The issue you’re facing with a mismatch between the post count and the actual list shown on the Posts page in the admin area when filtered by category can be caused by a few different factors. Let’s explore some possible causes and solutions:
Caching or Plugin Conflict:
Sometimes caching plugins or conflicting plugins can cause issues with post counts and filtering. Try disabling caching plugins temporarily to see if the issue persists. Additionally, deactivate any recently added plugins to see if they might be causing the problem.
Theme or Template Issue:
Custom themes or templates might not handle post-filtering correctly. Temporarily switch to a default WordPress theme (like Twenty Twenty-One) to see if the issue is related to your theme.
Corrupted Term Count Cache:
WordPress uses a term count cache to store the number of posts in a term (like a category). This cache can sometimes become corrupted and lead to incorrect post counts. You can try regenerating the term count cache using a plugin like “WP Optimize” or by using the wp_cache_set function to manually update the term counts.
wp_cache_set( 'last_changed', microtime(), 'terms' );
Database Integrity:
Sometimes database inconsistencies can cause issues. You can try repairing your WordPress database using tools like phpMyAdmin or by using the wp-cli command line tool.
Custom Query Modifications:
If you have custom code that modifies queries on the Posts page, it might affect post counts and filtering. Check for any code in your theme’s functions.php file or custom plugins that could be altering queries.
Plugin or Core Update:
Outdated plugins or WordPress core might lead to unexpected behavior. Make sure your plugins and WordPress installation are up to date.
Debugging:
Enable WordPress debugging by adding the following lines to your wp-config.php file to see if any errors are logged:
define( 'WP_DEBUG', true );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_LOG', true );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false );
This might provide insights into what’s causing the issue.