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Start with the exact error message, what still works, and what changed just before the problem began. A blank screen, for example, can come from a PHP error or a database error; its appearance alone does not identify the cause. Use the matching troubleshooting path below, and make a current backup of both your WordPress files and database before upgrades or risky file or database work.
Start with safe triage
- Record the symptom. Note the exact wording, whether the whole site or only
wp-adminis affected, and when the failure began. - Check recent changes. Look for a plugin, theme, WordPress core, PHP, database, or hosting change immediately before the error.
- Check Recovery Mode and logs. If WordPress sent a recovery email, read its notices. If you can access the dashboard, Tools > Site Health provides status and technical information about the configuration, server, database, themes, plugins, and media. Server logs can help identify errors that Site Health does not explain.
- Protect the site before risky changes. Verify that your backup covers both files and the database. Do not treat a storage device or a host’s backup feature as a backup until you have confirmed what is included and that you can restore it.
When a test is needed, change one thing at a time and keep a note of what you changed. That makes it easier to identify the cause and restore the previous state.
Blank or white screen
A blank page is a symptom, not a diagnosis: PHP errors and database errors can both produce a white screen. WordPress’s troubleshooting guidance recommends using debugging and systematically checking plugins and themes rather than assuming one component is responsible.
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- Deactivate plugins and check whether the page returns.
- If it does, reactivate plugins individually, checking the site after each one, to find a possible conflict.
- If the issue began after a theme change, switch to a default theme and test again.
If wp-admin is unavailable
With file access through FTP, you can temporarily rename the plugins folder to disable plugins. If the problem followed a theme change, temporarily rename the active theme’s folder. These are broad changes: record the original folder name and restore it deliberately after testing. If the white screen remains, do not assume the next step is another plugin change; use debugging information and check for database or server errors.
“There has been a critical error on this website”
The full message is: “There has been a critical error on this website. Please check your site admin email inbox for instructions.” First check the administrator email account, including spam, for a recovery message. WordPress Recovery Mode, introduced in WordPress 5.2, can provide a special login link for some fatal PHP errors. It may pause a faulty plugin or theme for the administrator’s session and show notices identifying the component; it does not cover every failure type.
If Recovery Mode is available
- Use the link in the recovery email to sign in.
- Read the notice to identify the suspected plugin or theme.
- Fix or deactivate that component, then exit Recovery Mode and check the site in a normal session.
If no recovery email arrives
Use WordPress’s alternate debugging methods. If you have file access and a plugin is implicated, temporarily rename its directory to disable it, then test. A missing email by itself does not prove that a plugin caused the error.
“Error Establishing Database Connection”
WordPress cannot establish a connection to its database. Check the database name, username, password, and host in wp-config.php. If those values appear correct, the problem may be outside WordPress—for example, the database service may be unavailable or a hosting quota may have been reached. Ask your hosting provider to check database availability and server-side conditions.
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Internal Server Error (HTTP 500)
An HTTP 500 response can have multiple causes. The WordPress common-errors guide does not establish that every 500 error is caused by a plugin or theme, so treat conflict testing as one diagnostic branch rather than a guaranteed fix.
- Check the server error log and note any file or component named in the error.
- If the failure followed a plugin or theme change, isolate that component; if needed, test plugins individually.
- If the log points to server configuration or does not provide enough detail, ask your host to investigate its logs and configuration.
Connection timed out
A timeout can occur when the site asks more of its server than the hosting environment can handle. WordPress notes that this can be more likely on restricted shared hosting, but the applicable limit depends on the site and host.
- Test whether a plugin is contributing by deactivating plugins, then checking the site.
- If appropriate, switch temporarily to a default theme to test for a theme conflict.
- Review memory limits and ask the provider which PHP execution limits apply to your account before changing settings or assuming the server is overloaded.
Custom post type pages return a 404
A custom post type can return a 404 if its name conflicts with a page name or its rewrite rules need refreshing. Check that the post type and a single page do not share the same name. Then refresh the permalink rules:
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wp-admin, open Settings > Permalinks. - Select the default permalink structure and save.
- Restore your preferred permalink structure and save again.
A plugin appears to be failing
Before reinstalling or replacing a plugin, look at its own documentation and support reports, and consider what changed immediately before the failure. WordPress’s plugin management guidance supports testing plugins individually to isolate conflicts.
If the dashboard works
Deactivate plugins individually, checking the affected feature after each change. Once the problem reappears, you have a more focused lead to investigate in that plugin’s documentation or support reports.
If the dashboard does not work
WordPress documents file-based plugin deactivation: use FTP or another file manager to rename the suspected plugin’s directory temporarily. If you cannot isolate a specific plugin, renaming the plugins folder disables plugins broadly. Note the original name and restore directories deliberately once you are ready to test again.
When to involve your host
Contact your hosting provider when checks point to database availability, resource limits, server configuration, or logs you cannot access. Share the exact error, when it began, what changed, and any relevant log details. Those facts help distinguish a WordPress-level conflict from a host-side problem; an error message alone is not enough to diagnose a need to change providers.
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