How to Troubleshoot WordPress

Have you ever tried to visit your WordPress website and suddenly found a blank page or a strange error message? If so, you’re not alone. WordPress is a powerful CMS, but like any other system, it can occasionally run into issues that take your site offline or make it behave unexpectedly.

In this detailed guide, we’ll explain how to troubleshoot WordPress issues effectively using easy-to-follow methods. Whether your site shows the infamous “White Screen of Death” or an HTTP 500 error, you’ll learn how to identify and fix the problem like a pro.

Step 1: Identify the Problem

Before you can fix anything, you need to know what’s wrong. Here are some common signs that indicate your site has an issue:

• A completely blank page (White Screen of Death)

• HTTP error messages (e.g., 500 Internal Server Error, 403 Forbidden, 404 Not Found)

• A PHP error or warning message

• Site is stuck in maintenance mode

• Backend (wp-admin) not loading

• Broken themes or plugins

Try to take note of any error messages you see and when the issue started. This will help narrow down the possible causes.

Step 2: Enable WordPress Debug Mode

WordPress has a built-in debugging feature that can help you see what’s going on behind the scenes.

How to enable debug mode:

1. Log in to your hosting panel (DirectAdmin, cPanel, or any file manager).

2. Navigate to the root folder of your WordPress installation (usually. public_html).

3. Locate the wp-config.php file and open it for editing.

4. Find the following line:

define('WP_DEBUG', false);

5. Change it to:

define('WP_DEBUG', true);

You can also add the following lines for more detailed logging:

define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false);

This tells WordPress to log errors to a file (instead of displaying them on your site.

Save the changes and reload your website. If there’s an error, it should now appear in the log file or screen (depending on your configuration).

Step 3: Troubleshoot Common WordPress Errors

⚪ White Screen of Death (WSOD)

This is one of the most frustrating issues in WordPress. It usually shows a completely blank page with no error messages.

Possible causes:

• A PHP syntax error

• A memory limit exhaustion

• A plugin or theme conflict

How to fix it:

• Enable debug mode as shown above.

• Check wp-content/debug.log for any error trace.

• Deactivate all plugins by renaming the plugins folder (see below).

• Switch to a default WordPress theme like Twenty Twenty-Four.

Plugin-Related Errors

If the debug log points to a specific plugin, here’s how to deal with it:

1. Go to wp-content/plugins/ your file manager.

2. Locate the folder of the problematic plugin.

3. Rename the folder, e.g., from plugin-name to plugin-name-disabled.

4. Reload your website.

If the site loads successfully, that plugin is the problem. You can then:

• Contact the plugin author

• Look for updates

• Replace it with an alternative

Theme-Related Errors

Sometimes, a corrupted or incompatible theme can break your site.

1. Go to wp-content/themes/.

2. Find your active theme and rename the folder (e.g., theme-name → theme-name-old).

3. Make sure at least one default WordPress theme exists in the folder.

4. WordPress will automatically switch to the default theme if the active one is missing.

Once you regain access to wp-admin, you can reinstall or switch to another theme.

Maintenance Mode Error

If you see this message:
“Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance. Check back in a minute.”

It means the .maintenance file is stuck in your root directory.

To fix:

• Log in to your host

• Delete the .maintenance file from the root folder

This usually happens when a plugin or WordPress update fails midway.

HTTP 500 Internal Server Error

The 500 error is a general server-side error and can be tricky to diagnose.

Possible causes:

• A corrupted .htaccess file

• A plugin or theme conflict

• PHP memory limit exhaustion

• Faulty server configuration

Steps to fix:

1. Rename your .htaccess file (e.g., .htaccess-backup)

2. Refresh your site

3. If that works, go to wp-admin → Settings → Permalinks and click Save to regenerate a ne onew .htaccess file.

If that doesn’t work, turn off plugins and themes one by one, as mentioned above.

Step 4: Check Hosting Issues

Sometimes, the problem is not with WordPress but with your hosting environment.

Signs of a hosting-related issue:

• Server timeout errors

• Frequent crashes

• SourceGuardian loader errors (for some encrypted PHP scripts)

How to handle it:

• Contact your hosting support and provide them with the error logs.

• Ask if there were any server changes or updates recently.

• If you’re using products that rely on SourceGuardian, ensure your host has the updated loader installed.

Step 5: Disable Debug Mode After Fixing

Leaving debug mode enabled can expose sensitive information about your site to the public.

Once your issue is resolved, edit wp-config.php again and change:

define('WP_DEBUG', true);

To:

define('WP_DEBUG', false);

Also delete the debug.log file inside wp-content If it was created.

Additional Tips

• Increase PHP Memory Limit
  If you’re facing memory errors, add this line to wp-config.php:

define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M');

• Use Health Check Plugin
  This free plugin from the WordPress team helps you test for conflicts without affecting your live site.

• Backup Regularly
  Always have a recent backup of your WordPress files and database if you need to restore your site.

Conclusion

Troubleshooting WordPress doesn’t have to be a nightmare. By following a systematic approach — enabling debug mode, identifying plugin/theme issues, checking server errors, and restoring default configurations — you can fix most issues without professional help.

However, if your problem persists or you’re unsure what to do, don’t hesitate to contact a WordPress developer or your hosting support team.

Remember: the more familiar you get with how WordPress works under the hood, the easier it will be to prevent and solve problems in the future.