Update of H5P WordPress Plugin to 1.17: Cannot update content type or content broken after update

Submitted by otacke on Thu, 02/26/2026 - 16:28
otacke's picture
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Installation and server related problems

H5P Group released version 1.17.1 of the H5P plugin for WordPress today. It will give you the new visual appearance (except for the ability to change it easily).

I'd wait for version 1.17.2 though if I were you.

Version 1.17.0 didn't load stylesheets and fonts and was quickly replaced by version 1.17.1. The latter is the latest version as of writing these lines, but it causes issues when updating or installing content types.

If you already installed 1.17.0 or 1.17.1 and updated or installed content types, you probably ran into trouble already - and that may be why you are here. Here's your fix:

  1. Go to /wp-content/uploads/h5p/libraries on your server
  2. Find folder names ending in -x.y.z (some semantic version number like 1.2.3)
  3. Rename them and remove the trailing .z (the patch version) - if there is an old folder that bears that name already, remove that old folders first before renaming the other.

If you want to update/install a content type and receive a message like "Invalid data provided for path in ...", then try again later - that's an issue on H5P Group's content type hub server. They need to resolve it there. But feel free to let them know, they may not have noticed yet.

BV52's picture

BV52

Thu, 02/26/2026 - 17:10

Thank you for this Oliver! 

otacke's picture

otacke

Thu, 02/26/2026 - 17:51

Addendum: If you already updated the cache or tried to view content, you may also need to delete files in /wp-content/uploads/h5p/cachedassets that seem to have been created after you installed the plugin update.

HarmonicaGoldfish

Fri, 02/27/2026 - 14:50

I have over 50 folders with different iterations of .x.y.z suffixes. I need to rename them all? 

This plugin was working beautifully for years and today, right before I go on a break, it stopped working after the update. I thought it might be because of the update not playing nicely with content I made years ago. So I deleted the app and reinstalled it, figuring I would reupload the content. But it says content successfully uploaded and then keeps spinning and I am not able to create or save anything. 

Sigh.

otacke's picture

otacke

Fri, 02/27/2026 - 16:15

Sorry to hear that you ran into trouble.

Yes, the folders will need to be renamed unless H5P Group decides to change the implementation of the plugin (migrating to folder names with patch versions). That I don't know about, I am neither affiliated with nor endorsed by H5P Group.

And yes, with the current bug in the plugin, you may run intro trouble with uploading content.

Best,
Oliver

otacke's picture

otacke

Fri, 02/27/2026 - 16:41

Another addendum:

Since H5P Group still has not released a fix ... :-/ If the damage is already done, now uploading content etc. fails "unabletocopy", you may want to patch the plugin.

  1. Ensure you have a backup /!\
  2. Locate /wp-content/plugins/h5p/h5p-php-library/h5p-default-storage.class.php
  3. Find line 42 which should read $library['patchVersionInFolderName'] = true;
  4. Change true to false.
  5. Save the file.

That should fix the issue with creating wrong folder names. You will still need to fix folder names as stated earlier in the thread though.

Sprechen-24

Tue, 03/03/2026 - 14:44

Unfortunately, the update to version 1.17.2 appears to be a failure on our end. The plugin remains stuck in an update loop, and WordPress continues to indicate inconsistencies with the installed version.

In addition, version 1.17.2 seems to introduce even more issues than the previous releases:

  • Errors while updating content types:

    • Invalid data provided for path in H5P.JoubelUI-1.3

    • Invalid data provided for path in H5P.Question-1.5

  • Preview images disappear after the update ( Examples: Course Presentation, Collage).

  • Content type updates fails (Drag and Drop, Find the Hotspot).

It currently feels as if each new update causes more damage than the previous one, which is quite concerning for production environments.

We also noticed that the changelog contains entries such as “Fix annoying …”. This kind of wording does not appear professional for a public-facing changelog and may reduce confidence in the stability of the release. This feels really disappointing even for an open-source code.

Thank you in advance for your attention to this matter.

otacke's picture

otacke

Wed, 03/04/2026 - 20:03

Hi!

