Troubleshooting - WordPress White Screen of Death: How to Fix
Fix the WordPress white screen of death (WSOD). Step-by-step troubleshooting to identify the cause and restore your site.
The Problem
The white screen of death shows a blank page with no error message. Your site is down and you don't know why.
The Solution
WSOD is usually caused by PHP errors, memory limits, or plugin/theme conflicts. Systematic troubleshooting identifies the cause.
Enable Error Display
First, we need to see the actual error. WordPress hides errors by default.
- Enable WP_DEBUG in wp-config.php
- Set WP_DEBUG_LOG to write errors to file
- Check error_log in your hosting panel
- Look in /wp-content/debug.log
- Check PHP error logs on server
Plugin Troubleshooting
Plugins are the most common WSOD cause. Isolate the problem by disabling them.
- Rename /wp-content/plugins folder via FTP
- If site loads, rename back and disable one by one
- Check for recent plugin updates that may have caused issues
- Look for incompatible plugin combinations
- Test with only default theme active
Theme Troubleshooting
If disabling plugins doesn't help, the theme may be the issue.
- Switch to default theme (Twenty Twenty-Four)
- Rename your theme folder via FTP if can't access admin
- Check theme functions.php for errors
- Verify theme compatibility with PHP version
- Check for theme update issues
Server & PHP Issues
Sometimes the problem is server configuration, not WordPress itself.
- Increase PHP memory limit (define WP_MEMORY_LIMIT)
- Check PHP version compatibility
- Verify file permissions (644 files, 755 folders)
- Check .htaccess for corruption
- Contact host about server-side issues
Quick Wins
Start with these high-impact, low-effort improvements.
- 1 Add define('WP_DEBUG', true); to wp-config.php
- 2 Increase memory: define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M');
- 3 Rename plugins folder to plugins_old via FTP
- 4 Replace .htaccess with fresh WordPress default
- 5 Check error logs in hosting control panel
Tools - Recommended tools
These tools help diagnose and fix the issues covered in this guide.
FAQ - Common questions
Answers to questions we often hear about this topic.
I can't access wp-admin at all. What do I do?
Use FTP or your host's file manager to rename the plugins folder. This deactivates all plugins without admin access. If that works, rename it back and activate plugins one by one to find the culprit.
The site shows WSOD only on certain pages.
This usually indicates a specific piece of content or shortcode causing the error. Enable debug logging and visit the broken page to capture the specific error.
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