For me the problem was in .html file missing the

<head><meta charset="UTF-8"></head>

Adding it resolved the issue.

Answer from Jamato on Stack Overflow
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GitHub
github.com › ritwickdey › vscode-live-server › issues › 452
live server not reloading automatically · Issue #452 · ritwickdey/vscode-live-server
April 26, 2019 - You signed in with another tab or window. Reload to refresh your session. You signed out in another tab or window. Reload to refresh your session. You switched accounts on another tab or window. Reload to refresh your session. Dismiss alert · {{ message }} ritwickdey / vscode-live-server Public ·
Author   hillar10n
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GitHub
github.com › ritwickdey › vscode-live-server › issues › 236
Live Server not reloading to display new changes · Issue #236 · ritwickdey/vscode-live-server
November 21, 2018 - Reload to refresh your session. ... [x] Regression (a behavior that used to work and stopped working in a new release) [ ] Bug report <!-- Please search GitHub for a similar issue or PR before submitting --> [ ] Feature request [ ] Documentation issue or request [ ] Other: <!-- Please describe: --> Live Server does not reload changes anymore, It only reloads and still show previous view, I would have to reload manually to get my new changes showing.
Author   BolajiAyodeji
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/webdev › vs code live server not auto-refreshing newly created files
r/webdev on Reddit: VS Code Live Server Not Auto-Refreshing Newly Created Files
March 10, 2025 - For more design-related questions, try /r/web_design. ... 'm facing an issue with VS Code's Live Server extension. It works perfectly with existing files, and even if I duplicate an old file, it auto-refreshes on save. But when I create a new file, it doesn't refresh automatically, and I have to manually reload the browser.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/vscode › vs code live server doesn't load/always refreshing.
r/vscode on Reddit: VS Code Live Server Doesn't Load/Always Refreshing.
January 23, 2025 -

Hello, The Visual Studio Code Live Server extension doesn't work properly for me anymore. When I open a live server on any project, the project opens a tab with the live server port (http://127.0.0.1:5500/) as intended however any project I open will make the tab always stuck on refreshing. This causes many issues such as images/assets not loading all the time, Javascript/typescript not working and also Any changes after I press save on a project won't automatally update to the live server. I attached a video of the problem.

A little more info: The extension used to work for me ~4 months ago and I hadn't used VS code since then as I was working on a different project that didn't need me to use VS Code. The problem still happens no matter what is loaded, the word "Hello" could be the only thing in the body of the html and it would still have the issue. (Also yes I use <meta charset = “UTF-8”>, I saw someone mention it in another thread)

What I've tried:
Reinstalling VS Code and extensions (Same problem)
Trying the Insider Version (Same Problem)
I changed Autosave to AutoDelay
DIsabling every extension except live server and disabling every chrome extension.

Also any other extension similar to Live Server doesnt work such as Five Server, Live Preview etc

If anyone has had this problem, or can help with the issue, or has any question let me know! Thanks!

