When Beaver Builder will not open on a WordPress page, a plugin conflict may seem like the obvious explanation. In one support case, a real JavaScript error involving Smart Slider 3 Pro and Beaver Builder was present, but it turned out not to be the cause of the editing failure.
The actual problem was a redirect loop in the Redirection plugin. The current page redirected to a temporary URL, and that temporary URL redirected back to the current page. Because the loop also affected the Beaver Builder editor URL, the page could not finish loading and the editor controls never appeared. Removing the stale redirect rules fixed the editor, and a clean 301 redirect was added from the obsolete URL to the current page.
Issue background
A WordPress page could no longer be edited with Beaver Builder. The page itself was important and still needed to remain accessible, but opening the editor did not show the expected editing controls.
At the same time, an older page URL was still being accessed and returned a 404.
Recent plugin updates made a plugin conflict seem plausible, especially because a JavaScript error involving Smart Slider 3 Pro could be reproduced in the Beaver Builder editor.
Diagnosis
The first investigation identified a real JavaScript error between Smart Slider 3 Pro and Beaver Builder. Smart Slider was injecting an admin script that referenced supporting code that was not loaded in the editor.
However, further staging tests showed that this error was not actually preventing the editor from loading.
The decisive test was performed against the site’s redirect configuration.
The current page had been configured to redirect to a temporary event URL, while that temporary URL redirected back to the current page.
That created an endless redirect loop.
The loop also caught the Beaver Builder editor URL, so the page never reached the point where the editor could initialize.
When the redirect loop was active on staging, the page failed. When those redirect rules were removed, both the page and Beaver Builder loaded normally.
The older legacy URL was a separate issue. It returned a 404 and needed a one-way 301 redirect to the current page.
Resolution steps
The documented fix was:
- Reproduce the editing failure on staging. The developer confirmed that Beaver Builder could not load when the redirect loop was active.
- Test the suspected JavaScript conflict separately. The Smart Slider 3 Pro error was real, but the editor still loaded while that error was present, so it was ruled out as the root cause.
- Inspect Redirection plugin rules. The developer found stale temporary redirects that sent the current page to a temporary URL and then back again.
- Remove the looping rules on staging. Once those redirects were removed, the page and Beaver Builder editor loaded normally.
- Add a proper redirect for the obsolete URL. The old event URL was configured to redirect one way to the current page instead of returning a 404.
- Get approval before changing production. The staging fix was reviewed before the live redirects were modified.
- Remove the leftover temporary redirect rules on live. The rules were deleted rather than merely left disabled, preventing someone from accidentally reactivating the loop later.
- Add the clean 301 redirect on live. The obsolete URL now points directly to the current page.
- Verify the live page and editor. The current page loaded normally, the Beaver Builder editor opened correctly, and the old URL no longer returned a 404.
A separate Smart Slider 3 Pro JavaScript cleanup remained as a low-priority cosmetic issue because it did not affect page editing.
Final outcome
The Beaver Builder editing problem was resolved by removing the stale redirect loop from the Redirection plugin.
The current page began loading normally again, the Beaver Builder editor opened successfully, and the obsolete event URL was replaced with a proper 301 redirect to the current page.
The developer also removed the leftover temporary redirect rules entirely, which reduced the risk of the same loop being re-enabled accidentally in the future.
The broader lesson is that an editor failure can be caused by routing before JavaScript ever becomes the real problem. If Beaver Builder or another page builder refuses to open, check redirects, URL rewrites, and editor-specific URLs in addition to plugin console errors. A visible JavaScript error may be real without being the actual blocker.
If Beaver Builder is failing to open or a WordPress page is caught in unexpected redirects, contact Freshy. Our WordPress team can isolate the routing or plugin issue and restore editing without relying on unnecessary rollbacks.
