Back to Community
Home / Community / Plugin → Easy table of contents

Troubleshooting: Why Your Easy Table of Contents Isn't Showing Up

66 threads Sep 10, 2025 Plugin → Easy table of contents

Content

If you've found that your Easy Table of Contents plugin has stopped working on some or all of your posts, you're not alone. This is one of the most common issues reported by users. The problem can be frustrating, especially when it works perfectly on some content but not on others. This guide will walk you through the most common reasons for this behavior and the steps you can take to resolve it.

Why Does This Happen?

The Easy Table of Contents plugin relies on specific conditions to automatically generate and display a table. When these conditions aren't met, the table won't appear. Common causes include conflicts with other plugins or themes, changes in post content, and specific plugin settings that have been inadvertently altered.

Common Solutions

1. Check the Minimum Heading Requirement

The most basic reason a table might not generate is that the post doesn't meet the minimum number of headings. By default, the plugin is often set to require a minimum of four headings. You can adjust this threshold in the plugin's settings under Show when.

2. Verify Supported Post Types

The plugin must be enabled for the specific type of content you are creating. By default, it's usually enabled for 'Posts.' If you are trying to add a table to a WooCommerce product, custom post type, or page, you must ensure that post type is checked in the settings under Supported Post Types. Note that some users have reported the plugin is intentionally disabled on WooCommerce product pages by the development team to prevent potential conflicts with shopping cart functionality.

3. Inspect for Plugin or Theme Conflicts

This is a extremely common culprit. A newly installed or updated plugin can interfere with Easy Table of Contents.

  • How to test: Temporarily deactivate all other plugins. If the table of contents appears, reactivate your plugins one by one to identify which one is causing the conflict.
  • Also, try temporarily switching to a default WordPress theme (like Twenty Twenty-Four) to rule out a theme-related conflict.
  • Threads indicate that plugins like Rank Math SEO, page builders (Fusion Builder, Elementor), and caching plugins have been sources of conflict in the past.

4. Examine the Post's Individual Settings

Each post or page has a meta box where you can override the global settings. Even if auto-insert is enabled globally, it could be disabled for a specific post. When editing the post, scroll down to the Easy TOC settings section and ensure that Insert Table of Contents is checked. Also, confirm that the headings you want to include (H2, H3, H4) are selected.

5. Look for Problematic Characters in Headings

Certain characters, like apostrophes or hyphens, in your heading titles can sometimes prevent the table from generating correctly. Try temporarily removing these characters from your headings to see if it resolves the issue.

6. Clear Caches

If you use a caching plugin or server-side caching, clear all cached data after making any changes to your settings or post content. A stale cache could be serving an old version of the page without the table.

7. Check for JavaScript Errors

If the table is generated but not displaying correctly (e.g., it won't expand when clicked), there may be a JavaScript error on the page.

  • Open your browser's console (F12 key in Chrome/Firefox, then click the 'Console' tab).
  • Load the page with the issue. Any errors shown in red could be the cause, often related to jQuery being undefined, which can break the plugin's functionality.

8. Debug Mode

In some recent versions, a debug mode can provide clues. If you have access to your site's debug log (requires enabling WP_DEBUG in your wp-config.php file), it may output messages from Easy TOC that explain why it's deciding not to show a table on a particular page.

When to Consider a Rollback

If the problem started immediately after updating the plugin, a bug in the new version could be the cause. Several user threads report issues appearing after an update. If possible, consider rolling back to a previous, stable version of the plugin to see if that resolves the problem while you wait for a patch.

By methodically working through these steps, you can usually identify and fix the reason your table of contents isn't showing. Start with the simplest checks like post settings and heading count before moving on to more complex troubleshooting like conflict testing.

Related Support Threads Support