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errorWordfence•locksslcodecURLdnsDNSsecurityfirewall•labelCommon•warningModerate

Wordfence license activation failed: Unable to reach Wordfence servers

The plugin attempts to contact the Wordfence API to validate the license key. The request fails because the server cannot complete the outbound HTTPS call. Common reasons include blocked firewall rules, missing PHP cURL extension, DNS lookup failure, or SSL verification problems.

When the request aborts, Wordfence shows an error and disables the license field. The issue does not affect core WordPress functionality, but it stops security features that rely on a valid license.

Symptoms

[dashicons-warning]
Red error banner
Displays “Wordfence license activation failed: Unable to reach Wordfence servers.”
[dashicons-admin-site]
License field disabled
License input shows “Connecting…” and cannot be edited.
[dashicons-admin-network]
500 Internal Server Error
Server returns status 500 when the Activate button is clicked.

Common Causes

Outbound connection blocked
Firewall or Cloudflare proxy prevents requests to api.wordfence.com.
Missing PHP cURL extension
Wordfence relies on cURL; without it the request never leaves the site.
DNS resolution failure
Server cannot resolve Wordfence endpoint hostnames.
SSL/TLS verification error
Outdated CA bundle or OpenSSL mis‑configuration aborts the HTTPS call.
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