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Troubleshooting: Why Your Complianz Cookie Banner Isn't Showing

50 threads Sep 7, 2025 Plugin → Complianz – gdpr/ccpa cookie consent

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One of the most common support queries for the 'Complianz – GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent' plugin is the banner failing to appear on a website. This can be a frustrating issue, as the banner is a critical component for compliance. Based on community discussions, here are the most frequent causes and their solutions.

Why Your Cookie Banner Might Not Be Visible

The banner's absence is rarely a single, universal bug. Instead, it's often the result of a conflict or a specific configuration on your site. The 'Complianz – GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent' team has identified several key areas to investigate.

Common Causes and How to Fix Them

  1. Cache and Optimization Plugins

    The number one culprit for a missing banner is often caching. This includes server-level cache (like LiteSpeed or SiteGround's Dynamic Cache), browser cache, and plugin cache (e.g., W3 Total Cache, Autoptimize).

    Solution: Purge all caches from your caching plugin and your hosting provider's control panel. Then, test your site in a private/incognito browser window to avoid browser cache issues. If the banner appears, you know caching was the problem. For some optimization plugins, you may need to exclude Complianz's scripts from specific optimizations like CSS minification or deferral.

  2. Do Not Track (DNT) and Global Privacy Control (GPC)

    If you have the "Respect Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control" setting enabled in the Complianz wizard (General > Security & Consent), the banner will not show for visitors using browsers with DNT/GPC enabled, such as Brave or Safari.

    Solution: Check your browser's DNT settings. To test, you can temporarily disable this feature in the Complianz settings. Remember to re-save and finish the wizard after making any changes.

  3. File Permissions and Server Errors

    The plugin needs write access to your WordPress uploads folder to generate CSS files for the banner. A 403 "Forbidden" error in the browser's console for files like banner-1-optin.css indicates a server-level block.

    Solution: Ensure your /wp-content/uploads/ directory has correct write permissions (typically 755 for folders). If you see 403 errors, contact your hosting provider to check for security rules (e.g., mod_security) that might be blocking file access.

  4. Conflicting Plugins or Themes

    While less common, a conflict with another plugin or your theme can prevent the banner from loading correctly.

    Solution: Follow a standard troubleshooting procedure: temporarily disable all other plugins and switch to a default WordPress theme (like Twenty Twenty-Four). If the banner appears, reactivate your plugins and theme one by one to identify the source of the conflict.

  5. Consent Already Set or Testing Issues

    If you've previously accepted the banner, a consent cookie will be set on your browser, hiding the banner on subsequent visits. Testing with multiple incognito windows can also cause consent to transfer between them.

    Solution: Always test in a fresh, single incognito window. Clear your browser's cookies for the site you are testing, or use a different browser entirely to simulate a first-time visitor.

Quick Checklist to Run Through

  • Purge all site and server caches.
  • Test in a fresh incognito/private browser window.
  • Check the browser console for errors (like 403 or 404).
  • Verify the "Respect DNT/GPC" setting in Complianz.
  • Temporarily disable other plugins to check for conflicts.
  • Ensure the Complianz plugin is activated and the banner is enabled in its settings.

By methodically working through these potential issues, you can usually identify and resolve the reason behind a missing cookie banner.

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