If you’ve just upgraded WordPress, or, in other cases, you’ve upgraded plugins or themes, and you see that you can’t add links in your visual editor. Then, you will be able to fix the issue today. The WordPress post visual editor is not the cause, but, a plugin or theme, in general.
Fixing the link insertion problem in WordPress
First of all, I’ll provide you with the possible cases that can stop you from inserting any link in your blog. So, follow them one by one, and you should get the problem solved.
1. An outdated plugin
This is the situation where you have one, or multiple WordPress plugins that are out of date. I should tell you that the majority of issues are caused by a plugin called “Ultimate NoFollow”, and it’s completely broken. To verify that, deactivate that exact plugin, and then, come back to any post and try adding a link.
If you notice the difference, then you should replace that plugin with another tool. I found the exact tool with the plugin called “Rel Nofollow Checkbox”. So, install and activate the plugin and test your blog again.
If it’s not the above plugin that causes the problem, and you’re not sure about the other plugins, then, deactivate them all at once. Just check all the plugins and click the “Deactivate” option.
Next, add a link and see if it works without any active plugin. If it does, then, you should keep testing, and add a single plugin each time. You will find the exact tool that broke the visual editor functions.
If for any reason, you don’t have access to the WordPress admin area, you still have the possibility to deactivate your plugins using FTP. I’ve created a dedicated step-by-step tutorial on how to do that by following the link in this paragraph.
2. An outdated theme
This doesn’t mean you should get an update notification because you can have a good theme but without updates available. Here’s what to do: first, verify the theme, by switching to another theme. I recommend one of the defaults, free WordPress themes, simply because they’re always up to date and well coded.
If you found that the new theme fixed the problem, then, you have to ask your old theme provider, or coder to fix the problem. Or, you can verify if there is a new version that’s available to download from their website.
Meanwhile, you can scan your plugins and even themes for hidden codes and viruses. That can help if there is something wrong with your files.
3. Your web browser
This happened many times, you highlight the words, then, you get the option to insert the link from the WordPress visual editor. But, when you close that pop-up window, you get nothing, but, the words still highlighted.
There are two things to consider:
- Your browser has the problem
- Your theme doesn’t support your browser
In all cases, you need to use another browser in order to add a link again to your WordPress blog. Then, see if it worked or not. If it does, you have confirmed that one of the above problems exists. What you need to do is to switch the theme with any other one, and try adding a link with your web browser.
If you see that you can add your link to WordPress, then, it’s an issue with your theme. Just ask for an update or in other cases, your theme can be built without supporting that specific browser.
In the other case, keep your actual theme and everything the same, but test the function with another browser. Of course, if you notice the difference, you will need to update the browser or use another one, instead.
4. Missed PHP configuration
If with the above verification, you get the same thing, then, it’s probably one of the PHP extensions that was missed. It can be caused by a new server update. Or, because the hosting company that you’re using isn’t taking care of everything.
There are a few PHP extensions that WordPress needs to work with. That depends on the plugins and themes that you’re using. So, there is no exact number of extensions to add to the server. Furthermore, if you’re hosting with a low-quality hosting provider, then, it’s time to switch to quality hosting. I recommend WP Engine or LiquidWeb. Both are high quality and fully managed hosting services.
Conclusion
These are the 3 common cases where you can’t find a way to add links to WordPress posts, pages, or images. If you’ve followed them one by one, you will find the problem in general. If you are still unable to fix it, then, post your questions in your comment and I’ll be glad to help. That way, I can add your exact solution to this list and help others.
