Make Sure the WordPress Cron Works

It is important that the WordPress cron works so that tasks can run to perform important actions.

To check scheduled tasks and test if the WordPress cron is working, you can install a plugin such as WP Control.

Many of our users have problems due to the WordPress cron not working as intended. Here are the reasons why the WordPress cron may not be working:

1. Cron Disabled in wp-config.php

Open your wp-config.php file to check if there is a DISABLE_WP_CRON constant defined as true.

If there is and you have no other way that the WordPress cron is currently being executed, best is to remove this line defining the DISABLE_WP_CRON constant.

2. No Traffic/Visitors on Website

The WordPress cron relies on traffic/visitors on the website to keep track of time and execute scheduled tasks.

If you don’t have no or very little visitors on the website, best is to setup a cron job on your hosting or a 3rd party cron job server to ping the website automatically at a set interval. Alternatively, you can completely replace the WordPress cron with a real server cron job.

3. Blocked by Hosting Provider

Some hosting providers may not like the WordPress cron because it can put strain on the server.

Best is to talk to your hosting provider or server administrator if you tried everything and it still doesn’t work or alternatively you can get top quality WordPress hosting where these problems don’t exist.