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Troubleshooting

Quick fixes for the most common ClearCMS issues. Click any item to expand the answer.

Site & Pages​

My changes aren't showing on the live site

You need to click Publish. Changes are saved as drafts until you publish them. If you already published, try clearing your browser cache or waiting a minute for the CDN to update.

A section looks different in the editor vs the live site

Make sure you've published the latest changes. The editor shows your draft; the live site shows the last published version. If you've published and it still looks different, try a hard refresh (Ctrl + Shift + R).

I accidentally deleted a section or page

Use version history to restore it. Go to the page, click the clock icon, and pick a previous version. See Publishing & Versions for more details.

Custom Domains​

"Domain not verified" after adding DNS records

DNS changes take time to spread across the internet. Most changes finish in 30 minutes, but it can take up to 48 hours. Double-check that the record type, name, and value match exactly. Use the DNS Checker on the custom domain page to confirm.

"SSL certificate pending"

The domain must be verified first. SSL is set up automatically after verification and takes 1-5 minutes. If it has been over 24 hours, contact support.

"Too many redirects" error

If you are using Cloudflare, set SSL mode to Full and set proxy status to DNS only (the gray cloud icon). This prevents redirect loops between Cloudflare and ClearCMS.

Media & Images​

Images look blurry

Upload images at 2x the display size. For example, if an image shows at 600px wide, upload it at 1200px wide. Use PNG or WebP for sharp graphics, and JPEG for photos.

Upload fails or is very slow

Check the file size limit for your plan (50 MB for local storage, 500 MB for cloud storage). Supported formats: JPEG, PNG, GIF, WebP, SVG, PDF, MP4, and WebM.

Forms​

Form submissions aren't being saved

Make sure the form is published (not in draft). Check that all required fields are filled in. If you are using a custom frontend, verify the form ID in your API call.

Getting spam submissions

Enable honeypot protection in the form settings. This catches most bots without affecting real users.

Headless / API​

API returns 401 Unauthorized

Check that your API key is correct and included as Authorization: Bearer YOUR_KEY. You can generate keys in Settings > Developer > API Keys.

API returns old content after publishing

Public endpoints are cached for 60 seconds. Wait a minute or add a cache-busting query parameter. Authenticated requests are never cached.

Sections not rendering in my custom frontend

Make sure you are reading the sections array from the page response. Each section has a type field (e.g., hero-split-v2) and a content object with the field values. See the Headless Quickstart for a full walkthrough.

Account & Team​

Can't invite a team member

Team features require an organization workspace. Personal accounts support shared site access but not full team management. See Teams for setup instructions.

An editor changed something they shouldn't have

Use content-only mode to restrict editors to text and image changes only (no adding or removing sections). Set this per user in team settings.

Still stuck?​

If you didn't find what you need here, we're happy to help:

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