Oh no, the dreaded white screen of death on your WordPress site! It’s like your website just decided to take a nap, and now you’re left staring at a blank page.
Don’t panic! This issue is pretty common and can be fixed with some straightforward troubleshooting steps. Let’s dive in and get your site back up and running.
The WordPress white screen of death (WSOD) is when your website shows a blank white screen instead of its usual content. This can happen to your entire site, the admin area, or just certain pages. It’s typically a sign that something has gone wrong with your site’s code or server configuration. Unlike other errors that display specific messages, the WSOD offers no clues, making it particularly frustrating to diagnose.
The white screen can be entirely white:
Or you can have this error message “there has been a critical error on your website”.
Before we jump into solutions, let’s quickly look at what might be causing this problem:
Sometimes, new themes or plugins don’t play well with others. If you recently added or updated a theme or plugin, it could be the source of the issue.
Your site might be running out of allocated memory. This can happen if your site has grown and now requires more resources than initially allocated by your hosting provider.
Mistakes in your site’s code can break things. This could be due to a poorly coded theme or plugin, or even a simple typo in one of your files.
Problems on the server end can also lead to a white screen. These can include server misconfigurations or temporary downtime.
Here are some steps you can take to identify and fix the issue:
Turning on debugging can help you pinpoint the issue.
wp-config.php file.define('WP_DEBUG', true);
Plugins are often the culprits behind the white screen.
If you can still access the admin area:
If you can’t access the dashboard:
plugins folder in wp-content to plugins_old.
Themes can also cause issues.
If you can still access the admin area:
If you can’t access the dashboard:
wp-content/themes.
Increasing the PHP memory limit can resolve memory exhaustion issues.
wp-config.php file.define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M');
Sometimes, the PHP version your site is running on might be causing the issue. Upgrading or downgrading the PHP version can help.
Clearing your site’s cache can resolve the white screen issue, especially if you’re using a caching plugin.
Extra spaces in your functions.php file can cause issues.
functions.php file of your active theme.<?php or after ?>.If the basic steps don’t work, try these advanced solutions:
Review any recent changes to your theme or plugin files for errors.
Your server settings could be causing the problem.
If all else fails, restoring your site from a recent backup might be the best solution.
To avoid future white screen issues, follow these tips:
Keep your WordPress core, themes, and plugins updated.
Only use themes and plugins from reputable sources.
Regularly back up your site so you can quickly restore it if something goes wrong.
Dealing with the WordPress white screen can be frustrating, but with these steps, you should be able to fix it and get your site back online. If you’re still having trouble, don’t hesitate to seek professional help. Happy troubleshooting!
