Fix White Text and Missing Buttons in the WordPress Visual Editor

What it looks like

In the classic editor, the Visual tab shows white text that you cannot read, or the formatting buttons are missing.

Common causes:

1. A plugin that does not work with your WordPress version.
2. Changes in the theme.
3. Browser extensions that disturb the editor.
4. A JavaScript conflict between parts of your site.

Troubleshooting steps

1. Clear the browser cache. Press Ctrl + Shift + Delete and clear cached files. Then reload with Ctrl + F5.

2. Turn off browser extensions. Use a private window, or turn the extensions off.

3. Deactivate plugins. Go to Plugins and deactivate them all. Activate them one at a time until the problem returns.

4. Switch to a default theme. Go to Appearance, then Themes, and activate a default theme such as Twenty Twenty-Four.

5. Reinstall the editor. Install the Classic Editor plugin, or update WordPress to put back the files of the editor (Dashboard, then Updates, then Re-install Now).

6. Look for JavaScript errors. Press F12, open the Console tab and reload. Red errors point to the file that breaks the editor.

**7. Change wp-config.php.** Open the file and add this line above /* That's all, stop editing! */:

define('CONCATENATE_SCRIPTS', false);

To see PHP errors, turn on debugging while you test:

define('WP_DEBUG', true);

Turn debug off again when you are done.

8. Check file permissions

• Files: 644 (or 640)
• Folders: 755 (or 750)

  

Good to know

• If you edit theme files, use a child theme.
• Make a backup before any larger change.

Quick recap

• Clear the cache, test without extensions, plugins and the theme.
• Add CONCATENATE_SCRIPTS false to wp-config.php.
• Check the browser console and the file permissions.