The sitemap opens in my browser, but Search Console says “Couldn't fetch”. Why?

Your browser isn't Googlebot. A firewall or bot protection (such as Cloudflare Bot Fight Mode) may let you through and block crawlers. Also check that the URL in Search Console matches character for character, including https and www.

How long should I wait after submitting a new sitemap?

For a newly submitted sitemap, “Couldn't fetch” often disappears within hours or a day. If it persists and the file works, remove the sitemap in Search Console and submit it again.

Does a sitemap error stop my site from being indexed?

No. Google still discovers pages through links. But a sitemap helps it find new and updated URLs faster, so it's worth fixing.

Sitemap could not be read / Couldn't fetch

Google couldn't fetch or read the sitemap file. Most often the file returns an error, is blocked in robots.txt or by a firewall (such as Cloudflare), redirects, or isn't valid XML. For a freshly submitted sitemap the status is often temporary — if the file opens correctly, wait a day.

What this status means

Search Console tried to fetch the file you submitted as a sitemap and failed — either the file didn't respond correctly or it couldn't be read as a sitemap. Google won't process any URL from that file until it's fixed.

Common causes

wrong URL: a typo, http instead of https, missing or extra www,
an error status: the file returns 404, 403 or 5xx,
a block: a Disallow rule in robots.txt covers the file, or a firewall (WAF, bot protection) rejects Googlebot,
a redirect: the sitemap URL redirects, for example to the homepage or a login page,
wrong content: an HTML page instead of XML (e.g. an error page served with 200), a corrupted file, or more than 50,000 URLs or 50 MB.

How to check it step by step

Copy the sitemap URL from Search Console and open it in a browser — do you see XML with a list of URLs?
Check the status code and redirects with the redirect checker — you want 200 with no redirects.
Use the robots.txt checker to make sure the sitemap URL isn't blocked for Googlebot.
If you use Cloudflare or another firewall, check its logs for blocked Googlebot requests to the sitemap.
After fixing, remove the sitemap in Search Console and submit it again.

How to watch your sitemap every day

Sitemaps break most often after an update of the store or plugin that generates them.

IndexRise checks your project's sitemap files and robots.txt every night. It reports a file that disappeared, a file that can't be read, a drop in the number of URLs and new files in a sitemap index — before Google flags the problem in Search Console.