Encountering the “Publishing failed. The response is not a valid JSON response” error in WordPress can be frustrating, but it’s a common issue with various potential causes. Here are some steps you can take to troubleshoot and fix the problem:

1. Check Your Internet Connection:

Ensure that you have a stable and active internet connection. Sometimes, connectivity issues can lead to incomplete or incorrect responses.

2. Update WordPress and Plugins:

Make sure your WordPress installation and all plugins are up to date. Outdated versions might have compatibility issues, and updating them could resolve the problem.

3. Check Server Resources:

Insufficient server resources can lead to communication problems. Check if your server has enough memory and processing power to handle WordPress. If possible, increase your PHP memory limit by editing your wp-config.php file:

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define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M');

4. Review .htaccess File:

Incorrect configurations in the .htaccess file can lead to JSON response errors. Make a backup and then reset the file to default settings:

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# Rename the existing .htaccess file mv .htaccess .htaccess_backup # Create a new .htaccess file touch .htaccess # Set appropriate permissions chmod 644 .htaccess

5. Disable Plugins:

Temporarily deactivate all plugins to identify if one of them is causing the issue. Reactivate them one by one until you find the culprit. If the error is gone, consider finding an alternative plugin or contacting the plugin developer for support.

6. Switch to a Default Theme:

Switch to a default WordPress theme (like Twenty Twenty-One) to rule out any issues with your current theme. If the error disappears, your theme might be causing the problem.

7. Check JSON Syntax:

Incorrect JSON syntax can lead to errors. If you have custom code or scripts that interact with WordPress, ensure that they generate valid JSON responses.

8. Debugging:

Enable WordPress debugging to get more information about the error. Add the following lines to your wp-config.php file:

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define('WP_DEBUG', true); define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true); define('WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false);

Check the wp-content/debug.log file for any error messages.

9. Server Configuration:

Check your server configuration for any security measures or firewall rules that might interfere with JSON requests.

10. Contact Hosting Support:

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If none of the above steps resolve the issue, contact your hosting provider's support team. They might be able to identify server-specific problems causing the JSON response error.

By systematically going through these steps, you should be able to pinpoint and resolve the issue causing the “Publishing failed. The response is not a valid JSON response” error on your WordPress site.