Jump to HeaderJump to Main ContentJump to Footer
Michigan State University
Michigan State University
Digital Experience Studio

University Communications and Marketing

Digital Experience Studio

  • Experience Program
    • Website Project Process
    • Working with a Vendor
    • Glossary
    • Taxonomy Data Dictionary
  • |
  • Experience Design
    • Website Strategy
    • Website Structure
    • Information Architecture and Navigation
    • User-Centered Design Conventions
    • Common UX Issues
    • Enterprise Design System
    • Content Planning
    • Creating Accessible Content
    • Taxonomy and Filters
  • |
  • Website Technology
    • Web Standards
    • Search Engine Optimization
    • Cascade CMS
    • Sitecore CMS
    • Content Hub Overview
    • Content Hub DAM
    • Content Hub Operations

    SitecoreAI

    Sitecore user login
  • |
  • Social Media
    • Alt Text Bookmarklet
    • Meta Ad Pixel
    • Social Media and Web Integration
    • Sprinklr

    Sprinklr

    Sprinklr user login
  • |
  • Analytics
    • Google Analytics (GA4)
    • Testing
    • Data Visualization

    Google Analytics

    Google Analytics user login
  • |
  • News and Events
    • News and Updates
    • Events and Trainings
Digital Experience Studio

University Communications and Marketing

  • Experience Program
  • Experience Design
  • Website Technology
  • Social Media
  • Analytics
  • News and Events

< Experience Program

  • Website Project Process
  • Working with a Vendor
  • Glossary
  • Taxonomy Data Dictionary

< Experience Design

  • Website Strategy
  • Website Structure
  • Information Architecture and Navigation
  • User-Centered Design Conventions
  • Common UX Issues
  • Enterprise Design System
  • Content Planning
  • Creating Accessible Content
  • Taxonomy and Filters

< Website Technology

  • Web Standards
  • Search Engine Optimization
  • Cascade CMS
  • Sitecore CMS
  • Content Hub Overview
  • Content Hub DAM
  • Content Hub Operations

SitecoreAI

Sitecore user login

< Social Media

  • Alt Text Bookmarklet
  • Meta Ad Pixel
  • Social Media and Web Integration
  • Sprinklr

Sprinklr

Sprinklr user login

< Analytics

  • Google Analytics (GA4)
  • Testing
  • Data Visualization

Google Analytics

Google Analytics user login

< News and Events

  • News and Updates
  • Events and Trainings
Digital Experience Studio > Website Technology > Sitecore CMS > Sitecore User Guide >

Troubleshooting

MSU Tools and Resources

  • A to Z Index
  • Find People
  • Email
  • Tech Support
  • Social Media Directory

Communications Resources

  • University Communications and Marketing
  • University Trademarks and Licensing
  • MSU Brand Studio
  • MSU Editorial Style Guide
  • MSU Photos

Contact us

517-355-7505

Address

Michigan State University 408 West Circle Drive East Lansing, MI 48824

Follow Us

  • Visit our Facebook page
  • Visit our page on X
  • Visit our Instagram page
  • Visit our LinkedIn page
  • Visit our YouTube page
  • Visit our TikTok page

If you're having accessibility issues, please let us know.

Know MoreTransparency Reporting: Budget & Salary/Compensation
  • Contact Information|
  • Site Map|
  • Privacy Statement|
  • Site Accessibility|
  • Call MSU: (517) 355-1855|
  • Visit: msu.edu|
  • Notice of Nondiscrimination|

SPARTANS WILL|© Michigan State University|

Troubleshooting

Reference Resources

Sitecore User Guide

View general documentation for using SitecoreAI, authoring content, working with links, files and images.

View guide

Sitecore Component Guide

Best practices and directions for using specific SitecoreAI components and features.

Review components

Common Issues

A user is unable to access or make any changes to a website in Content Editor or Page Builder. 

