Top 5 LearnDash Issues Course Creators Face (and Easy Fixes)

We understand many course creators run into LearnDash issues that seem confusing at first. LearnDash is a learning management tool used by teachers, coaches, institutions, and large brands. But sometimes users face issues like missing emails, slow loading pages, or students stuck in the middle of their lessons. 

These issues can affect student progress, communication, or even course sales.

The good thing is that every LearnDash LMS issue has a simple and effective solution. Most problems can be fixed within a few minutes. And if you need help at any point, our expert team is always ready to guide you. 

We’ll support you in every step and make sure every issue on your LearnDash website gets solved quickly and smoothly.

Stay on this guide, this post will explain the most common LearnDash issues and give you step by step fixes that you can apply right away. Each section is explained in a simple way so you can follow along easily and keep your LMS running smoothly.

Why Is It Important to Understand LearnDash Issues?

Understanding LearnDash issues is an important step toward keeping your LMS running smoothly. When you know the reasons behind these problems, you can fix them quickly and prevent long interruptions. This also improves the overall learning experience, ensuring students don’t get stuck, confused, or delayed during their lessons.

With even a basic understanding of common LearnDash issues, you can save valuable time, reduce support requests, and keep your online courses running without stress.

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Now, let’s begin! Here are the most common LearnDash issues and the simple steps you can follow to fix each one.

1. LearnDash Not Sending Emails

Symptoms

• When Students complete enrollment but they receive no welcome email. They often contact the support team and ask if their account was created or not.
• Sometimes Quiz submissions do not send score results, which makes students confused about their performance.
• Drip lessons sometimes fail to send their scheduled notifications, which causes students to miss important learning steps and fall behind in the course.
• In some cases, site admins stop receiving order confirmation emails, making it harder to track new enrollments.
• Email logs inside SMTP tools show messages created but not delivered, or sometimes they show no activity at all.

Common Causes

LearnDash depends on WordPress to send emails. The default WordPress mail system is not strong and often fails. Even small plugin conflicts or hosting restrictions can block notifications. Sometimes the issue is not LearnDash itself, but the email system behind it.

Easy Fixes

Install an SMTP plugin like WP Mail SMTP or Fluent SMTP. This connects your WordPress site to a real email service. As soon as you switch to SMTP, your emails become stronger and more reliable.

After setup, send a test email to confirm it reaches the inbox. You should also check your email logs to see if any message failed. If you notice conflicts, disable unnecessary plugins to reduce interruptions.

2. LearnDash Course Progress Not Updating

Symptoms

• A student may complete a lesson, but the progress bar still shows zero percent. This makes them think their progress was not saved, even though they finished the lesson.
• A course gets stuck at ninety nine percent even after completing all lessons, quizzes, and assignments.
• The Mark Complete button does not respond or keeps reloading the same page without updating progress.
• Students cannot move to the next lesson because the previous step shows as incomplete.
• In some cases, progress updates only for some students but not for others, which indicates caching or theme conflicts.

Common Causes

This issue happens mostly because of caching. Caching is used to make websites faster but it freezes dynamic pages like course content. 

If LearnDash shows an older cached page, it cannot update the progress. Some themes also block JavaScript, which stops the Mark Complete button from working.

Easy Fixes

Clear your browser cache first. Then open your site caching plugin and exclude all LearnDash pages from caching. 

This simple adjustment fixes progress issues in many LMS setups. Check your lesson settings and make sure the Mark Complete button is active and visible.

If the issue continues, switch to a default WordPress theme for a moment. This will help you identify if your theme is causing the problem.

3. LearnDash LMS Is Slow or Laggy

Symptoms

• Course pages take several seconds to load, even when the lesson contains simple text or a single video.
• Quizzes freeze between questions, or the result page takes too long to appear.
• The LMS dashboard feels heavy. Switching between lessons, quizzes, and topics feels delayed.
• Video lessons buffer more than usual, even when your internet speed is normal.
• Students report lag when many users access the LMS at the same time, especially during peak hours.

Common Causes

When your LearnDash site is slow, it is usually due to the hosting environment. Shared hosting often struggles when many students access lessons at the same time. Large plugins, heavy themes, and unoptimized images also add load to the server.

Easy Fixes

Move your site to a fast and optimized WordPress hosting provider. A strong server improves your LMS speed instantly. Use a caching plugin to help with general performance, but remember to exclude LMS pages so they load fresh. Compress your images using ShortPixel or Smush so your site loads faster.

Disable plugins that you do not need. Each extra plugin adds more scripts and slows the LMS.

4. LearnDash Shortcodes or Blocks Not Working

Symptoms

• When using a learndash shortcodes to display course lists, the page shows nothing or displays an empty box.
• Lesson pages sometimes show missing sections where quizzes, progress bars, or lesson navigation should appear.
• Shortcodes that used to work before an update suddenly stop rendering content.
• Some blocks inside the Gutenberg editor show warning messages like “This block has encountered an error”.
• When switching themes, certain LearnDash features disappear or load incorrectly.

Common Causes

Shortcodes break when they are formatted incorrectly or placed in the wrong editor block. Some themes override LearnDash templates, which stops the shortcode from loading. Updates in page builders also change how blocks behave.

Easy Fixes

Verify your LearnDash shortcode carefully. Even a small bracket mistake can break the layout. Switch your page to a default template and see if the shortcode appears. If it does, your theme is the cause. You can also replace shortcodes with LearnDash blocks in the block editor, which often works more smoothly.

5. LearnDash Payment Gateway Issues

Symptoms

• Students reach the checkout but cannot complete the order. The page refreshes without placing the order.
• Payments appear in WooCommerce but course access is not granted automatically.
• Some users can pay successfully while others receive errors during checkout.
• The checkout page shows SSL warnings or insecure content notices.
• Orders remain in pending status even after the student has paid, which blocks access to the course.

Common Causes

The most common cause is incorrect mapping between the WooCommerce product and the LearnDash course. If they are not linked correctly, students complete payment but never gain access. Another common cause is checkout plugin conflicts or missing SSL.

Easy Fixes

Open your WooCommerce product and make sure it is linked to the correct course. Test your checkout in sandbox mode to see what breaks. Install SSL to secure your checkout page. Turn off extra payment plugins because too many gateways create conflicts.

Bonus: Other LearnDash Issues You Might Face

You may also experience:

• Quizzes that do not load
• Video progression not tracking
• Drip content releasing late
• User roles not syncing

These issues usually come from plugin conflicts or outdated settings. Keep your LMS website clean and updated to avoid them.

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How to Prevent LearnDash Issues in the Future

• Take regular backups
• Update LearnDash and your plugins
• Use a staging site before major changes
• Choose high quality hosting
• Monitor your site performance

By following these simple habits, you can keep your LMS running smoothly and avoid many technical problems in the future. 

Regular checks, updates, and basic maintenance can save you time, protect your students’ learning experience, and improve the overall performance of your LearnDash website.

If you want expert help in keeping your LMS stable or fixing any issues, feel free to reach out to our LearnDash Expert. Or you can book a free consultation by clicking the button below!

Conclusion

LearnDash is a powerful LMS, but issues can appear when settings, hosting, or plugins create conflicts. The helpful thing is that most LearnDash issues are simple to fix once you know the cause. 

With the steps in this guide, you can improve email delivery, fix progress, speed up your LMS, repair shortcodes, and solve checkout problems. These fixes help you deliver a smooth and reliable learning experience. 

If you need more help, you can contact us for more assistance. We will help you to fix all issues and keep your LearnDash LMS site safe and working smoothly. 

Thanks for reading this post!