xml-sitemaps not working properly

Double check your root directory via FTP or file manager to see if there is, in fact, a file there.

Clear caching or CDN pull/refresh, as needed.

Check again.

I don’t work here, but that is most common issue with that error.

Thanks for the response.
Checked & double checked. Unfortunately, there is no file ‘sitemap.xml’ in any folder.

Check your robots.txt is not pointing at a file not there.

Check you don’t have any other plugin running for XML sitemaps.

Try clearing transients with wp-optimize

Make sure you properly installed plugin by deleting OLD plugin folder and uploading new one; NOT over-writing old one.

Since you’re not using caching plugin or CDN, you’ll have to try one or more of the above. Caching would be an issue as there would be a “cached” version of the old sitemap file, which Yoast might be seeing. Or, it could be something else.

Often clearing transients, and turning off plugin, then turning it back on, going to the XML sitemap option and change 1000 to 999 then hit “save” can also reset that.

Hmm…. just updated couple of sites to latest version of Yoast SEO, and ran into the same error.

In one case, there *was* a leftover google-sitemaps.xml file which had been there since Jan 2015. So, removed it, then still getting error in Yoast console:

The following file(s) is/are blocking your XML sitemaps from working properly:
/var/www/vhosts/MYSITEHERE.com/httpdocs/google-news-sitemap.xml
Either delete them (this can be done with the "Fix it" button) or disable Yoast SEO XML sitemaps.

However, when I actuallly go test the sitemaps, they do work.

Further, another site which still had the old competing plugin installed, disabled, and did *not* have that file also throwing the red ‘error’ box which cannot be ‘fix it’ fixed, nor is there actually a file there.

Odd. We have no caching plugins being used. Transients cleared. Latest version of WP.