The Sitecore user account creation process includes multiple steps: UCAM invites the user to the Sitecore platform for the specific Sitecore environment (e.g., Green Prod or White Prod). The user activates their account by logging in to the environment and opening Page Builder. UCAM then assigns site-level permissions. When a user sees a list of sites that are not specific to their unit (view only, no editing possible) and is not able to make any changes to any websites, this means that the site-level assignments have not been completed. 

To resolve this issue, email Comms.WebSupport@msu.edu and note which website you need access to manage. 

Note: User access is not granted to a website without preapproval of the website’s primary contact. When UCAM receives a request to access a website they may need to reach out to the website contact to get this approval before access is granted.

Report an Issue

If the above documentation and troubleshooting tips do not resolve your issue, please email details to Comms.WebSupport@msu.edu to generate a support ticket. A member of the UCAM platforms group will investigate and may reach out for additional information. 

 

Documentation updated: May 29, 2026

Is there an issue with this documentation? Report it here.

Changes published to a page are not appearing on the website.

The Sitecore publishing process has two stages. First, the content is published by a user in Sitecore. This pushes the content live in the system. Once that is complete, the content is published to the cloud-based servers (i.e., Netlify) where users access and view the site. Depending on how many users are publishing at any given moment and how many changes were made, there can be a slight delay in revised content appearing on the live website. 

UCAM recommends users allow the system at least five minutes and then refresh their browser to view changes. Allow up to twenty minutes for listing page. Users may find that refreshing their browser multiple times will help clear the caching and make the changes appear. Users could also check in a private browser window. If a substantial amount of time has passed (i.e., an hour or more) and the changes have still not appeared, email Comms.WebSupport@msu.edu and provide details of what changes are expected to be seen, which Sitecore environment (e.g., Green or White prod), the website and page, and ask that the publishing queues be checked for a jam. 


A page or content item is locked by another user.

Users can lock content items, preventing other users from making changes. This is a good tactic to protect pages or components from being edited without permission. Sometimes there may be a time when something is locked by one user and another user needs it unlocked.

To resolve this issue, look at the user ID of the individual who locked the item. This is visible on the page in Content Editor.

  • If the item was locked by someone in the unit (or another unit that shares access and responsibility for the website), contact that person directly and ask them to unlock it. This is the quickest means of resolution. To unlock the item, the user should navigate to the page in Content Editor, click the Review tab and click Check In.
  • If the item was locked by someone no longer employed by the unit or the university, email Comms.WebSupport@msu.edu to explain the situation and ask for assistance in unlocking the item.
  • If the item appears to have been locked by someone in MSU IT or University Communications and Marketing, this may have occurred during a website migration process. Email Comms.WebSupport@msu.edu to explain the situation and ask for assistance in unlocking the item.
A user does not have required permission (to upload images, etc.).

Permissions to take specific actions are controlled by site-level role assignments. A user may receive an error message indicating they do not have permission to take a desired action, such as uploading an image to Media Library, if their role assignment does not provide the necessary access for the website in question. 

To resolve this issue, email Comms.WebSupport@msu.edu to generate a help ticket. Include details about what action was attempted, the page and website it was attempted on, and screenshots or details of the error message received. 


The Page Builder canvas displays “Unauthorized” or a “frowning page” icon, and content will not load in the canvas.
Screenshot showing an
Figure 1: A screenshot of an error message. Any page clicked in the Content Tree on the left results in an “Unauthorized” error on the canvas.
Screenshot showing a page crash icon
Figure 2: A screenshot showing a frowning page icon. Any page clicked in the Content Tree on the left results in the same error on the canvas.


To resolve this issue, clear cookies for your browser for this website, then refresh the browser and log in to Sitecore. This typically resolves the issue. If the issue persists after taking these actions, email Comms.WebSupport@msu.edu to generate a ticket regarding the issue.

Tip: When using Firefox or Chrome, click the icon next to the browser bar to reveal an option to clear cookies and site data only for this website. This should retain other cookies. 

XMC-Troubleshooting-Fig3
Figure 3: Some browsers, including Firefox, allow you to remove site-specific cookies.