Top 4 methods to fix “the response is not a valid JSON response” Error in WordPress

WordPress is one of the best ways to create websites but it can also face errors like an error of "the response is not a valid JSON response".

Top 4 methods to fix “the response is not a valid JSON response” Error in WordPress


WordPress is one of the best ways to create websites but it can also face errors like an error of "the response is not a valid JSON response".  Indeed, this error can alarm you but there is nothing to worry about. It is a common error that can come while creating or updating content. While updating, it pops out and shows as "Updating failed. Error message: The response is not a valid JSON response." However, do not panic! Here are the best four methods to fix this error and one of them will help you to solve it. So, let's understand each of the methods. 

How to fix the "the response is not a valid JSON response" error?

Follow any of these methods and it will be solved. If any method does not bring results then try the other one. One of the methods will have your required solution.

the response is not a valid JSON response

Switch back to Classic editor after disabling the Block Editor

The classic editor of WordPress was super amazing. However, the block editor provides amazing functionality so people switched to it. But little did they know that the block editor called Gutenberg will face this error of “Updating failed. Error message: The response is not a valid JSON response” much more as compared to other options!

Therefore, the simplest way to resolve this error is disabling your Gutenberg block editor and switching to your classic editor. In this way, there will be no Gutenberg to show the error!

 However, remember! You might have to first install the classic editor plugin! Once it is ready, activate it and try to save your post. If it is saved, bang! It is done.

However, the question is what will happen if you hate classic editor and want to keep using block editor. Don’t worry we have a solution for that as well!

To do this, install and activate the classic editor plugin and go to the writing option in settings options. Now, select the classic editor as your default editor by choosing the "default editor for all users" options. Now save your changes and clear the website cache. Once, it is done, select block editor as your default editor and press the save option. Bang! It is done. You have fixed it. if it is still coming in front of you, try the next method.  

Plugin Conflict

The error of “Updating failed. Error message: The response is not a valid JSON response” can also come due to plugin conflict. Nowadays, developers are installing a huge amount of plugins to increase the functionality and utility of the website. However, this can backfire! More plugins mean more chances of conflict between plugins.

So how many plugins can be considered more plugins and can cause plugin conflict? The answer as per experience is forty plugins. However, this error may not occur due to the complete plugin. It can occur due to any file of the plugin.

So, how to solve it? It is simple! All you have to do is deactivate all the plugins on your website and see if the error is occurring. Remember! You have to do it the right way. You must use the plugin of Health Check and Troubleshooting to deactivate the plugins in the backend. In this way, your website visitors will keep experiencing the best services at the front of the website.

If the error disappears when you deactivated all the plugins, it means that one of the plugins is causing this error. Therefore, start deactivating all plugins one by one to figure out the one plugin that is causing it. Once apprehended, give the culprit a proper sentence!  

Mixed Content error caused by SSL Certificate

This error of "Updating failed. Error message: The response is not a valid JSON response" can also occur due to an SSL certificate (HTTPS) on your website. How can this happen? It is simple! SSL certificates can transmit some data non-securely through (HTTP) protocol while the rest of the data is transmitted through HTTPS protocol.

In this way, "mixed content error" occurs as both protocols transmit data to the browser. Therefore, you have to understand and solve it. Understanding is easy though! It mostly occurs because you had used the Simple SSL plugin to configure HTTPS on your website. So, now do the following.

Go to the SSL option in the Settings and open the plugin settings.  Once it is done, turn on the option that says “mixed content fixer”. This option can stop the content mixing problem as discussed above. However, the job is not done.

Now, scroll down and you will see an option saying “use an alternative method to fix mixed content”. Turn it on as well! Remember to save the changes. Once it is done, go back and try to save your post or page and you will see the error is gone! However, if it is still there, apply the next method.

The last method is to change the permalink structure to solve this problem. However, you must know in advance that this method has some drawbacks. It can cause serious problems in your website SEO. Furthermore, implementing this method means that you have to create multiple redirects! So, implement it as the last solution. Here is how you can do it.

Go to the settings and choose the option of Permalinks. Now, change the permalink structure from the current structure or the post name to "Plain". After it, go and try to save your page. It will be resolved by this ultimate method.  However, be aware, that you have to implement this solution only as a last resort because it has serious drawbacks in terms of SEO and broken links.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the error “Updating failed. Error message: The response is not a valid JSON response” can happen to most WordPress websites due to the above-mentioned reasons. However, there is nothing to worry about as one of the above four solutions will solve it. Lastly, once again, choose the last method only if all of the above three methods are failed because the last method has serious drawbacks.

About Author

Hameed Aslam

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Hameed Aslam is a website design and development expert, as well as an SEO and content strategist. He is the founder of DCreato and many other online ventures. Hameed's skills with web design, development, SEO, and content marketing have helped him achieve success in online business. He loves to help others learn about these topics so that they can also be successful online.

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