Running into issues with setting the homepage in Divi can be incredibly frustrating, especially when you’ve spent hours designing the perfect landing page. Despite its powerful visual interface and wide popularity, Divi sometimes does not cooperate when you’re trying to assign your desired page as the homepage. This can be due to a variety of causes, including WordPress settings conflicts, theme-specific quirks, or plugins interfering with standard behavior. If Divi won’t let you set a homepage, don’t worry—there are several solutions you can try to resolve the issue and take full control of your site layout.
Understanding the Homepage Settings in WordPress
First, it’s essential to understand how WordPress treats the homepage, especially when paired with a premium theme like Divi. By default, WordPress will display your latest posts on the homepage. However, in most modern designs, users prefer a static page instead.
To set a custom homepage:
- Go to Settings > Reading
- Select A static page
- Choose your desired homepage and posts page
However, if Divi isn’t applying your selected homepage or won’t let you choose one at all, several factors might be at play.
Common Reasons Why Divi Won’t Let You Set a Homepage
There are a few possible causes to investigate if setting a homepage isn’t working with Divi:
- Caching Issues – Both browser and plugin caches can lead to your changes not being reflected immediately.
- Divi Theme Builder Conflicts – Custom templates created in Divi Theme Builder may override or ignore standard WordPress settings.
- Plugin Conflicts – Other plugins related to SEO, redirection, or page building can sometimes interfere with homepage settings.
- Incorrect Page Settings – The page you’re attempting to use might not be published, or it may be restricted in some way.
To diagnose and resolve the issue, let’s walk through each of the potential fixes.
Step-by-Step Solutions
1. Clear All Forms of Cache
It might sound simple, but caching is one of the most frequent causes of this issue. Clear your browser cache, and if you’re using a caching plugin like W3 Total Cache, WP Super Cache, or WP Rocket, clear those caches too. Also, don’t forget server-side cache if your hosting provider enables it—many do, especially managed WordPress hosts such as SiteGround or WP Engine.
After clearing the cache, refresh the homepage and check if the correct page is now displaying.
2. Verify Homepage Settings in WordPress
Sometimes the issue lies in overlooking a basic step. Navigate to:
- Settings > Reading
- Ensure “Your homepage displays” is set to A static page
- Verify that the correct page is selected for “Homepage”
Also, ensure that the selected page is published and not set to private or pending review.
3. Check for Theme Builder Overrides
Divi’s Theme Builder allows you to create intricate custom layouts that can override global theme settings. If you’ve built a template in the Theme Builder and applied it to “All Pages” or “Home,” it may ignore your Reading Settings.
To inspect this:
- Go to Divi > Theme Builder
- Look for any template assigned to the homepage or all pages
- If found, either modify the template or remove the assignment if it’s not needed
Sometimes, editing or removing these layouts can immediately resolve the issue.
4. Deactivate Potentially Conflicting Plugins
Plugins that alter how pages load, such as SEO tools like Yoast, page builders like Elementor, or security plugins, may conflict with how Divi manages homepage settings. Try the following steps:
- Temporarily deactivate all plugins except Divi
- Check if the homepage setting now sticks
- If yes, reactivate plugins one by one to identify the culprit
Once you find the conflicting plugin, consult the plugin documentation or consider reaching out to their support forum for assistance.
5. Manual Homepage Assignment via Theme Customizer
Another alternative way to set the homepage is by using the WordPress Customizer.
- Go to Appearance > Customize
- Select Homepage Settings
- Set your homepage to a static page and choose your desired page
- Click Publish to apply changes
Sometimes, changes made in the Customizer are more reliably saved, bypassing some of the weird hiccups that can occur in Theme Options.
6. Re-check Divi Theme Options
Divi also offers a way to define homepage settings under:
Divi > Theme Options > General Settings
Look for any homepage settings that might conflict with those found elsewhere. While this area mostly covers layout and general features, in some older versions of Divi, having inconsistent settings here might disrupt the WordPress reading configuration.
If nothing seems out of place, you might want to re-save the settings or reset them to defaults and try again.
Advanced Troubleshooting
1. Check for Hardcoded Templates
If your homepage is still not appearing correctly, check your theme files if you’re using a child theme. Developers may have hardcoded a specific page template or added redirect functions that override the default behavior. This can prevent WordPress from applying your preferred homepage even when it’s correctly set.
2. Check .htaccess or Custom Redirects
Redirection plugins or manual changes in the .htaccess file can sometimes cause unexpected behaviors. Look for rules that direct the homepage URL to another page or post. These should be removed or adjusted with caution, especially if you’re unsure how these files work.
3. Enable Debug Mode
If something still seems off, you can enable WordPress debug mode to check if PHP errors are interfering with your homepage rendering:
define('WP_DEBUG', true);
You can place the above line in the wp-config.php file. Once activated, visit your homepage and see if any errors or warnings are displayed. This may give you insight into theme or plugin conflicts.
Remember to disable debug mode after testing to prevent visitors from seeing errors on your live site.
Final Thoughts
Having trouble setting your homepage in Divi can feel like you’re losing control over your site design. But 9 times out of 10, the issue boils down to one of the common conflicts described above. By methodically going through the steps—from clearing cache, checking theme builder configurations, to evaluating plugin conflicts—you can resolve the problem and get your site’s front page working as you intend.
If all else fails, consider reaching out directly to Elegant Themes support. Their team can help walk you through specific conflicts unique to your site setup.
Pro Tip: Always create a backup of your site before making fundamental changes to settings or files. This way, you can roll back quickly if something unexpected happens during troubleshooting.
With patience and careful inspection, you’ll be able to fix the issue and get your Divi homepage working perfectly.
