Title: CSS code not having any effect
Last modified: July 14, 2025

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# CSS code not having any effect

 *  Resolved [csdsubscriber](https://wordpress.org/support/users/csdsubscriber/)
 * (@csdsubscriber)
 * [10 months, 2 weeks ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/css-code-not-having-any-effect/)
 * I’ve installed this plugin hoping to move to using it instead of Customizer Additional
   CSS. So as a first attempt I copied my code from Customizer into a Simple Custom
   CSS window and saved it. Then I cut the code from Customizer and published the
   empty code file from there.
 * Refreshing my landing page I now see zero css effect.
 * What am I doing wrong?

Viewing 14 replies - 1 through 14 (of 14 total)

 *  Plugin Support [Diana Burduja](https://wordpress.org/support/users/dianaburduja/)
 * (@dianaburduja)
 * [10 months, 2 weeks ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/css-code-not-having-any-effect/#post-18557561)
 * Hello [@csdsubscriber](https://wordpress.org/support/users/csdsubscriber/),
 * theoretically, adding the CSS code to the editor and saving it should be enough.
 * Would you open any page on the frontend, hit “Ctrl + U” to view the page’s HTML
   and then search for any word from your CSS code to see if the CSS was added to
   the page or not?
 * If it isn’t added, then it could be that the theme is missing the [wp_head](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/hooks/wp_head/)
   hook in the header.php file. If you’re building a new theme from scratch, then
   this might be the case.
 * If it was added, then it could be that the [specificity](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/CSS/CSS_cascade/Specificity)
   of the CSS selectors is lower than some other CSS code (from the theme or another
   plugin) and it is overridden. The Customizer adds the CSS code right at the end
   of the <head>. Any other plugin or theme, including the Simple Custom CSS & JS
   plugin, adds the CSS code a bit earlier, therefore the CSS rule can be overridden
   by another plugin or theme CSS code.
 *  Thread Starter [csdsubscriber](https://wordpress.org/support/users/csdsubscriber/)
 * (@csdsubscriber)
 * [10 months, 1 week ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/css-code-not-having-any-effect/#post-18565212)
 * The parent theme has the following line in its header.php file:
 * **<?php** wp_head(); **?>**
 * Searching the page source I did not find any of my CSS present.
 * Any other thoughts?
 *  Plugin Support [Diana Burduja](https://wordpress.org/support/users/dianaburduja/)
 * (@dianaburduja)
 * [10 months, 1 week ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/css-code-not-having-any-effect/#post-18565819)
 * Does the child theme also have a header.php file? If so, then having the same`
   <?php wp_head(); ?>` line in the child theme’s header.php file is a must.
 * What theme are you using? What other plugins are installed on the website?
    -  This reply was modified 10 months, 1 week ago by [Diana Burduja](https://wordpress.org/support/users/dianaburduja/).
 *  Thread Starter [csdsubscriber](https://wordpress.org/support/users/csdsubscriber/)
 * (@csdsubscriber)
 * [10 months, 1 week ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/css-code-not-having-any-effect/#post-18566449)
 * I’m using the Neve theme. The child theme does not have a header.php file.
 *  Plugin Support [Diana Burduja](https://wordpress.org/support/users/dianaburduja/)
 * (@dianaburduja)
 * [10 months, 1 week ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/css-code-not-having-any-effect/#post-18567277)
 * Could you share the website’s URL and a screenshot of the Edit Custom CSS page(
   the editor and all the options around it) with me?
 *  Thread Starter [csdsubscriber](https://wordpress.org/support/users/csdsubscriber/)
 * (@csdsubscriber)
 * [10 months, 1 week ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/css-code-not-having-any-effect/#post-18567864)
 * The site is [https://strategicbecoming.com](https://strategicbecoming.com). Not
   I don’t currently have any code in the SimpleCSS “file.”
 * Is there a way to attach the image here I’m missing?
 *  Thread Starter [csdsubscriber](https://wordpress.org/support/users/csdsubscriber/)
 * (@csdsubscriber)
 * [10 months, 1 week ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/css-code-not-having-any-effect/#post-18567865)
 * Okay I uploaded it to the site.
 * Here you go:
 * [https://strategicbecoming.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/SimpleCustomCSS-Screenshot.jpg](https://strategicbecoming.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/SimpleCustomCSS-Screenshot.jpg)
 *  Plugin Support [Diana Burduja](https://wordpress.org/support/users/dianaburduja/)
 * (@dianaburduja)
 * [10 months, 1 week ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/css-code-not-having-any-effect/#post-18568924)
 * Will you add your CSS to the editor and click the “Save” button, then make a 
   screenshot of it? The empty editor doesn’t provide me any information. Also, 
   make sure the custom code is active (see the link next to the “Save” or “Update”
   button).
