How to Fix “Updating failed. Could not update post in the database.” Error in WordPress

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Understanding the “Updating Failed” Error in WordPress

If you are trying to publish or update a post in WordPress and see the error message:

“Updating failed. Could not update post in the database.”

you are not alone. This error is common and frustrating, especially when your content is ready to go live. The good news is that there is a simple solution.

What Causes This Error?

In most cases, the issue is caused by unsupported characters in the post content. These are often special symbols, emojis, or characters copied from websites or word processors that WordPress or your database cannot handle properly.

If your WordPress database is not set to support full Unicode (like emojis or extended language symbols), it can reject the content and prevent it from being saved.

The Solution: Remove Special Characters

The fastest and most effective way to fix the issue is to remove any special or Unicode characters from your content, especially:

  • Emojis
  • Decorative symbols
  • Fancy punctuation marks (like smart quotes)

Replace them with plain text or standard punctuation.

Once these characters are removed, try updating your post again — it should save without any issues.

How to Prevent This Error in the Future

Here are some practical tips:

  1. Avoid copying content from unknown sources
    Always paste as plain text or use the “Paste as Text” option in your editor.
  2. Use a character cleaner tool
    There are online tools that help you detect and clean unsupported characters before posting.
  3. Keep WordPress and plugins updated
    Using the latest version helps prevent compatibility issues.
  4. Upgrade database encoding (optional)
    If you want to support emojis and symbols, consider changing your database to use utf8mb4 encoding. This requires access to your hosting control panel or database, and should be done with a full backup.

Final Thoughts

The “Updating failed. Could not update post in the database.” error may seem technical, but the solution is often simple — remove special characters and use clean content. By keeping your posts in plain text format, you can avoid errors and ensure smooth publishing on your WordPress site.

If you are running a blog like FactoFacts.com, where clean and fast content publishing matters, keeping your content Unicode-free is a smart move — unless your server is fully Unicode-ready.

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