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Why Is My WP Super Cache Showing 0 Cached Pages? A Troubleshooting Guide

29 threads Sep 16, 2025 Plugin → Wp super cache

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Seeing a big, fat zero in your WP Super Cache statistics is a common and frustrating experience. Your plugin seems to be working, but the "Cache Contents" tab reports 0 cached pages, leaving you wondering if caching is even active. This guide will walk you through the most common reasons for this and how to fix them.

Why This Happens

The "0 Cached Pages" message can be misleading. It doesn't always mean caching is broken. Often, it's a symptom of another configuration or environmental issue preventing the plugin from storing or reporting cache files correctly. The problem usually falls into one of these categories: user status, cache preloading, server configuration, or statistics reporting.

Common Solutions

1. Check if Caching is Actually Working

Before you panic, verify that pages are truly not being cached. The statistics on the admin screen can sometimes be outdated or incorrect.

  • View Page Source: Visit your site in a private/incognito browser window. Right-click and select "View Page Source." Scroll to the very bottom. If caching is working, you should see a comment like:
    <!-- Cached page generated by WP-Super-Cache on 2023-10-05 12:34:56 -->
    If you see this, your pages are being cached, and the issue is likely with the statistics generation.
  • Regenerate Stats: On the "Contents" tab, simply click the "Regenerate Cache Stats" button. This forces the plugin to recount the cache files.

2. The "Logged-In User" Problem (The Most Common Cause)

WP Super Cache is designed not to cache pages for logged-in users by default. However, many modern plugins (e.g., cookie consent banners, analytics tools) set cookies for all visitors, making WP Super Cache treat everyone as a "known user" and bypassing the supercache.

  • Enable Debugging: This is the most crucial step. Go to the plugin's "Debug" section and enable logging. Set "Debug Level" to "All visitors." Now, visit your site in a private browser window and check the log. You will see lines like:
    wpsc_get_auth_cookies: cookies detected: cookie_name
    wpsc_is_caching_user_disabled: true because cookie detected
    Caching disabled for logged in users on settings page.
    This log will explicitly name the cookie that is preventing caching.
  • Modify Rejected Cookies: In the "Advanced" tab, find the "Rejected Cookies" box. Add the cookie name identified in the debug log to this list. This tells the plugin to ignore that specific cookie and serve a cached page.

3. Server and File Permission Issues

The plugin needs the correct permissions to create files in the wp-content/cache/ directory.

  • Check File Permissions: Ensure the wp-content/cache/ directory and all folders within it are writable by your web server (usually permission 755 or 775).
  • Check advanced-cache.php: Verify that the wp-content/advanced-cache.php file exists and was created by the plugin during setup.
  • Preload Test: Use the "Preload" feature. If preloading generates cache files (you can check via FTP), but normal browsing doesn't, it strongly points to the "user cookie" issue described above.

4. Conflicting Plugins and Caching Modes

  • Plugin Conflicts: Temporarily disable other caching or optimization plugins (e.g., AutoOptimize) to test if they are interfering with WP Super Cache's ability to write files.
  • Understand WP-Cache vs. WP-Super-Cache: It's normal to see files under "WP-Cache" and not "WP-Super-Cache" for certain requests. WP-Cache handles requests with cookies or parameters (like ?fbclid=... from Facebook), while WP-Super-Cache serves pure static HTML files. If many visitors have cookies, WP-Cache will be used more often.

Conclusion

The "0 Cached Pages" issue is rarely a fatal error. In most cases, caching is working, but the statistics are misleading, or a common plugin cookie is preventing the supercache from being used. Start by enabling the debug log—it is the single most powerful tool for diagnosing exactly what is happening on your site.

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