The "Invalid data provided for path" messages hint to an issue that has nothing to do with the WordPress plugin, but just with library archives provided on the H5P Content Type Hub Server. If your post was intended to be more than a complaint, then it would have been nice if you had listed the respective content types. They seem to be

  • Drag the Words and
  • Essay

only.

At least to me it would not be clear what you mean by preview images - and I cannot detect any trouble with Course Presentation or Collage. Maybe you could make your report a little more concise?

The same might help for issues that you mention with content upgrades. Had no troubles of that sort.

And about the changelog: What do you think is unprofessional about mentioning that deprecation messages are "annoying" to administrators? These messages merely tell admins (who for whatever reason are running their server in reporting mode) that the software is still using functions which will not be available in a later version of PHP and would then fail. And that annoys them (but does not impact the software in any way).

Cheers,
Oliver (not affiliated with or endorsed by H5P Group)

marbaque

Wed, 03/04/2026 - 23:34

The problem I have is I newly installed libraries don't work. I can use the content types that use previously installed libraries, but creating contents with newly installed libraries fails in a loop.

otacke's picture

otacke

Thu, 03/05/2026 - 08:29

Would you mind giving a more elaborate problem report (cmp. https://snordian.de/2024/02/17/how-can-i-craft-an-effective-bug-report-f...)

marbaque

Thu, 03/05/2026 - 17:07

  • I am using the latest versions of WP (6.9.1) and H5P (1.17.2)
  • Multisite
  • Brave Browser on MacOS Sequoia
  • PHP 8.3.19 (Admite valores de 64 bits)

I was trying to use a new content type (any content type thats not being installed before). I install the libraries throught the Hub as usual, but when I try to use the newlly installed content type, the site enteres a loop and does nothing. I tried with different content types and the same happens.

If the content type libraries were previously installed, I can use it with no problem. So I think it has to do with installing new libraries that is not working.

otacke's picture

otacke

Thu, 03/05/2026 - 17:52

As the guide on reporting bugs highlights: Knowing about errors shown in the browser's development console and the PHP error log are key for im estigating the cause.

Also: Have you tried to check/fix things as described at the very top of this thread? 

nlahm

Thu, 03/05/2026 - 11:04

I installed version 1.17.2 on two Wordpress sites: one site with an update, the other with a new installation. The connection to the Hub works with the update but not with the new installation. In the databases, I found a difference: in the wp_options table of the update, there is a line 'h5p_h5p_site_uuid' that does not exist in the new installation. I created this line in the database of the new installation and copied the value from the updated database and it works now.

otacke's picture

otacke

Thu, 03/05/2026 - 17:44

That is a workaround, but now both sites share the same ID and you will run into trouble as soon as you want to register for the H5P OER Hub. I'd change the new one to another UUID.

The H5P plugin receives that ID as soon as you consent to using the H5P Hub.

otacke's picture

otacke

Thu, 03/05/2026 - 18:40

Thanks for your investigation and report!

Took a look at the code of the WordPress plugin and spotted the problem: The theme change was accompanied with a change on the Hub server. It now gives slightly different responses than before, and the WordPress plugin was not prepared for that. So, e.g. when you set up a new site and request a UUID from the server, the plugin does not accept the response. In consequence, the plugin does not have a UUID which is required to work with the H5P Hub.

I created a fix and informed the developers at H5P Group about it.

nlahm

Fri, 03/06/2026 - 11:47

Thank you for the fix. It's ok for me.

otacke's picture

otacke

Thu, 03/05/2026 - 20:59

Another addendum: Created yet another pull request that H5P Group can use to automatically perform the aforementiond library renaming/cache clearing procedure as part of another update of the WordPress plugin.

otacke's picture

otacke

Fri, 03/06/2026 - 15:34

H5P Group is working on a solution, but potentially, a tiny extra plugin may solve your troubles as well.

kchoi's picture

kchoi

Fri, 03/06/2026 - 15:43

Hi all,

Thanks for flagging these issues.

We are currently working hard on a resolution and appreciate your patience as we investigate further.

Kelly,

H5P Community Manager