Troubleshooting "No items found" errors with Webflow collections

Have you ever carefully set up a Webflow collection, successfully imported your data, previewed everything looking perfect - only to find a frustrating "No items found" message on your live site? This issue can stem from multiple causes, leaving you wondering what went wrong.

This guide will walk you through the most common reasons your collection items aren't displaying and how to fix them.

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1. Publishing snafus

Sometimes, the simplest fix is the right one. Webflow’s publishing process can occasionally hiccup, so try republishing your site. Make sure to select “Republish entire site” to ensure all changes go live.

2. Collection page settings

Double-check the settings of your collection page:

• Ensure the correct collection is selected as the data source.
• Review any filters and sorting settings - an overly restrictive filter might be hiding all your items unintentionally.

3. Hidden elements

Within your collection list wrapper, make sure the elements responsible for displaying content (such as divs, images, or text blocks) are not set to “hidden.” This can sometimes happen accidentally during the design process and persist even after publishing.

4. No CMS items available

It might sound obvious, but double-check that there are actually published CMS items to display. In Webflow, CMS items can exist in different states:

• Published – visible on the live site
• Draft – not visible until published
• Archived – completely hidden

Go to your CMS and ensure that at least one item is in the Published state. If all items are in Draft or Archived, they won’t appear in collection lists.

5. Webflow’s "draft changes" behavior

Webflow recently introduced a change where any edit to a published CMS item will automatically mark it as having “draft changes.” When this happens:

• The item disappears from all collection lists.
• The CMS collection page remains visible, but in its pre-edit state.

Fix:

Go into each affected item in the Webflow CMS and click “Publish now” to make it live again.

6. Dynamic content issues

Ensure that dynamic bindings within your collection items are correctly linked to the corresponding fields. A broken or missing binding can result in empty or missing content, potentially leading to a "No items found" message.

7. Corrupted collection

In rare cases, the Webflow collection itself may be corrupted. To check:

• Duplicate the collection in the Webflow CMS.
• Bind the duplicated collection to your collection list on the page (unbinding the original one).
• Publish the site and check if the items now appear.

If the duplicated collection works, the original may be corrupted, and you might need to rebuild it from scratch.

By systematically checking these points, you should be able to pinpoint the cause of your "No items found" error and get your Webflow collection displaying properly. If the issue persists, consider reaching out to Webflow support or the Webflow community for additional assistance.