There is nothing worse than trying to browse your WordPress website and getting the White Screen of Death. Both administrators and visitors are unable to access your website because of this problem.
Due to the shortage of evidence suggesting a probable cause or remedy, the WSoD can also be immensely irritating. But this is also one of the most typical WordPress mistakes. Although troubling, it can usually be resolved.
We will define WordPress WsoD in this article and discuss some of its typical causes. Most importantly, we’ll walk you through eight potential fixes so that you can restart your site as soon as possible.
Let’s begin!
What is WordPress White Screen of Death (Blank Page)?
True to its name, the WordPress White Screen of Death (sometimes referred to as “WSoD”) occurs when you are presented with a white screen rather than the web page you are trying to view.
You can get various error messages depending on your browser. The HTTP Error 500 “This page is not working and cannot process the request” example in Google Chrome is shown below.
Errors in the PHP code or reaching the memory limit nearly invariably result in the WordPress white screen of death.
A bad theme or plugin could also be the reason. If the website interface is down, but your WordPress admin section is up, the latter is likely the issue. Go here to see if the dashboard for your website is operational.
So how do you resolve the WSoD issue? I appreciate your question!
8 Ways To Solve WordPress White Screen Of Death
If you’re using WordPress, then you’ve probably encountered the dreaded White Screen of Death at some point. This can be a really frustrating experience, but fortunately, there are ways to fix it. In this post, we’ll outline eight methods that have proven to be effective in fixing the WordPress White Screen of Death.
1. Put your WordPress plugins to sleep
Disabling all of your extensions is one of the simplest and most popular solutions to repair WordPress WSoD. A bad extension update frequently causes a website to crash.
If you can still enter your admin area, you may quickly do this by clicking disable in the actions drop-down menu grouped: Go to the extensions page from the dashboard, select all extensions, and then click:
This will disable all your extensions.
If this resolves the issue, you must track down the offender. You can accomplish this by activating the extensions one at a time and reloading the website between each activation. The malfunctioning extension is discovered when your public interface is unavailable.
You can contact the plugin developer or open a support issue in the WordPress repository.
If WordPress admin is unavailable, you can still access your site’s file directory using an FTP client.
Find the plugin’s directory in the wp-content section of your root directory. Rename it as “plugins_old.”
Recheck the front end of your website once more. You’ll need to test each extension individually to see if it works. Change the name of your extensions directory to “plugins,” then change each extension directory one by one until you identify the problematic one.
2. Clear the cache for your browser and plugins
A caching issue may cause the WSoD if you can access the WordPress site management but still see it on the front end.
Try deleting the cache in both your web browser and the WordPress caching plugin to resolve this (assuming you have one installed).
The majority of caching plugins, such as WP Rocket or WP Super Cache, offers a straightforward way to clear the cache through the plugin’s configuration page if installed on your WordPress website.
You can navigate to Settings > WP Super Cache > Clear Cache in your WordPress dashboard, for instance, to use WP Super Cache as an example:
3. Use the default WordPress theme
If a plugin is not the issue, your WordPress theme can bring on the white screen of death. To check if this is the case, switch to the default theme and override your current theme.
To enter your admin section, go to Appearance > Themes on your dashboard. Locate and activate a default WordPress theme, such as Twenty Twenty:
Retest your website after that. If it is successful, you’ll be able to determine whether the problem is related to your theme.
If you are unable to access your dashboard, the process is the same as it was with extensions.
To access the files on your website, use FTP and rename the wp-content/themes directory as follows:
WordPress will then revert to its prior default theme, possibly Twenty Twenty, after that. If you don’t already have one, you can download a theme from the WordPress themes directory and place it in your themes folder.
After that, you are free to view your website once more. If it works, there might have been a problem with the upgrade or a conflict with your theme. If so, ask the developer for help or consider changing the theme.
4. Boost your memory capacity
You must give the application extra memory if, after trying some of the workarounds mentioned above, you still see the dreaded WSoD blank page or experience a memory-related issue.
This is possible for many WordPress installations thanks to the wp-config.php file. Enter the coding below after opening the file:
You have a couple of options if it doesn’t seem to work. You can raise the RAM limit using your .htaccess file in a typical setting. You must include the following line:
If it’s not possible for you to reach your .htaccess file, you can use your php.ini file to raise the RAM limit.
Connect to your server using FTP to accomplish this. Generally, you can find the php.ini file in the website’s root directory. After you have located it, insert the following line into the document wherever you like.
There may be a bug in your program if you’re still getting memory issues even though you’ve already assigned some of the memory. One of your plugins or the theme you’re using may consume an unacceptable amount of resources.