 * If you add the CSS code to the Simple Custom CSS & JS plugin and remove it from
   the Customizer, will you make sure to clear the caches generated by the [Site Optimizer](https://wordpress.org/plugins/sg-cachepress/)
   plugin?
 *  Thread Starter [csdsubscriber](https://wordpress.org/support/users/csdsubscriber/)
 * (@csdsubscriber)
 * [10 months, 1 week ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/css-code-not-having-any-effect/#post-18569493)
 * Apologies. I didn’t think through what you were really aiming for. Thought you
   just wanted to see my settings around the input area.
   Here you go:
 * [https://strategicbecoming.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/CSS-Sample.jpg](https://strategicbecoming.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/CSS-Sample.jpg)
 *  Plugin Support [Diana Burduja](https://wordpress.org/support/users/dianaburduja/)
 * (@dianaburduja)
 * [10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/css-code-not-having-any-effect/#post-18572815)
 * Once you’ve shared the website’s URL, it was clear that the issue wasn’t caused
   by the missing wp_head() function call or with CSS specificity. That is easy 
   to see in the page’s HTML.
 * My other questions had to do with trying to find out the level at which the issue
   shows up:
    - It could be that the custom CSS code is simply not activated. Therefore I 
      was asking for the screenshots. I still don’t have a clear answer to this 
      point.
    - It could be that there are some caches along the way. For example, caches 
      generated by the Site Optimizer plugin, or caches generated by a reverse proxy
      like CloudFlare, or simply browser caches. You’ve chosen to ignore my previous
      question related to the Site Optimizer caches.
    - It could be that there is a conflict with another plugin. I wanted a list 
      of plugins installed on your website so I could install each one of them on
      my test website and see I could replicate the issue, but that request also
      remained ignored. You could also test for a possible conflict by deactivating
      all the other plugins one by one and see if that lets the Simple Custom CSS&
      JS plugin output the CSS to the frontend.
    - It could be a conflict with the theme or with a specific theme’s option. On
      my test website the Simple Custom CSS & JS plugin works alright with the Neve
      theme. You can try switching to the parent theme, just to check if the child
      theme doesn’t create a conflict or intentionally block somehow the outputting
      of the CSS to the frontend.
 *  Thread Starter [csdsubscriber](https://wordpress.org/support/users/csdsubscriber/)
 * (@csdsubscriber)
 * [10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/css-code-not-having-any-effect/#post-18573078)
 * Apologies for the cache issue. At first I didn’t notice that request, then when
   I did I didn’t know how to do it. I figured how to clear it today, and that did
   not solve the problem.
 * I’ll work through some of the other things you suggested and get back to you 
   when I can.
 * I appreciate the effort you’re making to sleuth this. The WordPress plugin game
   is far from as straight forward as it can appear to the uninitiated.
 * I have another plugin that has worked for years on one of my sites and has now
   become partially malfunctional. Ugh!
 * Endless things to chase when all I want to be doing is have things run, so I 
   can go about my business lol!
 * Back to you when I can… 🙂
 *  Thread Starter [csdsubscriber](https://wordpress.org/support/users/csdsubscriber/)
 * (@csdsubscriber)
 * [10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/css-code-not-having-any-effect/#post-18573235)
 * Also here is the list of installed plugins. Had to figure out how to generate
   that. Finally realized I could just copy down the page lol.
