## **🧭 Overview**

If your Search Atlas WordPress plugin is showing an **incorrect UUID** error even though the UUID in your plugin settings matches the one shown in your Search Atlas dashboard, the issue is almost certainly caused by **project deletion and recreation**. When a project is deleted and a new one is created, the old UUID can leave behind an orphaned cache or backend state — causing the plugin to reject an otherwise valid UUID.

This article walks you through the exact steps to clear that stale state and restore the connection.

## **⚠️ Why This Happens**

The standard UUID mismatch fix (copy-pasting the correct UUID) works when the two values genuinely differ. However, if you have recently **deleted a project and recreated it**, the new project receives a brand-new UUID. Even though you update the plugin with the new UUID, the plugin or platform backend may still be holding a cached reference to the old, now-deleted project. This causes the **incorrect UUID** error to persist despite both values appearing identical.

## **✅ Before You Begin**

Confirm the following before proceeding:

- You have deleted a project in Search Atlas and created a replacement project.
- You have already copied the new project UUID into your WordPress plugin settings.
- The UUID shown in the plugin settings and the Search Atlas dashboard are visually identical.
- The **incorrect UUID** error is still appearing.

If all four points are true, follow the steps below.

## **🛠️ Step-by-Step Fix**

1. **Confirm the correct UUID in Search Atlas.** Log in to Search Atlas and navigate to the project you want to connect. Copy the full UUID exactly as shown — including any hyphens. Do not copy from a saved note; always copy directly from the dashboard to avoid invisible characters.
2. **Deactivate the Search Atlas WordPress plugin.** In your WordPress admin panel, go to **Plugins → Installed Plugins**, find the Search Atlas plugin, and click **Deactivate**.
3. **Clear all plugin data and cache.** After deactivating, click **Delete** on the Search Atlas plugin. When prompted, confirm that you want to delete the plugin and its data. This removes any locally stored UUID cache or stale configuration tied to the old project.
4. **Clear your WordPress site cache.** If you are using a caching plugin such as WP Rocket, W3 Total Cache, or LiteSpeed Cache, purge all caches now. Also clear any server-level or CDN cache if applicable.
5. **Reinstall the Search Atlas WordPress plugin.** Download the latest version of the plugin from your Search Atlas dashboard or the WordPress plugin repository, and install it fresh.
6. **Enter the new UUID.** During setup, paste the UUID you copied in Step 1 into the plugin's UUID field. Save your settings.
7. **Verify the connection.** Check that the plugin status shows as **connected** and that the incorrect UUID error no longer appears.

## **🔄 If the Error Still Persists**

In rare cases, the stale backend state may need to be cleared on the Search Atlas side rather than the WordPress side. Try the following additional steps:

- **Disconnect and reconnect the project.** Inside Search Atlas, navigate to your project settings and look for an option to disconnect or reset the WordPress integration, then reconnect it.
- **Wait 5–10 minutes.** After reconnecting, backend cache propagation can take a few minutes. Refresh both the plugin settings page and the Search Atlas dashboard before testing again.
- **Try a different browser or incognito window.** Browser-level caching can sometimes display outdated UUID values. Always confirm the UUID from a fresh session.

## **🚫 Common Mistakes to Avoid**

- **Do not reuse UUIDs from deleted projects.** Each new project generates a unique UUID. The old UUID is permanently invalidated when the project is deleted.
- **Do not update the UUID without deactivating the plugin first.** Simply overwriting the UUID field in an active plugin may not flush the cached value.
- **Do not skip the cache-clearing step.** This is the most frequently missed step and the primary reason the error continues after an apparent fix.

## **💬 Need More Help?**

If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type **human teammate** to be connected with a member of our team.