Resolve RSS Feed Issues in WordPress with Ease

By Anila Anwar Jun 16, 2025 7

Are your RSS feeds broken in WordPress? That's a bummer! RSS feeds are vital to content dissemination and users' subscribing to your content. Don't worry; you can smoothly fix the RSS feed error.

Let’s go through each possible cause and fix it step by step.

1. Look for extra spaces or characters

RSS feeds must be clean and correctly formatted. It only takes one tiny thing to break it.

What to do:

Open your functions.php file.
Take a look at the beginning and end of the document.
Ensure there are no spaces, empty lines, or characters before.
However, one blank place may cause a feed issue.

2. Use a Feed Validator

If you cannot figure out what's wrong with your feed, the next step is to test your feed.

Here's how:

Go to the W3C Feed Validation Service.
Paste your feed URL (it's usually yourdomain.com/feed/).
Press Validate.
This tool will show the accurate issue with your feed.

3. Temporarily disabling all plugins

Some plugins have been known to affect RSS feeds.

What you can do is
Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins.
You can then retest your RSS feed. You can then skill the plugins one at a time until you search for the wrong plugin.

4. Switch to a Default Theme

A theme may also contrast with the RSS pattern in the feed.

To check:

Go to Appearance > Themes.
Then enable a default WordPress theme like Twenty Twenty-Four.
Again, run a test on your RSS feed.
If you do not look after the issue, your old theme probably caused it.

5. Reinstalling core WordPress files to fix RSS feed error

You may need to repair some core files If you feel weak in all the steps above and still have issues.

Do this:

Go to Dashboard > Updates.
Then, click “Reinstall Now.”
This will overwrite core files with fresh copies. Your relationship and theme will not be affected in any way.

Don’t miss this post on WordPress Error: Are You Sure You Want to Do This? Fix Guide.

Summary

Having a broken RSS feed on a WordPress site can be easily remedied. Start by checking for extra spaces or code errors, then validate your feed. If necessary, disable or switch themes, or both. Lastly, reinstall WordPress if you are still having issues.

If you follow these steps, your RSS feed should be back up and running without a hitch! This will help you improve user experience, content distribution, and SEO.