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If you’re a web developer, then you must have come across the warning message “Warning: session_start(): cannot send session cache limiter – headers already sent”. This error usually occurs when you have outputted some content before calling the session_start() function. In this blog post, we’ll discuss what this error means and how to fix it.

Understanding the error message: Warning: session_start(): cannot send session cache limiter – headers already sent

Before we dive into the solution, let’s first understand what this error message means. When you call the session_start() function in PHP, it sends a header to the browser indicating that a session is being started. However, headers can only be sent before any output is generated. If there is any output generated before the session_start() function call, PHP will throw the “Warning: session_start(): cannot send session cache limiter – headers already sent” error message.

Ways to fix Warning: session_start(): cannot send session cache limiter – headers already sent

To fix this error, you need to make sure that no output is generated before calling the session_start() function. Here are a few things you can try:

Move the session_start() function to the top of your script

The easiest solution to this problem is to move the session_start() function to the top of your script. This ensures that no output is generated before the session is started.

<?php
session_start();
// Rest of the code
?>

Remove any whitespace before the session_start() function

If you have any whitespace or blank lines before the session_start() function call, it will cause the headers to be sent prematurely. To fix this, remove any whitespace before the session_start() function call.

<?php
// Remove any whitespace before session_start
session_start();
// Rest of the code
?>

Modify the encoding

This method will suggest you to alter the encoding of the document from UTF-8 to ANSI. You are also able to use UTF-8 encoding without byte oder mark. In order to do that, you just need make sure that you don’t utilize notepad.exe to modify or save the files.

Final thoughts

The “Warning: session_start(): cannot send session cache limiter – headers already sent” error message can be frustrating to deal with, but it’s easy to fix once you understand what’s causing it. You need to make sure that no output is generated before calling the session_start() function. You can achieve this by moving the session_start() function to the top of your script, removing any whitespace before the function call, or using output buffering.

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AgeThemes Digital Team

We’re Digital Content Marketing team from AgeThemes Marketplace. We provide quality content for everyone who using open source CMS like Joomla and WordPress. If you have any questions or feedback, feel free leave your comment, we happy to assist you asap.