Broken Shortcode Fixer finds the dead shortcodes and orphaned blocks that old plugins and page builders leave in your posts. Click Scan Site, see where each one is used, preview the change, and fix it one post at a time.
Key Features
- Scans your content – posts and pages are read in small steps from the admin screen, and a scan never changes anything
- Dead shortcodes – finds the shortcodes that no plugin or theme provides any more, so you can see the raw [text] your visitors see
- Orphaned blocks and broken comments – finds blocks whose plugin was removed, and block comments that are opened and never closed
- Findings report – everything grouped by name, with how many posts use it, the text around it with the dead shortcode highlighted, filters by type, and search by name
- Fix one post at a time – remove a shortcode and keep or drop the text inside it, replace it with another shortcode that exists on your site, or convert an orphaned block to an HTML block or a paragraph
- Preview first – see the current text next to the new text with the changed words marked, and nothing is saved until you fix the post
- Only what you choose changes – the chosen name is changed in the chosen post and the rest of the post stays as it is, and WordPress keeps a revision of it
- Ignore what should stay – hide a shortcode or block and it is never reported again, with a tab to stop ignoring it
- Light on your server – findings are saved in their own table, so your options and post meta stay clean
- Private – the scan reads your own content and nothing is sent to an outside service
How It Works
- Install and activate the plugin
- Open Shortcodes in your WordPress dashboard (or Tools > Shortcodes when Compact Mode is on)
- Click Scan Site and wait for the progress bar to finish
- Open the Findings page and choose a shortcode or a block
- Choose what should happen to it, preview the change in a post, and fix the post, or ignore the name
Who It’s For
- Site owners who removed a plugin or a page builder and now see raw [shortcode] text on their pages
- Bloggers with years of posts who want to know what is left over from old plugins
- Agencies that need to clean up a client site after a migration or a theme change
- Content teams who want to see how many posts each dead shortcode affects
Free vs. Pro
The free version finds dead shortcodes and orphaned blocks on posts and pages and lets you fix them one post at a time. Broken Shortcode Fixer Pro adds:
- Fix a whole finding – preview every post of a shortcode or block, then fix them all in one run with a progress bar
- Bulk fix – tick several names, or every name of a search, and fix them in one run that can be continued if it is interrupted
- Backups and undo – every changed post is saved first, so one post or a whole fix can be restored in a click, after a comparison with the backup
- All public post types and custom fields – scan, preview, fix, and restore the public custom fields too, such as an ACF text field
- Ignore list and WP-CLI – manage the ignore list as text, and scan, fix, and undo from the terminal or a deployment script
Installation
- Download the plugin ZIP from this page, then go to Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin, choose the ZIP, and click Install Now, then Activate
- Open Shortcodes in your dashboard and click Scan Site
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as a broken shortcode?
A shortcode in your content whose plugin or theme is no longer active, so WordPress prints the text as it is, such as from a gallery plugin you removed. Shortcodes that are registered and working are never reported.
Does it delete anything?
A scan never changes your content. A fix changes only the post you choose and only for the name you choose, and WordPress keeps a revision of it. The free version does not keep backups of its own, so make a backup of your site first. Deleting the plugin removes its findings and options, not your posts.
Can I undo a fix?
Restore the earlier revision of the post from the editor. Pro has a Backups page that undoes a fix, one post or a whole run, in a click.
Can I fix many shortcodes at once?
Not in the free version, which fixes one post at a time. Pro fixes a whole finding or many names in one run.
Why is a shortcode I use reported as dead?
A shortcode registered only for visitors can look dead to a scan in the dashboard. Ignore it from the Findings page and it is never reported again.
Does it fix page builder pages?
Builders such as Elementor store their layout outside the post content, so those pages are not changed here. Search & Replace for Elementor is made for that.
Does it send my data to an outside service?
No. The scan and the fixes run on your site and nothing is sent anywhere.
Ready to clean up your content? Download Broken Shortcode Fixer free, or see everything Broken Shortcode Fixer Pro adds.