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Common WordPress errors

Common WordPress errors

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If you are encountering a WordPress error message or white screen, don’t panic. Someone has likely encountered the same message before and it can easily be solved.

This page lists the most common WordPress errors experienced by WordPress users, and provides a starting point for fixing them. At WordPress Support, you will also find links to more detailed pages or forums where a volunteer will be there to help.

The White Screen of Death

Both PHP errors and database errors can manifest as a white screen, a blank screen with no information, commonly known in the WordPress community as the WordPress White Screen of Death (WSOD).

Before resorting to desperate measures, there are a number of reasons for the WordPress white screen of death:

  • A Plugin is causing compatibility issues. If you can access the Administration Screens try deactivating all of your Plugins and then reactivating them one by one. If you are unable to access your Screens, log in to your website via FTP. Locate the folder wp-content/plugins and rename the Plugin folder plugins_old. This will deactivate all of your Plugins. You can read more about manually deactivating your plugins in the Troubleshooting FAQ.
  • Your Theme may be causing the problem. This is especially likely if you are experiencing the white screen of death after you have just activated a new Theme, or created a New Site in a WordPress Network. Log in to the WordPress Administration Screens and activate a default WordPress Theme (e.g. Twenty Twenty-One). If you are using WordPress 5.8 and below, please switch to Twenty Twenty-One theme since the Twenty Twenty-Two theme requires 5.9 and above. If you can’t access your Administration Screens, access your website via FTP and navigate to the /wp-content/themes/ folder. Rename the folder for the active Theme.

The WP_DEBUG feature often provides additional information.

Internal Server Error


Internal Server Error message

There can be a number of reasons for an Internal Server Error. Here are some thing you can do to solve it:

  • The most likely issue is a corrupted .htaccess file. Log in to your site root using FTP and rename your .htaccess file to .htaccess_old. Try loading your site to see if this has solved your problem. If it works, make sure to visit Settings > Permalinks and reset your permalinks. This will generate a new .htaccess file for you.
  • Try deactivating all of your Plugins to see if it is a Plugin issue. If you are unable to access your WordPress Administration Screens, deactivate your Plugins via FTP by following these instructions.
  • Switch the Theme to a WordPress default Theme (e.g. Twenty Twenty-One) to eliminate any Theme-related problems. If you are using WordPress 5.8 and below, please switch to Twenty Twenty-One theme since the Twenty Twenty-Two theme requires 5.9 and above.
  • Increase the PHP Memory limit
  • Try re-uploading the wp-admin and wp-includes folders from a fresh install of WordPress.

Error Establishing Database Connection

If you get a page featuring the message “Error Establishing Database Connection”, this means that there is a problem with the connection to your database and there could be a number of reasons for this. The following are possible reasons and solutions.

Incorrect wp-config.php Information

“Error establishing a database connection” is usually caused by an error in your wp-config.php file. Access your site in your FTP client. Open up wp-config.php and ensure that the following are correct:

  • Database name
  • Database username
  • Database password
  • Database host

Learn more about editing wp-config.php.

If you are sure your configuration is correct you could try resetting your MySQL password manually.

Problems with Your Web Host

The next step is to contact your web host. The following hosting issues may be causing the problem:

  • Your database has met its quota and has been shut down.
  • The server is down.

Contact your hosting provider to see if either of these issues is causing your problem.

Compromised Website

If you have checked wp-config.php for errors, and confirmed with your host for hosting issues, it is possible that your site has been hacked.

Scan your site with Sucuri SiteCheck to ensure that it hasn’t been compromised. If it has you should check out My Site was Hacked.