After updating Divi 5, you might see misaligned sections, old styles still showing, wrong fonts, or layouts that don’t match what you see in the Visual Builder.
Most of the time, the cause is out-of-date cached files, custom CSS that no longer fits the updated structure, or a third-party plugin conflict.
Divi 5 also uses a static CSS cache for performance, so clearing that cache is one of the first things you should do.
1. Clear all caches, starting with Divi 5
Divi 5 writes much of your design CSS into cached files for speed. After an update, those cached files can still hold old styles and cause layout problems until you clear them.
Work through caches in this order.
1.1 Clear the Divi 5 CSS cache
Go to your WordPress Dashboard → Divi → Theme Options.
Look at the top-right of the Theme Options panel.
Click the Clear CSS Cache button.
This forces Divi 5 to regenerate its static CSS with the latest settings.
Reload your page on the front end after this step. If the layout looks correct again, the issue was just stale CSS.
1.2 Clear caching plugins (if you use them)
If you use a performance or cache plugin (for example, a page cache, minification, or optimization plugin), it can keep serving old HTML, CSS, and JS after a Divi update.
Do this:
Open your caching plugin’s settings page.
Use its Clear cache, Purge all, or similar button.
If it has separate CSS/JS cache options, clear those too.
Do not change advanced options if you are not sure what they do; just clear the existing cache.
1.3 Clear any server-level cache
Many hosts add their own caching layer on top of WordPress (for example, full-page cache or object cache). These caches may not reset automatically after a theme update.
Do this:
Log in to your hosting control panel and look for Cache, Performance, or similar sections.
Use any Flush, Purge, or Clear cache control you find there.
If you cannot find it, contact your host and ask them to clear the server cache for your site.
1.4 Clear your browser cache or test in a private window
Your browser also caches files. Even after you fix everything on the server, your own browser might still be using an old copy.
You can either:
Clear your browser cache using its built-in options, or
Open your site in a private/incognito window or in a different browser and check the page there.
If the site looks correct in a private window, the issue is just your browser cache.
2. Check for custom CSS problems
If clearing caches doesn’t solve the issue, the next likely cause is custom CSS.
Updates can change markup and class names, so older CSS can suddenly start breaking layouts or overriding new styles in Divi 5.
You need to:
Find where your custom CSS lives.
Temporarily disable it to test.
Fix or remove invalid or incompatible rules.
Common places for custom CSS in Divi 5:
Divi → Theme Options → Custom CSS.
Page Settings → Advanced → Custom CSS.
Module settings → Advanced → Custom CSS.
Code Modules.
Your child theme’s style.css file.
A simple way to test:
Open Divi → Theme Options → General tab → Custom CSS.
Select all your CSS and copy it into a text file on your computer.
Remove the CSS from the Custom CSS box and save.
Clear the Divi 5 CSS cache again (Step 1.1).
Reload the front end.
If the display issue disappears, you know something in that CSS is causing the problem. Repeat the same test for page-level CSS, module-level CSS, or CSS inside Code Modules if you use those.
Then:
Use a CSS validator or your browser’s DevTools to find syntax errors (missing braces, semicolons, or invalid properties).
Re-add your CSS in small chunks, testing after each chunk, until you find the exact rule that breaks the layout.
Update or delete the problematic rules and keep only valid, necessary CSS.
3. Check for issues with Custom HTML and wrappers
Divi 5 adds Semantic Elements and Custom HTML wrappers that let you wrap elements in different HTML tags. If these wrappers use invalid markup or unclosed tags, they can break sections or entire pages after an update.
If you have used Custom HTML wrappers:
Edit the affected page in the Visual Builder.
Open module settings and go to Advanced → HTML option group.
Check the HTML Before and HTML After fields for each element that uses them.
Make sure every tag you open in HTML Before is closed in HTML After.
Remove any experimental markup temporarily and test the front end again.
Always keep wrapper markup minimal and valid, and clear the Divi 5 CSS cache plus your browser cache when you change structural HTML.
4. Look for plugin conflicts
Third-party plugins can change how CSS and JavaScript load or inject their own HTML into the page.
After a Divi 5 update, this can expose conflicts that weren’t obvious before.
Start simple:
Go to Plugins → Installed Plugins.
Deactivate all non-Divi plugins (leave only any required core plugin, like WooCommerce, if your site needs it to render key pages).
Clear caches again (Divi CSS, plugin cache, server cache, and browser/private window).
Check your page on the front end.
If the layout looks correct with plugins disabled, you have a plugin conflict. Reactivate plugins one by one:
Activate one plugin.
Clear that plugin’s cache if it has one.
Refresh the front end and check the problem page.
Repeat until the issue returns.
The last plugin you activated when the issue comes back is your conflict candidate.
Keep it deactivated while you look for an alternative or contact its developer.
You can also use the Divi Support Center’s Safe Mode to temporarily disable plugins and custom code only for your user, which is useful when testing on a live site.
5. Confirm Divi 5 is fully updated, and the migration status is clean
If you recently updated to a newer Divi 5 version, make sure it is installed correctly and that Divi’s own update and migration processes are not stuck.
Do this:
Go to Divi → Theme Options and confirm you are on the latest Divi 5 public build.
Open the Divi 5 Update Status or related screen in your dashboard and confirm there are no pending update tasks.
If an update failed partway through, re-run the process until all checks show as completed.
Display issues that appear only after a specific beta or public release can also be the result of a bug that has already been fixed in a newer Divi 5 build, so staying current matters.
6. If the issue persists
If you still see display issues after you:
Cleared all caches.
Tested without custom CSS and Custom HTML.
Ruled out plugin conflicts.
Confirmed Divi 5 is up to date, and migration is completed.
Then collect the following before contacting support:
A clear description of the problem and when it started.
Links to at least one affected page.
Screenshots or short screen recordings showing the issue.
A note that you already cleared caches, tested without plugins, and disabled custom CSS.