The switcher is missing from your pages, or it appears somewhere you did not expect. Translation itself may be working fine, so check that first: open a translated URL such as /es/ followed by a page path. If that page is translated, only the switcher is at fault.
Check the basics first
- Confirm at least two languages exist. A switcher with one language has nothing to switch to. Open the project and choose All Languages.
- Check the Implementation setting. In the WordPress plugin, under Language Switcher, Auto inserts the switcher for you and Custom does not. On Custom, nothing appears until you place the shortcode yourself.
The switcher is configured in the WordPress plugin, not in the dashboard. In WordPress, go to Universally » Language Switcher, which is also reachable from the Universally item in the admin bar.
Implementation is Custom and nothing appears
Cause. Custom means you place the switcher, and the shortcode has not been added.
Fix. Add the shortcode to your theme or a page, or switch Implementation to Auto.
See Place the language switcher.
Implementation is Auto but nothing appears
Cause. One of three things, in this order of likelihood:
- Your theme does not call
wp_footer(). The auto switcher is printed in the footer, so a theme that omits that call renders nothing. Switching to a default theme for one page load tells you whether this is it. - The page is excluded from translation. The switcher is deliberately suppressed on excluded pages.
- A cached page predates the setting. Clear your site cache and reload.
Changing Position will not help: all four positions are the same floating overlay, so if one does not appear, none of them will.
Fix. Work down that list. If the switcher still does not render on a default theme with an unexcluded page and a cleared cache, the language list may be empty on the WordPress side: use Refresh under Universally » General » Languages.
It appears on some pages only
Cause. The page is excluded from translation, so there is nothing to switch between.
Fix. Check Exclude Pages on the project's Translation Rules screen. See Hide the switcher on specific pages if the exclusion is deliberate.
It renders but is invisible or clipped
Cause. Theme CSS is hiding it, overlapping it, or clipping it inside a container with overflow: hidden.
Fix. Inspect the page and look for the universally-switcher element. If it is there, this is a CSS conflict rather than a Universally problem. Your theme CSS can position and show that element (position, margin, display, z-index), but it cannot reach the parts inside it: the switcher's own styling is set from the plugin's Styling tab and its CSS variables.
See Style the switcher.
Still stuck
Email [email protected] with the site URL and a screenshot of where you expect the switcher. See Get support.