WooCommerce checkout

WooCommerce Checkout Is Not Working

You can diagnose most checkout failures without placing a real paid order. Look at the browser console, the checkout XHR, cache headers, and the gateway sandbox.

Direct answer

Checkout fails in layers: the page does not load, the Place order button does nothing, the request returns 403/500, or the gateway declines. Full-page cache on /cart/ or /checkout/ is a frequent silent cause. A cached nonce or a cached empty cart looks like “it works for me in a private window yesterday.”

How we diagnose without placing an order

Open checkout as a guest in a private window. Do not complete a paid order on production. Use sandbox keys or a $0 coupon on staging.
DevTools → Network. Click Place order. Inspect the admin-ajax.php or Store API /wc/store/v1/checkout response. A 403 from ModSecurity or a Cloudflare challenge is not a “Woo bug.”
Response headers: if x-cache, LiteSpeed, or cf-cache-status: HIT appears on cart or checkout, exclude those URLs from the page cache. The free health checker flags public cache clues on shopper paths when they are visible.
Console errors: a theme or optimization plugin often minifies checkout JS and breaks the payment iframe.
If the order is created but payment never captures, that is gateway/webhook work, not a missing SSL certificate on the homepage.

What not to do

Do not place real customer-funded orders to “see if it works.”
Do not disable all security plugins on a live store as the first step.
Do not minify checkout scripts site-wide to chase a Lighthouse score.

WooCommerce Checkout Rescue from $249. Final quote after diagnosis.

Fix My Checkout

WooCommerce development · bug fixing · order emails