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Form not displaying

Problem​

The password reset form doesn't appear on the page where you've added the shortcode.

Symptoms​

  • Blank page where form should be
  • Shortcode displays as text: [reset_password]
  • Page loads but no form visible
  • Form appears but doesn't function

Common causes​

Shortcode not added​

The [reset_password] shortcode may not be on the page.

Plugin not activated​

Frontend Reset Password plugin may be deactivated.

Theme conflicts​

Theme may not support shortcodes or have CSS conflicts.

JavaScript errors​

JavaScript errors may prevent form from rendering.

Caching issues​

Page cache may serve old content without the form.

Solutions​

Solution 1: Verify shortcode placement​

Check the shortcode is correctly added to the page.

Steps:

  1. Go to Pages > All Pages
  2. Find your reset password page
  3. Click "Edit"
  4. Switch to "Text" or "Code" editor mode
  5. Verify [reset_password] is present
  6. Save the page
  7. View the page

Correct shortcode:

[reset_password]

Common mistakes:

  • [reset-password] (wrong hyphen)
  • [password_reset] (wrong order)
  • [Reset_Password] (wrong capitalization)
  • Extra spaces inside brackets

Solution 2: Check plugin activation​

Verify the plugin is active.

Steps:

  1. Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins
  2. Find "Frontend Reset Password"
  3. Check status shows "Active"
  4. If not active, click "Activate"
  5. Refresh your reset password page

Solution 3: Clear all caches​

Clear WordPress cache, browser cache, and server cache.

Clear WordPress cache:

  1. Go to your caching plugin settings
  2. Click "Clear All Cache" or similar
  3. Refresh the page

Clear browser cache:

  • Chrome/Edge: Ctrl+Shift+Delete (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+Delete (Mac)
  • Firefox: Ctrl+Shift+Delete (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+Delete (Mac)
  • Safari: Cmd+Option+E (Mac)

Clear server cache:

  • Contact hosting provider if using server-level caching
  • Check for Varnish, Redis, or Memcached

Solution 4: Check for JavaScript errors​

JavaScript errors may prevent form rendering.

Steps:

  1. Open the page with the form
  2. Press F12 to open browser developer tools
  3. Click "Console" tab
  4. Look for red error messages
  5. Note any errors related to the plugin

Common JavaScript errors:

  • jQuery not loaded
  • Script conflicts with other plugins
  • Theme JavaScript errors

Fix jQuery issues:

functions.php
// Ensure jQuery is loaded
add_action( 'wp_enqueue_scripts', 'ensure_jquery_loaded' );
function ensure_jquery_loaded() {
    if ( ! wp_script_is( 'jquery', 'enqueued' ) ) {
        wp_enqueue_script( 'jquery' );
    }
}

Solution 5: Test with default theme​

Switch to a default WordPress theme to rule out theme conflicts.

Steps:

  1. Go to Appearance > Themes
  2. Activate "Twenty Twenty-Four" (or another default theme)
  3. View your reset password page
  4. If form appears, the issue is theme-related
  5. Contact theme developer for support

Common theme issues:

  • Theme doesn't support shortcodes in content
  • CSS hiding the form
  • JavaScript conflicts

Solution 6: Check for plugin conflicts​

Other plugins may interfere with form display.

Steps:

  1. Deactivate all plugins except Frontend Reset Password
  2. View the reset password page
  3. If form appears, reactivate plugins one by one
  4. Identify conflicting plugin
  5. Contact conflicting plugin support

Common conflicts:

  • Page builder plugins
  • Custom shortcode plugins
  • Security plugins blocking content

Solution 7: Check page template​

Verify the page uses a template that displays content.

Steps:

  1. Edit the reset password page
  2. Look for "Page Attributes" or "Template" section
  3. Check template is set to "Default Template" or similar
  4. Avoid templates like "Blank Page" or "Landing Page"
  5. Save and view the page

Solution 8: Verify page is published​

Check the page status is "Published" not "Draft".

Steps:

  1. Go to Pages > All Pages
  2. Find your reset password page
  3. Check status column shows "Published"
  4. If not, open the page and click "Publish"

Solution 9: Check CSS conflicts​

CSS may be hiding the form.

Inspect with browser tools:

  1. Right-click on the area where form should be
  2. Select "Inspect" or "Inspect Element"
  3. Look for the form HTML in the inspector
  4. Check if CSS is hiding it (display: none, visibility: hidden)

Override hiding CSS:

Custom CSS
#password-lost-form-wrap,
#lostpasswordform,
#resetpasswordform {
    display: block !important;
    visibility: visible !important;
    opacity: 1 !important;
}

Add this CSS to:

  • Appearance > Customize > Additional CSS
  • Your theme's style.css
  • A custom CSS plugin

Solution 10: Check user permissions​

Verify you're viewing the page as a logged-out user.

Steps:

  1. Log out of WordPress
  2. Open an incognito/private browser window
  3. Visit the reset password page
  4. Check if form appears

Note: Some themes show different content to logged-in users.

Solution 11: Recreate the page​

Create a new page with the shortcode.

Steps:

  1. Go to Pages > Add New
  2. Title: "Reset Password Test"
  3. Add shortcode: [reset_password]
  4. Publish the page
  5. View the page
  6. If it works, use this new page

Solution 12: Check shortcode registration​

Verify the shortcode is registered.

Add debug code to functions.php:

functions.php
add_action( 'init', 'check_reset_password_shortcode' );
function check_reset_password_shortcode() {
    global $shortcode_tags;
    if ( isset( $shortcode_tags['reset_password'] ) ) {
        error_log( 'reset_password shortcode is registered' );
    } else {
        error_log( 'reset_password shortcode is NOT registered' );
    }
}

Check debug log at: wp-content/debug.log

Solution 13: Manually call shortcode​

Force shortcode execution in template.

Add to page template:

page-template.php
<?php
// In your page template
if ( function_exists( 'do_shortcode' ) ) {
    echo do_shortcode( '[reset_password]' );
}
?>

Solution 14: Check for content filters​

Other plugins may filter page content and remove shortcodes.

Temporarily disable content filters:

functions.php
// Temporarily disable to test
remove_all_filters( 'the_content' );
add_filter( 'the_content', 'do_shortcode', 11 );
warning

This is for testing only. Remove after identifying the issue.

Verification​

After implementing solutions:

  1. View the reset password page
  2. Verify form is visible
  3. Test form submission
  4. Check email is sent
  5. Complete password reset flow

Prevention​

Use correct shortcode​

  • Always use [reset_password] exactly
  • No spaces, no variations
  • Copy from documentation if unsure

Test after changes​

  • Test form after theme updates
  • Test form after plugin updates
  • Test form after WordPress updates

Monitor JavaScript errors​

  • Check browser console regularly
  • Fix JavaScript errors promptly
  • Keep plugins updated

Maintain compatibility​

  • Use compatible themes
  • Avoid conflicting plugins
  • Keep WordPress updated

What's next​