Page-Builder Codes Like [et_pb_section] Showing as Text
Your pages show raw codes like [et_pb_section], [et_pb_row], and [et_pb_text] instead of your normal design. Your content is not lost — the builder that assembles it just isn't running.
Common signs of this issue
- Your pages display raw text like [et_pb_section admin_label="section"] instead of your normal layout.
- Strings such as [et_pb_row], [et_pb_column type="4_4"], or [et_pb_text admin_label="Text"] are scattered through the page.
- Your real words are all still there, but unstyled, with codes in square brackets wrapped around them.
- It started suddenly after an update, a theme change, an expired license, or moving the site to new hosting.
- Other bracketed codes (from sliders, galleries, or forms) can show the same way — same disease, different plugin.
Safe checks you can do yourself
None of these require sharing passwords with anyone.
- Don't panic — your content is almost certainly not lost. The text between the codes is your real content; it just isn't being assembled into the layout right now.
- Check whether the page builder that created these pages is still installed and active. Codes starting with et_pb_ come from one specific visual builder (Divi, by Elegant Themes — as its theme or its Builder plugin); they only print as raw text when that builder is off, missing, or broken.
- In the WordPress admin, open Plugins and Appearance → Themes: is the builder plugin deactivated? Was the theme switched to something else? A theme switch away from a builder-theme is the single most common trigger.
- Look at what changed just before it started: a deactivated or failed plugin update, a switched theme, a lapsed license blocking updates, or a site migration are the usual suspects.
- If you recently moved or copied the site, confirm the same builder (and its license) is installed and activated on the new server — content copied without its builder shows the codes.
- If the builder appears active but codes still show, its last update may have failed partially — reinstalling the same builder cleanly (after a backup) usually repairs it.
- Take a backup before changing anything, so reactivating or reinstalling can't make anything worse.
What this usually means
Those square-bracket codes are shortcodes — instructions a page builder normally converts into your finished design in the background, invisibly. When the builder isn't active, WordPress has nothing to convert them with, so it prints them literally. It usually looks something like this:
[et_pb_section admin_label="section"]
[et_pb_row admin_label="row"]
[et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text admin_label="Text"]
… your real content …
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]
The fix is almost always to get that exact builder running again: reactivate or cleanly reinstall the plugin or theme it belongs to, renew its license if that lapsed, and the codes turn back into your pages instantly — nothing needs rebuilding.
The longer-term lesson is about lock-in: builder-made pages are readable only by their builder. That's fine while it runs, but it makes the builder a permanent dependency — worth knowing before ever switching themes or 'cleaning up' plugins, and a good reason updates to it deserve a staging test.
What not to do
- Don't delete the bracketed codes by hand — they ARE your page structure; stripping them destroys the layout permanently, and hand-stripped pages can't be reassembled by the builder later.
- Don't switch to a different theme or install a rival builder hoping it will read them — each builder only understands its own shortcodes.
- Don't rebuild pages from scratch before simply trying to reactivate the original builder — the two-minute fix beats the two-week one.
- Don't run content 'shortcode cleaner' tools on the database — they bulk-destroy exactly what needs preserving.
- Don't let the builder's license stay lapsed once fixed — no license usually means no updates, and unpatched builders are a common security hole.
When to get help
If reactivating or reinstalling the builder doesn't bring pages back — or you can't tell which plugin or theme created the codes — get help before editing anything: a specialist can identify the builder from the shortcodes, restore it safely, and confirm the layouts return, typically in a short session. It's also the right moment to set up backups and a staging copy, so the next update can't spring this on a live site again.
Not sure what to do next?
Answer a few short questions and we'll point you to the safest next step — DIY, a freelancer, or a direct review. No passwords required.
Is this a business website? If this issue may be costing you leads, sales, or trust, you may want a direct review instead of trial and error.
Frequently asked questions
Did I lose all my content?
Almost certainly not. The text between the codes IS your content, stored safely in the database. It just isn't being arranged into the design because the builder that assembles it isn't active. Reactivate the builder and the pages return whole.
Can I just delete the codes?
Please don't — they define your page structure, and hand-deleting them destroys layouts permanently while also making the pages unreadable to the builder later. Reactivating the builder is the safe fix; deletion is the one move that turns a reversible problem into a real loss.
Which builder do et_pb_ codes come from?
The Divi builder by Elegant Themes — used either as the Divi theme or the standalone Divi Builder plugin. Other builders and plugins have their own bracket codes; whatever prefix you see, the cure is the same: reactivate the software that owns it.
Why did this happen out of nowhere?
Something turned the builder off: a plugin deactivation or failed update, a theme switch, an expired license blocking things, or a migration to a server where the builder was never installed. The what-changed-just-before question almost always finds it.
Can I ever leave this page builder without losing my pages?
Yes, but it's a project, not a toggle: content must be deliberately rebuilt or migrated into the new system, page by page or with migration tooling. Never just switch the builder off and hope — that's exactly the raw-codes state you're in now.