Title: Cannot create Yoast sitemap due to parsing error Last modified: November 2, 2018 --- # Cannot create Yoast sitemap due to parsing error * Resolved [webdesinz](https://wordpress.org/support/users/webdesinz/) * (@webdesinz) * [7 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/cannot-create-yoast-sitemap-due-to-parsing-error/) * I posted this on github a month ago and got no replies. Cannot create sitemap. Cannot get my website listed with search engines, without a sitemap, although I can be found on google, but ranking is poor. I most definitely have my sitemap switched on in my wp-admin dashboard, under yoast / features. have added health check and ran troubleshooting as per [https://kb.yoast.com/kb/xml-sitemap-errors/](https://kb.yoast.com/kb/xml-sitemap-errors/) and [https://kb.yoast.com/kb/how-to-check-for-plugin-conflicts/](https://kb.yoast.com/kb/how-to-check-for-plugin-conflicts/) * but I could not find the conflict and tried another theme and sitemap plugin, disabled all plugins but yoast; reset my permalinks, but no matter what I did– when I tried to view the sitemap_index.xml, I got the following message: XML Parsing Error: XML or text declaration not at start of entity Location: [https://eco-health.co.nz/sitemap_index.xml](https://eco-health.co.nz/sitemap_index.xml) Line Number 4, Column 1: ^ * One solution was stated: There are probably several lines of whitespace preceding the Every page on your page (included sitemaps) contains empty line at the begin.( > You can see HTML source) You should remove this line to fix sitemaps. You can > try following steps: - Check your `wp-config.php` file for blank lines outside of __ bracketed sections. - Check your theme’s `functions.php` file for blank lines outside of __ bracketed sections. - One by one, disable plugins and re-validate until you isolate the one causing the problem ([How To Check For Plugin Conflicts](https://kb.yoast.com/kb/how-to-check-for-plugin-conflicts/)) * Note that the final php `?>` should be omitted from all PHP code files – modules, includes, etc. (eg. `wp-config.php`, `functions.php`, …). * More instructions (related to first and second step) you can find on [How_do_I_solve_the_Headers_already_sent_warning_problem](https://codex.wordpress.org/FAQ_Troubleshooting#How_do_I_solve_the_Headers_already_sent_warning_problem.3F). Try to re-save file without BOM (eg. you can use Notepad++ – [Cannot modify header information – headers already sent by](https://wordpress.stackexchange.com/questions/74141/error-cannot-modify-header-information-headers-already-sent-by/120744#120744)). * > If you are still experiencing issue after switching to twenty seventeen (and > deactivating all plugins except Yoast SEO), please check following: - Auto prepend PHP file ( [http://php.net/manual/en/ini.core.php#ini.auto-prepend-file](http://php.net/manual/en/ini.core.php#ini.auto-prepend-file)) or something similar related to PHP configuration - Check WP core files ( instructions for update/reinstall – [https://codex.wordpress.org/Upgrading_WordPress_-_Extended_Instructions](https://codex.wordpress.org/Upgrading_WordPress_-_Extended_Instructions)) - Manually update of Yoast SEO plugin ( [https://kb.yoast.com/kb/how-can-i-update-my-free-plugin/#ftp](https://kb.yoast.com/kb/how-can-i-update-my-free-plugin/#ftp)) * If you still can’t find where are empty lines then you could go to my gists on github and download `whitespace-test.php` (I just shared it on github). Upload this php file into directory where wp is installed and open in browser home_url/ whitespace-test.php (home_url is full URL for your website). It should “simulate” ajax request (because it should prevent starting of output buffers), load wp bootstrap, send header and try to detect first output… It’s big change to locate file where is empty line. If it’s WP core file please reinstall WP files. * I hope that are detailed instruction which you need, Saša * Thread Starter [webdesinz](https://wordpress.org/support/users/webdesinz/) * (@webdesinz) * [7 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/cannot-create-yoast-sitemap-due-to-parsing-error/#post-10845456) * Thank you both for your very extensive help options. I did remove the space and cleared caches and I already switched themes and tested plugins one by one. I think I will have to close the website down and install another wordpress, and perhaps import the posts, and use another theme, as long as I dont import the error again? If anything next is to be done, it will be Saša’s advanced advice steps. However this is beyond me how to fix this problem. So I have written to the theme authors to ask for help, but I know my support window is now closed as its more than 6 months expired. Can’t afford to pay to renew support fee, nor a developer to fix as its my own hobby blog site, and its cheaper for me to start again. * [Saša](https://wordpress.org/support/users/stodorovic/) * (@stodorovic) * [7 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/cannot-create-yoast-sitemap-due-to-parsing-error/#post-10845826) * I’m trying to find out more details about your issue. I don’t know which is your knowledge but if you can access your website using File manager or via FTP then I think that I can help you. It’s big chance that _wp-config.php_ contains empty line or lines. Could you access to this file – [Where is my WordPress configuration file](https://www.siteground.com/kb/wordpress_configuration_filewpconfigphp/)? * I’ve tried to check more details related to theme, but I don’t think that issue is in the theme (maybe child theme, but you have tested other theme). I think that we could exclude plugins too. Maybe there are issues in WP core files if your website was infected (and cleaned), but WP updates have probably overwritten WP files in meantime. It’s reason why I think that _wp-config.php_ could be issue which could be detected if you upload and run PHP script _whitespace-test.php_( which I recommend in my previous post). Also please check all comments (text between _/*_ and _*/_) in _wp-config.php_ because there could be hidden something like this `?>...` at the end). Also, please try to save _wp-config.php_ without BOM at the begin (Notepad++ has this option – [https://wordpress.stackexchange.com/questions/74141/error-cannot-modify-header-information-headers-already-sent-by/120744](https://wordpress.stackexchange.com/questions/74141/error-cannot-modify-header-information-headers-already-sent-by/120744)). * Do you have installed cache plugin? WPSC has filter which can “modify” output buffers and it could to help to we identify moment when empty lines send. * _[ redacted ]_ Regards, Saša - This reply was modified 7 years, 5 months ago by [Jan Dembowski](https://wordpress.org/support/users/jdembowski/). * Moderator [Jan Dembowski](https://wordpress.org/support/users/jdembowski/) * (@jdembowski) * Forum Moderator and Brute Squad * [7 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/cannot-create-yoast-sitemap-due-to-parsing-error/#post-10846430) * [@stodorovic](https://wordpress.org/support/users/stodorovic/) I have redacted your offer to contact the user away from these forums. Please do not do that, that is not how these forums work and you can get banned for that here. * As it is I have flagged your account for moderation. * [https://wordpress.org/support/guidelines/#being-mod-watched-or-banned](https://wordpress.org/support/guidelines/#being-mod-watched-or-banned) * Moderator [Jan Dembowski](https://wordpress.org/support/users/jdembowski/) * (@jdembowski) * Forum Moderator and Brute Squad * [7 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/cannot-create-yoast-sitemap-due-to-parsing-error/#post-10846432) * Also thanks for the great support but please lose the signature. That’s prohibited in these forums as it’s been horribly abused in the past by others. * > Regards, > Saša * Yes, bad people ruin it for others and no, I’m not kidding. Please refrain from that. * [https://wordpress.org/support/guidelines/#avoid-signatures](https://wordpress.org/support/guidelines/#avoid-signatures) * Thread Starter [webdesinz](https://wordpress.org/support/users/webdesinz/) * (@webdesinz) * [7 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/cannot-create-yoast-sitemap-due-to-parsing-error/#post-10848534) * [@stodorovic](https://wordpress.org/support/users/stodorovic/) has solved the issue! It was a plugin conflict. Well done! He spotted I had a faulty JC Recaptcha plugin that had poor standard code. So I deactivated the plugin and purged cache. Many thnx for your excellent support. * Thread Starter [webdesinz](https://wordpress.org/support/users/webdesinz/) * (@webdesinz) * [7 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/cannot-create-yoast-sitemap-due-to-parsing-error/#post-10850825) * I should also mention if anyone else has a problem like this, that [@stodorovic](https://wordpress.org/support/users/stodorovic/) located and removed empty lines from jc_recaptcha.php, the offending plugin. So even without deactivating the plugin, it allowed my sitemap to fully work again. Somebody should tell the authors of JC Recaptcha that they left empty lines which is sloppy. * Thanks again to [@stodorovic](https://wordpress.org/support/users/stodorovic/) who is super knowledgeable and a quick troubleshooter. Congratulations to support, you are fantastic. - This reply was modified 7 years, 5 months ago by [webdesinz](https://wordpress.org/support/users/webdesinz/). Viewing 8 replies - 1 through 8 (of 8 total) The topic ‘Cannot create Yoast sitemap due to parsing error’ is closed to new replies. * ![](https://ps.w.org/wordpress-seo/assets/icon-256x256.gif?rev=3419908) * [Yoast SEO - Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI](https://wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-seo/) * [Frequently Asked Questions](https://wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-seo/#faq) * [Support Threads](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/wordpress-seo/) * [Active Topics](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/wordpress-seo/active/) * [Unresolved Topics](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/wordpress-seo/unresolved/) * [Reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/wordpress-seo/reviews/) * 8 replies * 4 participants * Last reply from: [webdesinz](https://wordpress.org/support/users/webdesinz/) * Last activity: [7 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/cannot-create-yoast-sitemap-due-to-parsing-error/#post-10850825) * Status: resolved