Table of contents
What does “missed schedule” mean in WordPress?Why WordPress misses scheduled postsHow to confirm a missed schedule errorHow to resolve the missed schedule errorPreventing missed schedule errors Next stepsAdditional resources
Get the industry’s fastest hosting for WordPress◦ 100% network uptime
◦ Comprehensive security
◦ 24/7 support
Explore options

WordPress Guide → Errors → Missed Schedule

Error: WordPress missed schedule – why it happens and how to fix it

fixing a missed schedule in wordpress

You schedule a post. You wait for it to go live. Then… nothing happens.

The “missed schedule” error in WordPress is frustrating because it happens silently. You won’t get a notification. You’ll only catch it if you check your Posts list and spot the “Missed Schedule” status.

Let’s fix that.

Get fast, reliable hosting for WordPress

Power your site with the industry’s fastest, most optimized WordPress hosting

WordPress.org hosting

What does “missed schedule” mean in WordPress?

The “missed schedule” error happens when WordPress fails to publish a post at its scheduled time. Instead of publishing, the post stays in the Scheduled state—or it changes to “Missed Schedule” with no action taken.

This usually happens because WordPress relies on something called WP-Cron—a system that checks for scheduled tasks, but only when someone visits your site.

If traffic is low, WP-Cron might not run on time. And if WP-Cron doesn’t run, your post doesn’t publish.

Why WordPress misses scheduled posts

Here are the most common reasons scheduled posts fail to publish:

  • Low or inconsistent traffic: WP-Cron runs when someone visits your site. No visitors = no cron execution.
  • Caching plugins or server caching: Page caching or object caching can block cron-related requests from firing.
  • WP-Cron is disabled or broken: Some hosts disable WP-Cron to encourage better server performance.
  • Time zone settings are incorrect: If your site’s timezone doesn’t match your local time, your posts could be scheduled at the wrong hour.
  • Plugin conflicts: A plugin that modifies cron behavior can block scheduled posts.
  • Theme or custom code issues: A malfunctioning function in your functions.php file can interfere with scheduling.
  • Server resource limits: If your server is under heavy load, cron jobs may not complete on time.

How to confirm a missed schedule error

  1. Go to Posts > All Posts in your WordPress dashboard.
  2. Look for any post with the label Missed Schedule under the scheduled date.
  3. Optionally, install WP Crontrol to check if scheduled cron events are failing.

Once you’ve confirmed the issue, here’s how to fix it.

Fixes: how to resolve the missed schedule error

Each of these solutions targets a different root cause. Start with the easy fixes first, and move to the more technical ones only if needed.

1. Manually publish or reschedule the post

Quickest fix if you just need the content live.

  1. Go to Posts > All Posts.
  2. Hover over the post with the “Missed Schedule” label.
  3. Click Edit.
  4. Change the publish time to a few minutes in the future—or just click Publish if you want it live now.

This solves the issue temporarily, but not permanently.

2. Install a plugin to fix missed schedule issues automatically

Several free plugins will check for missed posts and publish them on your behalf.

Recommended plugins:

  1. Scheduled Post Trigger: Runs on every page load and checks for missed posts.
  2. PublishPress Future: Lets you manage scheduled publishing and even expiration.

To install:

  • Go to Plugins > Add New.
  • Search for one of the plugins above.
  • Click Install Now, then Activate.
  • Most work in the background with no configuration needed.

These plugins are great if you don’t want to mess with cron jobs or server settings.

3. Replace WP-Cron with a real cron job

This is the most reliable long-term fix.

By default, WordPress uses “fake” cron jobs that run only when someone visits your site. You can disable WP-Cron and replace it with a real server cron job that runs on a schedule—whether or not someone visits.

Step 1: Disable WP-Cron

  1. Open your site’s wp-config.php file.
  2. Add the following line above the line that says /* That’s all, stop editing! */:
    define(‘DISABLE_WP_CRON’, true);

Step 2: Set up a real cron job

If your host uses cPanel:

  1. Log in to cPanel.
  2. Go to Advanced > Cron Jobs.
  3. Set the command to run every 5 or 10 minutes.
  4. Use this command (replace yourdomain.com with your domain):

wget -q -O – https://yourdomain.com/wp-cron.php?doing_wp_cron > /dev/null 2>&1

If using a VPS or SSH access:

  1. Add the same cron command to your crontab using crontab -e.

This ensures WordPress checks for scheduled posts on time, every time.

4. Check and update your timezone settings

Incorrect timezone settings can make it look like a post missed its schedule, even though it ran as scheduled (just in the wrong timezone).

  1. Go to Settings > General.
  2. Find the Timezone setting.
  3. Choose your actual timezone (e.g., “New York” instead of a UTC offset).
  4. Click Save Changes.

This ensures your scheduled posts align with your local time.

5. Disable or configure caching properly

Caching plugins like WP Rocket, LiteSpeed Cache, or W3 Total Cache can prevent WordPress from executing wp-cron.php.

  1. Go to your caching plugin’s settings.
  2. Look for an option to exclude wp-cron.php from being cached or delayed.
  3. If you’re not sure how to do this, temporarily deactivate the plugin, then test whether a scheduled post publishes normally.

If disabling the plugin fixes the issue, the cache is interfering with cron execution.

6. Rule out plugin or theme conflicts

Conflicting plugins or custom theme code may interfere with cron jobs.

Here’s how to troubleshoot safely:

  1. Install the Health Check & Troubleshooting plugin.
  2. Go to Tools > Site Health > Troubleshooting Mode.
  3. Enable troubleshooting mode and deactivate all plugins.
  4. Reschedule a test post.
  5. If it publishes correctly, reactivate your plugins one at a time to identify the culprit.

You can also switch to a default theme (like Twenty Twenty-Four) during testing.

7. Upgrade your hosting (if needed)

If none of the above fixes work and your site is on a shared hosting plan, server performance may be the issue.

  1. Low CPU or RAM can delay or drop scheduled cron jobs.
  2. If your site is growing or gets decent traffic, consider upgrading to a VPS or managed WordPress hosting plan.

Higher performance hosting reduces the chances of timeouts or execution delays.

These plugins are great if you don’t want to mess with cron jobs or server settings.

Preventing missed schedule errors in the future

Now let’s make sure this doesn’t happen again:

  • Replace WP-Cron with a real cron job whenever possible.
  • Use a plugin like Scheduled Post Trigger as a fallback safety net.
  • Monitor scheduled posts with tools like WP Crontrol or Query Monitor.
  • Keep plugins and WordPress core updated to avoid bugs or conflicts.
  • Make sure your server isn’t overloaded—especially if you’re using shared hosting.

Missed schedule FAQs

When WordPress reports that scheduled tasks are overdue, it means WP-Cron has not run those tasks at the expected time. WordPress relies on site visits to trigger WP-Cron, so if your site has low traffic, caching rules, or server restrictions, scheduled events can pile up instead of running on time.

These overdue tasks can include scheduled posts, plugin maintenance jobs, email notifications, and cleanup routines. While a few overdue tasks are usually harmless, a growing list often points to a deeper issue with how cron jobs are triggered on your site.

Scheduled posts usually fail when WP-Cron does not execute at the scheduled publish time. This can happen because of low site traffic, aggressive caching, incorrect site time zone settings, conflicts with plugins or themes, or hosting environments that block loopback requests.

In some cases, scheduled posts miss their publish window entirely and remain stuck in “Scheduled” status until someone manually visits the site or publishes the post.

Fixing the issue typically involves checking your time zone settings, reviewing cron activity, and, if needed, replacing WP-Cron with a real server cron job for more reliable scheduling.

Additional resources

Diagnosing WordPress errors on your site →

Even more common errors, how to troubleshoot them, and how to solve them

How to fix “Is its parent directory writable by the server?” in WordPress →

Fix the “Is its directory writable by the server?” error in WordPress by adjusting file permissions and ownership settings.



What is managed WordPress hosting? →

What it means, what it includes, and how to decide if it’s right for you