You could now get a developer to take a look. Even your host can assist by providing you with SQL logs and other resource-related statistics.
5. Search for errors related to file permissions
Issues with ownership and permission are another potential WSoD reason. You can look after this matter yourself.
As per our advice, we recommend not doing this unless you are 100% sure about your action, as you can unintentionally introduce vulnerabilities that attackers could exploit.
Concerning WordPress permissions, there are three simple rules to follow:
- The file format must be 664 or 644.
- The directory set must be 775 or 755.
- Set the wp-config.php file to 660, 600, or 644.
Ask your host for assistance if you are unsure how to proceed or feel a little apprehensive.
6. Keep an eye out for failed automated updates
Occasionally WordPress website owners face issues with updates, like when the server is down. Most often, this problem resolves itself automatically. However, in rare cases, this can lead to the WordPress white screen of death.
In this case, first, you have to go to the WordPress root directory and search for a file named .maintenance(the file name can also be abbreviated).
You should try to delete this file and reload your site.
Everything should be back to normal again if the update were completed, but WordPress could not delete this file automatically.
If the update is incomplete, it can be restarted automatically, which should be back to normal anyway.
7. Fixing syntax mistakes or restoring a backup
Using the wrong syntax on your WordPress website is another typical reason for WordPress’s white screen of death. A single character in the wrong place could bring down your entire site, so you should always keep your production site code the same.
But you don’t have to worry. You can always connect to your site via FTP and manually undo the change you made. If you need to figure out what change caused the problem, this is where having WordPress backups in place comes in handy.
Remember that if you enabled debug mode in WordPress earlier, there might also be an error message saying a parse syntax error. That should tell you exactly where to find the problem code.
Boost PHP’s word-processing capability
At this point, if the WSoD issue still needs to be resolved, there is another trick you can try. On infrequent events, this problem can happen because a page or post is highly extended.
If so, try adjusting the word processing capability of PHP on your site, increasing the backtracking and recursion limits. To do this, paste the following code into your wp-config.php file :
Once you’ve added this code, save your changes. Then refresh your site to see if the change you made is working.
Sum Up
The WordPress White Screen of Death is a common problem that can be fixed relatively easily. However, if you are not comfortable fixing the issue yourself, don’t worry. WP Ministry is here to help. Our team of experts has extensive knowledge in WordPress and we would be happy to assist you in getting your website back up and running as soon as possible. Have you tried any of these methods to fix the WP White Screen of Death? Let us know how they worked for you in the comments below.
FAQs
1. What causes the WordPress White Screen of Death?
Ans: The WordPress White Screen of Death is an error that can occur when the software or a plugin encounters a problem.
Plugin conflicts are among the most common causes of the WordPress White Screen of Death. When two or more plugins try to do the same thing, they can conflict with each other and cause errors. This can happen when you update your plugins or even if you have too many active plugins.
Another common source of problems is theme conflicts. If you’re using a heavily modified theme, or if you’re using multiple themes at once, they can conflict with each other and cause the WPWSD.
2. What other issues can cause a white screen on WordPress?
Ans: A few other things can cause a white screen on WordPress. One is if there is a problem with your theme or with one of your plugins. Another possibility is that there is a problem with your hosting server. If you are using a shared server, another site on the server is using too many resources, causing your site to crash.
3. Is the WordPress White Screen of Death fix permanent?
Permanent solutions to the WordPress White Screen of Death are available, but they vary in complexity and effectiveness.
The most permanent solution is to find and fix the source of the problem. This can be not easy, especially if you don’t have any technical expertise. If you’re unsure where to start, your best bet is to reach out to a professional for help.
Another permanent solution is to reinstall WordPress. This will delete all your content and settings, but it may be necessary if you need help finding a fix for the WPWSD.
Finally, some people have successfully used a plugin or extension called WPS Hide Login. This plugin hides the login screen so users can’t see it and get stuck on the white screen. However, it’s important to note that this is not a permanent solution and may only work for some.
4. What should I do if I am experiencing the WordPress White Screen of Death?
Ans: If you are experiencing the WordPress White Screen of Death, there are a few things you can do to try and fix the problem.
The most important thing is not to panic. The WPWSD can be frustrating and scary, but it’s usually better than it seems. Stay calm and take some time to troubleshoot the problem.
If you can access your website files, try deleting or renaming the plugins folder. This will disable all of your plugins and may help you determine which one is causing the conflict.
If you don’t have access to your website files, try deactivating all your plugins from the WordPress dashboard. If this fixes the issue, reactivate them one at a time until you find the plugin causing the conflict.
If neither of these solutions works, reach out to a professional for help. They may be able to find and fix the source of the problem for you.