What could be causing my CMS collections to disappear in Webflow and how can I resolve it?
TL;DR
- Ensure your hosting plan supports CMS, verify you're in the correct project, and check user permissions for full access.
- Restore from backups if Collections were deleted, confirm CMS bindings and visibility settings, and republish the site; contact Webflow support if issues persist.
If your CMS Collections are disappearing in Webflow, it’s typically due to either publishing issues, accidental deletions, or plan limitations. Here’s how to identify and resolve the cause.
1. Check the Hosting Plan Limits
- Free and Basic plans do not support CMS Collections. If you downgraded your site, the CMS features may appear to be removed.
- Upgrade to CMS or Business hosting to restore and use Collections.
2. Verify You’re in the Correct Project
- Sometimes users create multiple similar projects. Double-check you’re viewing the right project from the Webflow dashboard.
- Ensure the missing CMS content wasn’t created or stored in another project.
3. Review Deleted Collections in Backups
- CMS Collections that are manually deleted are not sent to an archive—they are immediately removed.
- Go to Project Settings > Backups to restore a version of the project from before the Collections were deleted.
- Keep in mind: restoring deletes progress made since that backup.
4. Check User Permissions (Webflow Workspace)
- In team or Workspace environments with multiple collaborators, some users may have limited access.
- Ensure you're logged in as an admin or a collaborator with full CMS access to view and manage Collections.
5. Confirm CMS Bindings on Published Site
- If Collections appear in the Designer but not on the live site, it may be due to:
- Missing CMS bindings on Collection Lists.
- Pages not being republished after CMS updates.
- Rebind CMS data in the Designer and publish the site again to restore visibility.
6. Inspect Conditional Visibility Rules
- Collection Lists may be hidden** based on visibility conditions**.
- Select the element and check the Element Settings Panel on the right to see if conditional visibility is filtering your items out.
7. Contact Webflow Support
- If all else fails and your Collections are still missing, contact Webflow support directly through the Webflow dashboard.
- Be ready to provide project name and recent changes made before the Collections vanished.
Summary
Your missing CMS Collections may be due to plan limitations, accidental deletion, project confusion, or access/visibility issues. Check your hosting plan, restore from backups, verify bindings and visibility controls, and contact Webflow support if needed.