My documents aren't appearing in the library
You've added a new document, set it to published, and made sure the visibility is public. So why isn't it showing up in your document library?
This comes down to a handful of common causes. This article walks you through each one in priority order. Most people find the answer within the first two or three checks.
Check the library is loading correctly
First, make sure the library itself is rendering on the page. If you can see the raw [doc_library] shortcode text instead of an actual library, something is preventing the plugin from running.
There are two things to check here:
- Confirm your license key is active under Documents → Settings.
- Then check your shortcode syntax for typos or missing brackets.
For the full setup steps, see the guide on displaying documents in Document Library Pro.
Clear your caches
Caching is the single most common reason a new document doesn't appear. The library may be loading correctly, but you're seeing an older cached version of the page.
Clear all of these in turn:
- Your browser cache (or try a private browsing window).
- Any WordPress caching plugin you have installed.
- Any server-level cache from your host.
- Any CDN cache, such as Cloudflare.
Reload the page after each one. The new document should appear once the cached version is cleared.
Check the shortcode for filters
Document Library Pro lets you filter the library by category, tag, custom taxonomy, custom field, and more. If your shortcode includes any of these filters, new documents will only appear when they match.
For example, this shortcode only displays documents in the 'policies' category:
[doc_library doc_category="policies"]
A new document tagged 'forms' won't show up here. Either add the matching category to the new document, or remove the filter from the shortcode.
You can review all the filtering options on the listing specific documents page.
Check access control settings
If you're using the access control features on the Advanced plan, your new documents may be hidden rather than missing. Visibility rules can prevent them from appearing in the library.
Open the document and check the access settings. Confirm the user role you're testing with has permission to view it. If categories are protected, make sure the new document is in a category your test user can access.
Pro tip: log out and view the library as a guest, or test in a private browsing window. This often reveals visibility issues faster than checking settings one by one.
Check the pagination
If lazy loading or pagination is enabled, new documents may sit on a later page rather than the first one. The default sort order also affects this. A document set to publish at an older date will appear in date order, not at the top.
Scroll to the bottom of the library and click through the pages. Or sort by 'Date modified' to bring recent additions to the front.
Check the document limit
By default, Document Library Pro shows a maximum of 500 documents in a library. If you have more than 500 documents, the extra ones won't appear at all, even on later pages.
You can raise or remove this limit with the doc_limit option. For example, [doc_library doc_limit="750"] shows up to 750 documents, and [doc_library doc_limit="-1"] removes the limit completely. See setting the number of documents for the full details.
Tip: If you're displaying a large number of documents, enable lazy load so the library stays fast.
Still stuck?
If you've worked through all of the above and your documents still aren't appearing, contact our support team. To help us help you faster, please send us:
- The exact
[doc_library]shortcode you're using. - Whether the issue affects all new documents or only some.
- Whether you're using categories, tags, filters, or access control.