Troubleshooting “Something Went Wrong” in WooCommerce PayPal
When setting up a WooCommerce store with PayPal, many users run into an issue during checkout. After clicking “Pay With PayPal”, instead of redirecting to the PayPal environment, the checkout page hangs with two rotating grey icons and shows the error message:
“Something went wrong. Please try again or choose another payment source.”
This problem can be frustrating, especially when you’re testing payments before going live. Let’s look at the most common causes and solutions.
Why This Happens
There are several reasons WooCommerce may fail to connect properly with PayPal during checkout:
- PayPal sandbox vs live mode misconfiguration
- Using live API keys in test mode, or vice versa.
- Incorrect API credentials
- Wrong client ID or secret entered in WooCommerce PayPal settings.
- Caching or plugin conflicts
- Aggressive caching, JavaScript errors, or conflicts with other plugins (like security or optimization plugins).
- Outdated plugin or theme
- Running older versions of WooCommerce, the PayPal extension, or your theme.
- SSL or mixed content issues
- PayPal requires secure HTTPS connections for proper checkout.
How to Fix the Error
Follow these troubleshooting steps to resolve the issue:
1. Double-check PayPal credentials
- Go to WooCommerce → Settings → Payments → PayPal.
- Ensure you’re using Sandbox API credentials for testing.
- Copy and paste both the Client ID and Secret directly from your PayPal Developer account.
2. Switch between sandbox and live modes
- Make sure sandbox mode is enabled while testing.
- If moving to production, disable sandbox and add your live credentials.
3. Clear cache and disable conflicting plugins
- Clear any cache from caching plugins or server-level caching (like Cloudflare).
- Temporarily deactivate other payment or checkout-related plugins to test.
4. Update everything
- Update WooCommerce, the PayPal plugin, and your theme to the latest versions.
- Outdated code is a common cause of PayPal integration failures.
5. Check for JavaScript errors
- Open your browser’s developer console (F12 → Console).
- Look for errors when clicking “Pay With PayPal.”
- This can help identify conflicts with themes or third-party scripts.
6. Confirm HTTPS setup
- Ensure your website has a valid SSL certificate.
- Go to Settings → General and confirm both WordPress Address (URL) and Site Address (URL) use
https://.
Final Thoughts
The “Something went wrong” PayPal error in WooCommerce usually comes down to incorrect API setup or plugin conflicts. By verifying your PayPal credentials, clearing caches, updating plugins, and ensuring HTTPS, you can typically resolve this issue quickly.
If you’re still stuck, Techvila’s WordPress support and maintenance team can help you troubleshoot and configure PayPal checkout properly—so you can focus on running your store, not fixing errors.