Fix page loading errors caused by invalid characters in Confluence Cloud storage format

Summary

This article helps you resolve Confluence Cloud page loading issues caused by invalid or illegal characters in the storage format.

Environment

Atlassian Cloud – Confluence Cloud

Diagnosis

When the Confluence page loads, it fails with XML parsing errors. For example: Illegal character entity: expansion character (code 0xfffe) not a valid XML character reported at a specific line and column in the XML. This indicates that the page content includes one or more invalid XML characters that prevent the page from rendering correctly

Cause

This issue occurs when a Confluence page storage format includes one or more invalid XML characters, causing the XML to fail validation during page load.

Solution

Follow these steps to identify and resolve page loading errors caused by invalid characters in the storage format:

1. Identify the error location:

   • Attempt to load the affected Confluence page.

   • If the page fails to load, review any error messages or logs for details about the invalid character, including the line and column number in the storage format.

2. Export the storage format:

   • Use the Confluence Cloud REST API or a supported tool to export the storage format of the affected page.

   • Open the storage format in a text editor that displays line and column numbers (such as Notepad++).

3. Locate and correct the invalid character:

   • Navigate to the line and column specified in the error message.

   • Replace the invalid character with a valid character, such as a hyphen (-), or remove it entirely.

4. Update the page storage format:

   • Use the Confluence Cloud REST API or an appropriate tool to update the page with the corrected storage format.

5. Validate the fix:

   • Reload the page in Confluence Cloud to confirm it now loads successfully.

   • Make a minor edit and save the page to ensure no further issues remain.

If you are unable to update the storage format directly or encounter authentication errors (such as a 403 error), contact Atlassian Support for assistance. Provide the error details, including the line and column number of the invalid character, and request help to update the storage format.