When phpBB shows the wrong post count, topic count or last post, the fix is to resynchronise its statistics. The posts themselves are not affected.
Why it happens
phpBB keeps running totals rather than counting on every page load. Anything that changes posts without going through the forum — an import, a direct database change, a partly failed operation — leaves those totals out of date.
What to do
The tools are in the Administration Control Panel, under the maintenance area. Look for a resynchronise or recalculate section. Wording differs between phpBB versions, so go by what the option offers rather than an exact menu name.
What you are generally looking for:
- Forum and topic statistics — recounts posts and topics, and repairs the last-post display
- User post counts — recalculates each member’s total
- Post counts — rebuilds the board-wide figures shown on the index
Worth knowing first
- Back up the database before running any of them.
- Large boards take time. Some operations run in stages and need the browser left open until they finish.
- Clear the cache afterwards. phpBB caches heavily, and old figures can persist on screen after a successful resync.
If figures are still wrong after a resync and a cache clear, something is inconsistent in the data itself rather than in the counters. Running the resync repeatedly will not change that.