Slug Is Already Taken

Pretty Links reserves certain slugs and cleans the ones you enter. A “slug is already taken” message has three possible causes: the slug duplicates another link, matches a reserved pattern, or collides with existing site content.

Pretty Links blocks WordPress core paths such as wp-admin and wp-json automatically. Your site can add its own reserved patterns under Dashboard > Pretty Links > Options > Links. When you save a link, Pretty Links also cleans the slug, removing invalid characters and rejecting a leading slash.

1. First, visit the URL with the slug you want and see whether anything obvious exists there. If so, change that item’s slug before using it in Pretty Links.
2. If nothing shows up, you most likely have a Media Attachment or a Menu Item (Dashboard > Appearance > Menus) that reserves the slug. Search and double-check those two sources for conflicts.
3. As a last option, use a plugin like Adminer or your web host’s phpMyAdmin tool to search your wp_posts table for anything with a post_name equal to the slug you want.

    SELECT * FROM wp_posts WHERE post_name LIKE '%slug-here%';

4. If you can’t find the conflict, submit a support request and we’ll do our best to help. Providing admin access to your site in the ticket is recommended.