check_circleWP Rockethourglass_bottomTimeouterrorcURL error 28schedulecronstylecritical-csssettingsserver_configurationlabelCommonwarningModerate

Used CSS generation timed out

Used CSS generation timed out occurs when WP Rocket fails to retrieve critical CSS from its service. The request stops because the server cannot reach the WP Rocket endpoint or the process exceeds the allowed time. Common triggers include blocked outbound connections, security plugin blocks, cron failures, server overload, license issues, or local environment settings.

When the request stops the plugin does not inject critical CSS. Pages load without inline styles for above‑the‑fold content. Metrics show missing critical CSS and render‑blocking resources.

Symptoms

[dashicons-warning]
Error notice in admin
WP Rocket shows "Error generating Used CSS" or "Used CSS generation timed out"
[dashicons-admin-appearance]
Unstyled above‑the‑fold content
Content appears without styles until full CSS loads
[dashicons-chart-line]
Performance metrics miss critical CSS
PageSpeed or GTmetrix reports render‑blocking CSS
[dashicons-admin-tools]
Clear Used CSS button does nothing
Regeneration attempts fail repeatedly

Common Causes

Outbound connection blocked
Firewall or CDN blocks WP Rocket IPs
Security plugin interference
ModSecurity, Wordfence, Sucuri flag the request
Cron or Action Scheduler failure
WP‑Cron disabled or queue stuck prevents job execution
Server overload
CPU, RAM, or I/O spikes cause timeout
Invalid license or local environment
Missing license or WP_ENVIRONMENT_TYPE set to local disables feature
Need this fixed right now?

Don't waste your day debugging. Our experts can Fix your issues in under 2 hours.*

Success Rate

100% Guaranteed

Starting from

$35 /hour
99+

Trusted by Business Owners

“I spent 3 days trying to fix the Elementor loading loop. These guys fixed it in 20 minutes. Lifesavers!”

— Sarah J., Web Designer

Related Issues

contact_mail
Contact Form 7: REST API request failed: 503 Service Unavailable
A 503 Service Unavailable response stops Contact Form 7 from sending data...
apiREST APIerror503descriptioncontact-form-7
contact_mail
Contact Form 7: REST API request failed: 429 Too Many Requests

The form tries to send data through the WordPress REST API. The...

apiREST APIerrorerrorsecurityfirewalldescriptioncontact-form-7settingsserver_configuration
contact_mail
Contact Form 7: REST API request failed: 401 Unauthorized

The form tries to send data via the WordPress REST API. The...

apiREST APIadmin_panel_settingspermissionsdescriptioncontact-form-7lock401
contact_mail
Contact Form 7: File upload error: temporary directory missing

The error appears when Contact Form 7 cannot locate a writable temporary...

codePHPcloud_offupload erroradmin_panel_settingspermissionsdescriptiontemporary filedescriptioncontact-form-7
contact_mail
Contact Form 7: Mail (2) sending failed: PHP mail() function disabled

Contact Form 7 reports a failure for Mail (2) when the PHP...

codePHPerrorerrordescriptioncontact-form-7mailMailsettingsserver_configuration
contact_mail
Contact Form 7: Mail (2) sending failed: SSL certificate verification failed

Contact Form 7 reports a failure when trying to send the secondary...

errorerrorlocksslcodecURLdescriptioncontact-form-7