Use this guide when you have edited your site’s files but the public website still shows old content or a new article is missing. Keep the existing setup while checking the steps below.
Check the saved edit and branch
In the repository’s Code tab, open the edited file. Confirm that your change
is saved in a commit, not only in the editor. Check the branch selector: the
starter publishes from main or master. For another setup, check the publishing
workflow or Settings > Pages for its source.
If your edit is on a separate branch or an unmerged pull request, use your normal review/merge process to place it on the publishing branch. A preview site and the public website can show different commits.
Check the publishing run
Open Actions and find the publishing run for that commit and branch. Wait for it to finish. If it fails, open the failed step and read the first relevant error; do not change unrelated settings to try to fix it.
For a _config.yml syntax error, follow Fix a YAML configuration error.
For missing plugins or theme dependencies, use your
installation method or the migration checks.
Check the right website
Open the website address in Settings > Pages, then refresh the affected page. Check that you are visiting the public site rather than GitHub’s file preview or another deployment. For a project site, retain its repository path. If the build succeeded but publication failed, inspect the deployment step too.
For a local preview, restart Jekyll after changing _config.yml. A successful
local build alone does not publish those files to GitHub Pages.
Check a missing post
Verify the file is in _posts/ and named YYYY-MM-DD-title.md, with a real,
non-future date. Check any explicit date or published: false in its settings
as well. Normal builds omit future-dated and unpublished posts.
Use Create a post to compare the file structure. Check its
actual public address, including any permalink: the Markdown source path is
not the post URL. If the article opens directly but is absent from an index,
check that index’s filters and limits in the layout reference.
For a missing photograph, use the image checks.
After correcting the identified problem, commit to the publishing branch, wait for a successful deployment and verify the changed text or article again.