ACF (Advanced Custom Fields) field groups that stop displaying, save incorrectly, or need migrating to a new structure usually trace back to a changed field key, a location rule no longer matching, or a version difference between how the fields were originally built and the current plugin version’s expectations.
Compare the field group’s location rules against where you’re expecting it to appear
Open the field group’s settings and check its location rules against the specific post type, template, or page it’s supposed to show on. A mismatch here, especially after a template or post type change, is one of the most common and simplest-to-confirm causes.
ACF field group repair & migration
An ACF field group that stopped displaying or saving, traced to the actual mismatch.
- Full backup taken before we start
- If we can’t fix it, you get your money back
- We never ask for your own password
This or something else?
| An ACF field group isn’t displaying, saving correctly, or needs migrating to a new structure | This fix covers it |
| You want field data mapped to schema markup, not the field group itself repaired | Custom field to schema mapping |
| The issue is specifically repeater or relationship fields, not the field group’s basic display | Repeater & relationship field errors, a more targeted version |
| You’ve lost field data entirely, not just a display or saving issue | Custom field data loss recovery, a more urgent, different situation |
What you are seeing
- A field group not appearing on its intended edit screen
- Field values failing to save correctly, or reverting after saving
- Fields displaying but not correctly connected to their expected location or template
- The issue possibly starting after an ACF plugin update or a site migration
Common causes
- Location rules no longer matching the intended post type, template, or page after a structural change
- A field key mismatch following an export/import or a manual field group edit
- An ACF version difference between environments, particularly after a migration
- A theme or template no longer calling the field the way it expects to be displayed
- Two field groups both targeting the same location with overlapping field names, one silently overriding the other’s display
What we do
- Review the field group’s configuration and location rules
- Identify the specific mismatch or version-related cause
- Correct the field group configuration or migrate it to match the current structure
- Verify field values display and save correctly after the fix
- Test across a representative sample of affected content
- Confirm no field data was altered or lost during the correction
What is included
- The ACF field group configuration corrected or migrated
- Verified correct display and saving of field values
- Testing across a representative sample of content
- The pre-fix backup, kept for 30 days
Not included
- Recovering field data that was already lost before this fix — a separate, related fix if that’s your actual situation
- Mapping field data to schema markup, a separate, related fix
- Repeater or relationship field-specific issues beyond general field group repair, a separate, more targeted fix if needed
- Ongoing maintenance as ACF or your site’s structure changes further
Questions about this fix
Why would a field group stop appearing after a plugin update?
ACF occasionally changes internal behaviour between versions, and a field group's location rules or configuration built against an older version's expectations can stop matching correctly, requiring the update we're describing here.
Could I lose data if a field key mismatch isn't caught?
Potentially, since a mismatched key means the field displays as empty even if the actual data still exists in the database under the old key — part of what we check for is whether data still exists under a different key before assuming it's genuinely lost.
Is this the same as recovering lost field data?
Related, but distinct — this fix addresses a field group that's misconfigured or mismatched, which can sometimes look like data loss when the data is actually still present but not correctly connected; genuine data loss recovery is a separate, more involved fix.
What does 'migration' mean in the context of this fix?
It refers to updating a field group's structure or configuration to match a new environment or ACF version, distinct from a full site migration — the field group itself is what's being adapted here, not necessarily your whole site.
Will this affect the actual data already saved in these fields?
We verify no field data is altered or lost during the correction, since the goal is fixing the configuration issue, not changing what's actually been saved.
Related fixes
If this is the second time this year
A bad update breaking the site is a symptom of updates not being tested first. Care plans run every update on a staging clone before it reaches your live site, which is the actual fix for this happening again.
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Create a separate admin account for us and delete it when we are done. For anything else, we get in touch and agree a method — never a form field on this site, never by reply to an email.
We back up first, always
Before anything is touched we take a full backup and keep it for 30 days. If a fix goes wrong, we put the site back exactly as it was.
If it is not what you bought
If the problem turns out smaller than what you ordered, we refund the difference. If it is bigger, we stop and send a quote before doing any extra work.
If we cannot fix it
You get back what we received. Diagnosis is on us — you only pay when the problem is actually solved. The payment processor takes its fee before the money reaches us, so we never hold it and it is not ours to return. That is true here as everywhere else.
If it comes back
Reply within seven days of delivery and we put it back on the bench at no cost. The fix is not finished until it holds.
What we are responsible for
If something goes wrong with a fix, our responsibility is limited to what you paid for it. We take a full backup first so mistakes can be undone, and we tell you before doing anything outside what you bought.