 *     ```wp-block-code
       Accept Stripe PaymentsActivate | DeleteEasily accept credit card payments via Stripe payment gateway in WordPress.Version 2.0.93 | By Tips and Tricks HQ, wptipsntricks | View detailsEnable auto-updatesSelect Blank SlateBlank SlateDeactivateProvides a blank page template for use with WordPress page builders.Version 1.2.1 | By Aaron Reimann & Micah Wood | View detailsEnable auto-updatesSelect Block VisibilityBlock VisibilitySettings | DeactivateProvides visibility controls and scheduling functionality to all WordPress blocks.Version 3.7.1 | By Nick Diego | View details | Getting Started | Leave a ReviewEnable auto-updatesSelect Duplicate PageDuplicate PageSettings | Donate | DeactivateDuplicate Posts, Pages and Custom Posts using single click.Version 4.5.5 | By mndpsingh287 | View detailsEnable auto-updatesSelect Enable Media ReplaceEnable Media ReplaceDeactivateEnable replacing media files by uploading a new file in the "Edit Media" section of the WordPress Media Library.Version 4.1.6 | By ShortPixel | View detailsEnable auto-updatesSelect Font AwesomeFont AwesomeDeactivate | SettingsThe official way to use Font Awesome Free or Pro icons on your site, brought to you by the Font Awesome team.Version 5.1.0 | By Font Awesome | View detailsEnable auto-updatesSelect HustleHustleDashboard | Docs | Upgrade For 80% Off! | DeactivateStart collecting email addresses and quickly grow your mailing list with big bold pop-ups, slide-ins, widgets, or in post opt-in forms.Version 7.8.7 | By WPMU DEV | View details | Rate Hustle | Support | RoadmapEnable auto-updatesSelect Otter – Page Builder Blocks & Extensions for GutenbergOtter – Page Builder Blocks & Extensions for GutenbergSettings | Deactivate | Rollback to v3.0.12 | Get Otter ProCreate beautiful and attracting posts, pages, and landing pages with Otter – Page Builder Blocks & Extensions for Gutenberg. Otter comes with dozens of Gutenberg blocks that are all you need to build beautiful pages.Version 3.1.0 | By ThemeIsle | View detailsEnable auto-updatesSelect Security OptimizerSecurity OptimizerDeactivateSecurity Optimizer by SiteGround is the all-in-one security solution for your WordPress website. With the carefully selected and easy to configure functions the plugin provides everything you need to secure your website and prevent a number of threats such as brute-force attacks, compromised login, data leaks and more.Version 1.5.7 | By SiteGround | View detailsEnable auto-updatesSelect Simple Custom CSS and JSSimple Custom CSS and JSSettings | DeactivateEasily add Custom CSS or JS to your website with an awesome editor.Version 3.50 | By SilkyPress.com | View detailsEnable auto-updatesSelect SiteGround CentralSiteGround CentralDeactivateThis plugin is designed to provide you with an easy start of your next WordPress project!Version 3.3.2 | By SiteGround | View details | Check for updatesEnable auto-updatesSelect Speed OptimizerSpeed OptimizerDeactivateThis plugin will link your WordPress application with all the performance optimizations provided by SiteGroundVersion 7.7.2 | By SiteGround | View detailsEnable auto-updatesSelect SSL Insecure Content FixerSSL Insecure Content FixerSettings | DeactivateClean up WordPress website HTTPS insecure contentVersion 2.7.2 | By WebAware | View details | SSL Tests | Instructions | Get help | Rating | Translate | DonateEnable auto-updatesSelect Starter Sites & Templates by NeveStarter Sites & Templates by NeveActivate | DeleteThis plugin gives you access to 100+ templates and ready-to-use starter sites. Neve theme is used for all the designs.Version 1.2.23 | By Themeisle | View detailsEnable auto-updatesSelect Ultimate BlocksUltimate BlocksAdd-Ons | Opt In | DeactivateCustom Blocks for Bloggers and Marketers. Create Better Content With Gutenberg.Version 3.3.6 | By Ultimate Blocks | View detailsEnable auto-updatesSelect WordPress ImporterWordPress ImporterDeactivateImport posts, pages, comments, custom fields, categories, tags and more from a WordPress export file.Version 0.8.4 | By wordpressdotorg | View detailsEnable auto-updatesSelect WPConsentWPConsentGet WPConsent Pro | Dashboard | DeactivateImprove your WordPress website privacy compliance. Custom cookie banner, website scanner, automatic script blocking, and easy cookie configuration.Version 1.0.9 | By WPConsent | View detailsEnable auto-updatesSelect WPForms LiteWPForms LiteGet WPForms Pro | Settings | Docs | Deactivate
       ```
   
 *  Thread Starter [csdsubscriber](https://wordpress.org/support/users/csdsubscriber/)
 * (@csdsubscriber)
 * [10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/css-code-not-having-any-effect/#post-18573240)
 * Okay I also just perform a test. I switched to the parent theme and pasted my
   css code using the Custom CSS window and clicked publish. When I checked the 
   desired effect was absent indicating the CSS code was not present.
 * Then I switched to the All Pages view and when I came back and looked the the
   Custom CSS window the code I had pasted was not there. So it looks like for some
   reason it just isn’t saving it. The result of this test was the same in both 
   parent and child themes.
 * Hope this helps you in solving “the mystery.” 🙂
 *  Plugin Support [Diana Burduja](https://wordpress.org/support/users/dianaburduja/)
 * (@dianaburduja)
 * [10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/css-code-not-having-any-effect/#post-18577499)
 * I’m sorry, I don’t know what is causing the custom CSS to not show up on the 
   frontend, or to not get saved.

Viewing 14 replies - 1 through 14 (of 14 total)

The topic ‘CSS code not having any effect’ is closed to new replies.

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## Tags

 * [css](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/css/)
 * [no effect](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/no-effect/)

 * 14 replies
 * 2 participants
 * Last reply from: [Diana Burduja](https://wordpress.org/support/users/dianaburduja/)
 * Last activity: [10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/css-code-not-having-any-effect/#post-18577499)
 * Status: resolved