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Stack Overflow
stackoverflow.com › questions › 76737845 › npm-live-server-doesnt-refresh-the-page
node.js - npm live-server doesn't refresh the page - Stack Overflow
It detects the changes for CSS files (in terminal) but doesn't refresh (in page). vs code - terminal · PS E:\File\004> npx live-server Serving "E:\File\004" at http://127.0.0.1:8080 Ready for changes GET /favicon.ico 404 3.931 ms - 150 CSS change detected E:\File\004\style.css CSS change detected E:\File\004\style.css
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YouTube
youtube.com › watch
live server not updating automatically | 100% fix | Auto refresh without Ctrl + S - YouTube
Having trouble live server not updating automatically is #Live #Server in #VSCode not working? Watch this video for a 100% fix to enable auto refresh without...
Published   April 13, 2024
Find elsewhere
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Stack Overflow
stackoverflow.com › questions › 62789266 › live-server-doesnt-refresh-the-page-in-vscode
html - Live server doesn't refresh the page in vscode - Stack Overflow
July 8, 2020 - It starts successfully but doesn't refresh the page. ... can you share your server link that's open when live-server is started it should be something like this: 127.0.0.1:5000/index.html
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Stack Overflow
stackoverflow.com › questions › 79524264 › live-server-not-refreshing-the-page-unless-i-refresh-manually › 79525287
html - Live server not refreshing the page unless i refresh manually - Stack Overflow
Well i found the reason after experimenting on it for hours it seems that sometimes if the path has any other character than english ones it doesn't work properly ... Find the answer to your question by asking.
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YouTube
youtube.com › julio codes
How to Set Up Live Server and Browser Auto Refresh In Visual Studio Code - YouTube
In this video you will learn to set up a local server environment within Visual Studio Code. You will also learn to configure VS Code to automatically save y...
Published   April 5, 2020
Views   20K
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/vscode › live server issue after update.
r/vscode on Reddit: Live Server issue after update.
February 19, 2021 -

Hello, i am pretty new to using VS code. Im on arch linux. I've updated VS code today and for some reason my Live Server extension does not auto update the page anymore. In order to see changes i have to save my file after every change and only after that my browser window will update(Before it was auto updating every change like it is supposed to). I removed and re-installed live server as well as removed and reinstalled vs code. I looked in settings but i didn't see any specific setting there. Anyone know what could cause this?

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Stack Overflow
stackoverflow.com › questions › 76300147 › live-server-doesnt-refresh-page-in-toggle-device-toolbar-menu
html - Live server doesn't refresh page in toggle device toolbar menu - Stack Overflow
May 21, 2023 - Live server doesn't refresh page in 'toggle device toolbar' menu a problem with using Live Server in VScode. In default mode page updates normally, but when I enable 'toggle device toolbar' menu, s...
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Stack Overflow
stackoverflow.com › questions › 69347829 › how-to-solve-that-the-live-server-in-vs-code-doesnt-automatically-update-the-pa
liveserver - How to solve that the live server in VS Code doesn't automatically update the page in the browser when the code is changed? - Stack Overflow
Set the browser for Live Server in Preferences: Open Settings (JSON). Scroll all the way to the bottom of the file, add a comma after the last setting, then paste in "liveServer.settings.CustomBrowser": "chrome" or "firefox" or another :) save ...
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freeCodeCamp
freecodecamp.org › news › visual-studio-code-live-server-not-working
Visual Studio Code Live Server Not Working
August 14, 2020 - Then, reopen VSCode and try again – go to the HTML file you want to view, right click, and select "Open with Live Server". It's possible that the extension is working, but your system doesn't have a default browser.
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Code with Mosh
forum.codewithmosh.com › html/css
Live Server NOT Refreshing (Html/Css) Series 1 video 6 - HTML/CSS - Code with Mosh Forum
November 4, 2021 - My question is why does my live server page not refresh every time I enter a new code? I have to manually reopen the live server each time to refresh it that way. Any help? I am on Series 1 video 6. 🙏
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DEV Community
dev.to › andrewelans › live-server-fix-live-reload-is-not-possible-without-a-head-or-body-tag-4le0
Live Server: fix `Live Reload is not possible without a head or body tag.` - DEV Community
March 14, 2025 - Save the changes -> in your project where you Go Live hit Ctrl+Shift+P or View -> Command Pallette... -> type Developer: Reload Window to re-sync the extensions -> click Go Live and see this or nothing depending on which callback you have chosen in the previous step:
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Stack Overflow
stackoverflow.com › questions › 78079695 › vs-code-live-server-not-refreshing-automatically
html - VS Code Live Server Not Refreshing automatically - Stack Overflow
A common reason for the Live Server extension to stop working is if your file path contains some non-ASCII chars. In my experience, this can cause issues on Mac at least. So if you've had it working before, check if your current project directory ...