When Search engine friendly(SEF) URLs are enabled, Joomla relies on mod_rewrite (Apache) or equivalent rewrite handling. If rewriting is not working, Joomla loads the page but cannot resolve relative paths to CSS and JavaScript files, resulting in an unstyled page.
Issue
When Search Engine Friendly URLs are enabled in Joomla, the pages lose their formatting and CSS styles.
Solution
In the Joomla Administrator:
- Go to System → Global Configuration
- Select the Site tab
- Set:
- Search Engine Friendly URLs → Yes
- Use URL Rewriting → Yes
- Save changes
This is most likely caused by an incomplete mod_rewrite configuration.
Follow the steps detailed in the following Joomla article. Take particular note of the requirement to rename htaccess.txt to .htaccess in your /httpdocs directory.
Check the .htaccess RewriteBase
If Joomla is installed in a subdirectory, update the RewriteBase line. Substitute subdirectory for the directory you are using.
RewriteBase /subdirectory/
Clear Joomla Cache
In Administrator:
- Go to System → Clear Cache
- Clear all cached items
Get in touch
For any additional help, give us a call on 0800 477 333 (8AM to 10PM, 7 days a week).