If you’re seeing this message on your site:

Notice: Function _load_textdomain_just_in_time was called incorrectly.

Notice: Function _load_textdomain_just_in_time was called incorrectly.

Don’t worry — it’s not dangerous, but it’s a warning about how some plugins or themes load translation files. Here’s how you can fix or safely ignore it.

Step-by-Step Guide for Website Owners

1. Quick / Temporary Fix

If the warning isn’t affecting your site but you don’t want to see it, you can hide it temporarily.

Edit your wp-config.php file and add:

define( 'WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_LOG', false );

If these lines already exist and are set to true, change them to false.

For example, change this:

define( 'WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', true );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_LOG', true );

To this:

define( 'WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_LOG', false );

Note: This only hides the warning. It doesn’t fix the root cause. Use this if you’re not actively debugging.

2. Update Your Plugins and Themes

Most developers are already fixing this issue in updates.

• Go to Dashboard > Updates
  
• Click “Update All” for themes and plugins
  
• Check your site again — the notice may disappear
  

3. Identify the Plugin or Theme Causing the Warning

When you see this message:

Notice: Function _load_textdomain_just_in_time was called incorrectly. Translation loading for the `your-plugin-textdomain` domain.

Focus on the part inside the backticks — your-plugin-textdomain.

This is the text domain, and it usually matches (or closely relates to) the name of the plugin or theme causing the issue.

What to Do:

• Check plugin folder names in /wp-content/plugins/
  
  • Example: If the text domain is cool-timeline, the plugin folder is likely /cool-timeline/
    
• Google the text domain to find out which plugin or theme it’s related to
  
• Search inside the plugin/theme files (using a file manager or FTP)
  
• Look for this in the code:

load_plugin_textdomain('your-plugin-textdomain');

• That helps confirm who’s loading it incorrectly
  

Why this matters: Once you identify the source, you can update it, disable it, or contact its developer for help.

4. Report It to the Developer

If updates didn’t solve the problem:

• Go to the plugin’s page in the Plugins menu
  
• Click on the “View details” link
  
• Use the support contact or WordPress.org support forum
  
• Let them know you’re seeing this notice in WordPress
  

Example message you can send: _"I’m getting this notice: 'Function load_textdomain_just_in_time was called incorrectly.' Can you confirm if this is already fixed in your plugin for WordPress ?"

Why This Happens?

WordPress made a change that requires plugins and themes to load translation files later in the page load process (during the init step). If they do it too early, you will see this notice.

If You’re a Plugin or Theme Developer

WordPress now requires translation loading functions (like load_plugin_textdomain) to be hooked properly.

Incorrect Usage (Will Trigger Notice)

add_action('plugins_loaded', function() {
    load_plugin_textdomain('your-textdomain', false, '/languages/');
});

Correct Usage

You must delay it to the init hook or later:

add_action('plugins_loaded', function() {
    load_plugin_textdomain('your-textdomain', false, '/languages/');
});

This ensures that translations are loaded after WordPress is fully initialized, which avoids the _load_textdomain_just_in_time warning.

If using get_plugin_data() the Right Way

Calling get_plugin_data() too early (before init) can also cause warnings or unexpected behavior.

Safer Approach:

Disable translation loading:

$plugin_data = get_plugin_data(__FILE__, false, false);

References

• WordPress Developer Docs:
  _load_textdomain_just_in_time() – Developer Reference

• Related WordPress Support Thread:
  Function _load_textdomain_just_in_time was called incorrectly – Support Topic

• X (formerly Twitter) – Satinder Singh: