning correctly. After making any of the above changes, it is crucial to clear all caching layers.

  • Clear your WordPress caching plugin's cache (if you use one like WP Rocket, W3 Total Cache, etc.).
  • Clear your browser cache or test in an incognito/private window.
  • If you use a Content Delivery Network (CDN) like Cloudflare, purge its cache.
  • Check with your hosting provider to see if they employ server-level caching that needs to be cleared.

What If the Problem Persists?

If you have confirmed your permalinks are set to "pretty" links, enabled the correct setting, and cleared all cache but the issue continues, it may be due to a temporary plugin bug. The development team for 'Translate Multilingual sites – TranslatePress' has been known to quickly address and release fixes for such issues. Ensure your plugin is updated to the latest version, as a recent update may contain a patch for this specific problem.

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