When Search Console says it could not fetch your sitemap, the file is usually unreachable or invalid: a wrong address, a non-200 response, a robots.txt block, a redirect problem or broken XML. Open the sitemap address in a browser first, then work through the checks below.
Check the address
Make sure the URL is exact, including https, the right host and the right file name. A typo or a version on a different host is a common cause.
Check the response
The sitemap must return a 200 status. Test it with my HTTP header checker. A 404, a 5xx error or a login wall will stop the fetch. If you see a redirect, test the chain with the redirect checker and point the submission at the final address.
Not sure if this is hurting your site?
Get the fixes that matter most, in priority order.
Check robots.txt
If a Disallow rule blocks the sitemap path, Google cannot read it. Test the address in the robots.txt tester and adjust your rules.
Check the file itself
- The XML must be well formed and use the correct namespace.
- The file must be within the size limits in XML sitemap size limits.
- URLs must be on the same site as the sitemap.
Run it through the sitemap validator to catch format errors.
Security plugins and firewalls
Some security or caching setups block bots from certain paths or serve errors to crawlers. Check your firewall and plugin settings if the file loads for you but not for Google.
After you fix it
Resubmit the sitemap in Search Console and wait. The status can take a little while to update, and sometimes clears after a recheck once the file is reachable.
Frequently asked questions
Does a failed sitemap stop my pages being indexed?
Not by itself. Google can still find pages through links, but you lose a helpful discovery signal.
Should I delete the old submission?
If the address was wrong, remove it and submit the correct one.
Next steps
If the error will not clear, contact me here for a technical check. You can also rebuild a clean file with the XML sitemap generator.
More in this series (XML sitemap questions): start with Free XML Sitemap Generator, then explore:
- XML Sitemap Size Limits and When to Use a Sitemap Index
- Which URLs Should Be in Your XML Sitemap (and Which Should Not)
- Sitemap Lastmod, Priority and Changefreq: Which Tags Matter?
- Image, Video and News Sitemaps: When Do You Need Them?
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