Guide
Works in the preview but not after publishing
Updated
In the Lovable preview you see your latest work. On the published site, visitors can see something different, because the published app is a snapshot that only changes when you publish.
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Why it happens
The preview is a private testing space that always runs your latest work, while visitors see the published version, a snapshot that only changes when you publish. Changes you make after publishing stay unpublished until you publish again.
Possible causes
- Your latest changes were never published, so the live site still runs an older snapshot.
- The published app is restricted to an audience, so a visitor without access cannot open it.
- Your workspace blocks publishing while critical security findings are unresolved, so the dialog shows Fix security issues to publish and the newest version never goes live.
Official fix steps
- Click Publish in the top-right corner of the editor, next to Share. (docs.lovable.dev)
- In the dialog, keep or adjust the website address, then click Publish. (docs.lovable.dev)
- Select the visibility row below the website address to open the audience picker and choose who can see the website. Audience edits take effect when you select Publish. (docs.lovable.dev)
- If the dialog shows Fix security issues to publish, click the scan line to open the Security view, where you can review and fix the findings, then publish. (docs.lovable.dev)
- To push later changes, open the same dialog again and click Publish changes. (docs.lovable.dev)
- Test the important flows yourself in the preview, and ask Lovable to test for you in the project chat. (docs.lovable.dev)
You can't see it yourself
You're signed in, your customers aren't. Your own account already has access to the project and the editor, so the preview opens for you. A visitor arrives at the published address with no project access, and sees only what the last publish deployed.
What to do next
App broke after you published it? Our AI agent fixes it in your code, then tests your live app again so you see the result yourself. The first check is free.
Fixed in your code, then tested live. Check my app free
Related: Base44 app not working or broken? Causes and fixes · Lovable publish not working: what is failing, and what a visitor sees when it "published" · Lovable: my changes show in the editor but not on my published site
Sources
VibeFix's free check tries the problem you describe on your live app: tell us what broke, and our AI agent tries it and sends you a screenshot. If you want it fixed, it finds the cause, fixes it in your code and re-checks your live app.
Last checked: 2 November 2026, against the sources listed above.
VibeFix is independent. Lovable, Bolt, Replit, Base44, v0 and Supabase are trademarks of their owners.
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