If your WordPress homepage breaks when logged out, you’re not alone. If you’ve ever designed a homepage that looks perfect while logged in but suddenly breaks for visitors, I completely understand your frustration—I recently faced the exact same situation myself.
When you’re logged in, WordPress shows you the fresh, uncached version of your site. Everything looks neat and exactly as you designed. But the moment you log out, visitors may see a broken homepage, misaligned sections, or missing styling. At that moment, it feels confusing… you wonder, “I didn’t touch anything—why is this happening?”
The good news is: you’re not doing anything wrong.
This issue happens because of how caching plugins serve files to visitors, and once you understand the root cause, the fix becomes very easy.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through exactly why your WordPress homepage breaks when logged out and show you how I fixed it step by step so that your site loads perfectly for every visitor.
Table of Contents
Why Your WordPress Homepage Breaks When Logged Out
When you’re logged in to WordPress, the system shows you the latest, uncached version of your homepage. But for visitors who are logged out, WordPress often serves cached files—old CSS, old layout, or incomplete versions created by your caching plugin or hosting provider.
That’s usually why the WordPress homepage breaks when logged out even though everything looks perfect in the backend.
Let’s break it down.
1. Caching Plugin Issues
- Caching plugins, especially LiteSpeed Cache, may serve outdated or partially-generated files.
- Logged-in users bypass the cache, so they see the correct version.
2. CSS/JS Files Not Loading for Public Visitors
- Sometimes CSS or JavaScript loads only for admin users.
- Visitors receive missing or incomplete style files, resulting in a broken layout.
3. Plugin Conflicts
- A plugin may alter rendering or load styles differently for logged-in vs. logged-out sessions.
4. Mobile Cache Disabled
- If mobile caching is OFF, LiteSpeed sometimes delivers desktop CSS on mobile, breaking the mobile layout.
5. Incorrect Minification or File Permissions
- Minified/compressed files may not load properly unless regenerated.
Understanding these causes helps you avoid the problem in future website setups.
How I Fixed It (Step-by-Step Guide)
Below is the exact fix that solved the problem instantly on my website.
Step 1: Purge All LiteSpeed Cache Files
Before making any changes, you must clear the old cached versions.
- Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
- Go to LiteSpeed Cache → Toolbox → Purge.
- Click Purge All Caches.
This forces LiteSpeed to regenerate fresh CSS, JS, and HTML files.
Why this works:
When cached files become outdated or incomplete, visitors see broken layouts. Purging cleans everything and loads fresh styling.
Step 2: Enable Mobile Cache in LiteSpeed Cache
This was the crucial step that permanently fixed the issue.
- Go to LiteSpeed Cache → Cache → Cache.
- Locate Cache Mobile.
- Set it to ON.
- Save changes.
- Again go to Toolbox → Purge and click Purge All Caches.
Why this works:
When mobile cache is disabled, LiteSpeed may serve incorrect or mismatched CSS files to mobile devices, causing layout distortion. Enabling it ensures separate, correct cache versions for desktop and mobile.
Step 3: Test Properly in Incognito Mode
After purging and enabling mobile cache, test your homepage correctly:
- Log out of WordPress
- Open your site in a private/incognito window
- Check both desktop and mobile versions
If everything looks correct, the issue is fully resolved.
FAQs
Do You Need to Repeat This Daily?
The good news: No, you do not need to repeat this process every day.
Once the correct LiteSpeed Cache settings are active, the fix remains stable. You will only need to purge cache after:
✔️ Installing new plugins
✔️ Updating plugins or themes
✔️ Making design or structural changes to your site
✔️ This is normal behavior for all caching-based webs
Will the Issue Reappear After Plugin Updates?
Sometimes, yes—after updates, the issue may appear, but not mandatorily.
Why updates cause it:
✔️ Plugins or themes generate new CSS/JS files after updates
✔️ The cache still stores old files
✔️ Layout breaks until cache is purged
Solution?
✔️ Just click Purge All Caches.
✔️ A 3-second task that fixes everything instantly.
Why does this issue happen on Gutenberg but not Elementor?
This is an interesting point. Elementor sites often avoid this issue because:
✔️ Elementor generates its own CSS files and regenerates them automatically
✔️ It handles responsiveness separately
✔️ It works more independently from themes and caching plugins
On the other hand, WordPress block editor (Gutenberg) relies heavily on:
✔️ Theme styling
✔️ Cache configuration
✔️ Responsive CSS served from the server
So a Gutenberg-built homepage is more likely to break if caching is misconfigured.
Final Solution Summary (Quick Recap)
If your WordPress homepage breaks when logged out, don’t panic—it happens to many WordPress users. I went through the same issue myself, and once I understood that caching was the real culprit, everything became crystal clear.
If your WordPress homepage layout breaks only when logged out:
✔️ Purge All Cache
✔️ Turn ON “Cache Mobile”
✔️ Purge All Cache again
✔️ Test in Incognito Mode
Once this is done, your layout will display perfectly for all visitors.