Confluence Source Editor Button Is Not Visible During Page Edit
Platform Notice: Data Center Only - This article only applies to Atlassian apps on the Data Center platform.
Note that this KB was created for the Data Center version of the product. Data Center KBs for non-Data-Center-specific features may also work for Server versions of the product, however they have not been tested. Support for Server* products ended on February 15th 2024. If you are running a Server product, you can visit the Atlassian Server end of support announcement to review your migration options.
*Except Fisheye and Crucible
Problem
This button will not be shown when you are creating a page (expected behavior).
In some cases, the button does not show, even when you edit a page.
Cause
Corrupted plugin caches in the database
Resolution
Pre-check before rebuilding caches If the Source Editor button has never appeared (rather than disappearing after previously working), first confirm the plugin is installed and enabled before rebuilding plugin caches. Go to Administration (⚙) > Manage apps (Confluence 8.x+) or Administration > Add-ons > Manage add-ons (Confluence 7.x and earlier), and verify that "Confluence Source Editor" is listed and enabled. A disabled or uninstalled plugin produces the same symptom as corrupted plugin caches but requires a different resolution — reinstalling or re-enabling the plugin — not a cache rebuild.
Rebuild the plugin cache, by performing the following:
Shutdown Confluence
Remove the following from the Confluence Home Directory:
plugins-cacheplugins-osgi-cacheplugins-tempbundled-plugins
Note: Removing the bundled-plugins directory causes Confluence to re-extract all bundled plugins on the next startup. This will noticeably extend the startup time for that restart. Plan this maintenance window outside business hours or during a low-traffic period to minimise impact on your users.
Verification
Wait for Confluence to fully start up (this may take longer than usual if
bundled-pluginswas removed — see note above).Allow an additional 2–5 minutes for all plugins to finish re-indexing.
Open an existing page in Edit mode (not Create mode — the Source Editor button is not shown when creating a new page).
Confirm the <> (Source Editor) button is now visible in the top-right corner of the editor toolbar.
If the button still does not appear after these steps, contact Atlassian Support for further assistance.
Was this helpful?