Why Do You Get the WordPress White Screen of Death Error?
The WordPress White Screen of Death (WSOD) occurs when your website shows a blank white page instead of loading properly. This issue can happen due to:
- Plugin or theme conflicts
- Memory limit exhaustion
- Corrupted WordPress core files
- PHP errors
- Incorrect file permissions
- Server issues
7 Methods to Fix the WordPress White Screen of Death Issue
1. Check WordPress Core Files
Sometimes, missing or corrupted WordPress files can cause WSOD. To fix this:
- Log in to cPanel and open File Manager.
- Navigate to the
public_html
folder. - Check if
wp-config.php
and.htaccess
files exist. - If missing, restore them from a backup or reinstall WordPress core files.
2. Increase WordPress Memory Limit
If your website runs out of memory, you can increase the PHP memory limit by adding the following line to wp-config.php
:
define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M');
Save the file and refresh your website.
3. Check Plugins
Faulty plugins can cause conflicts and lead to WSOD. Follow these steps:
- In cPanel, open File Manager.
- Go to
wp-content
and rename theplugins
folder toplugins_old
. - If your site works, rename the folder back to
plugins
and disable plugins one by one from the WordPress dashboard.
4. Check Themes
A corrupted or incompatible theme can also cause WSOD. To check:
- Go to
wp-content/themes
in File Manager. - Rename your active theme folder (e.g.,
theme_old
). - WordPress will switch to a default theme automatically.
5. Check WordPress Error Logs
To enable debugging and find errors, add these lines to wp-config.php
:
define('WP_DEBUG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false);
Check the error log in wp-content/debug.log
to identify the issue.
6. Fix File Permission Issues
Incorrect file permissions can cause WSOD. The correct settings are:
- Files:
644
- Folders:
755
Use cPanel File Manager or an FTP client to adjust permissions.
7. Restore Your WordPress Site From a Backup
If none of the above solutions work, restore your website from a recent backup.
- Log in to your hosting control panel.
- Locate the backup section and restore your files and database.
Final Thoughts
The WordPress White Screen of Death can be frustrating, but by following these steps, you can identify and fix the issue. If you still experience problems, contact your Developer for assistance.