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Use your host’s file manager, SFTP or SSH to retrieve the file. For failures that WordPress does not capture, check the host’s PHP error log and web-server log as separate sources.
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Where is WordPress debug.log?
For a normal WordPress installation, the built-in log is located at wp-content/debug.log, relative to the directory containing wp-config.php. WordPress writes there when debugging is active and logging has been enabled. The official configuration details are documented in the WordPress Developer Handbook debugging guide.
If the site administrator assigned a different value to WP_DEBUG_LOG, the file is written to that configured path instead. Therefore, an empty wp-content directory does not prove that logging is broken: first inspect wp-config.php for a custom location.
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Enable the log in wp-config.php
Add these definitions before the line that says That’s all, stop editing! Happy blogging.:
define( 'WP_DEBUG', true );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_LOG', true );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false );WP_DEBUG_LOG is a companion to WP_DEBUG; it has no effect while WP_DEBUG is disabled. With the three settings above, PHP errors, warnings, notices and messages sent through PHP’s error_log() are written to the debug file while diagnostic text stays out of the page HTML.
WordPress recommends using verbose debugging mainly on development or staging sites. On a live site, enable it only long enough to reproduce the fault, collect the relevant entries and diagnose the cause.
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How to open the WordPress log
Using a hosting file manager
- Sign in to your hosting control panel and open its File Manager.
- Navigate to the directory where WordPress is installed. This is the directory that contains folders such as
wp-admin,wp-includesandwp-content. - Open
wp-contentand locatedebug.log. IfWP_DEBUG_LOGcontains a custom path, follow that path instead. - Use the editor to inspect the file or download a copy before making changes.
Large logs are easier to search after downloading them and opening the copy in a plain-text editor. Do not make the file publicly accessible just to read it in a browser.
Using SFTP or FTP
- Connect with the credentials supplied by your host.
- Open the WordPress installation directory, then
wp-content. - Download
debug.logand open it locally as plain text. - For a custom
WP_DEBUG_LOGvalue, browse to that exact path rather than assuming the default location.
SFTP is preferable to unencrypted FTP when the host supports it, because the connection protects credentials and transferred log contents.
Using SSH
After connecting to the server, change to the WordPress directory and inspect the file with a command-line pager or download it for local analysis. The exact absolute path depends on the host’s filesystem and the value of WP_DEBUG_LOG. If the file is not present, verify the constants and trigger the failing request once before searching again.
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Which WordPress log should you read?
WordPress debugging, PHP runtime logging and web-server logging are related but distinct. Choosing the right source prevents you from overlooking a failure that occurs before WordPress can process a request.
| Log | Typical location or interface | What it can show | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| WordPress/PHP debug log | wp-content/debug.log or the path configured in WP_DEBUG_LOG |
PHP errors, warnings, notices and messages sent through PHP’s error_log() while WordPress debugging is enabled |
Plugin, theme and WordPress-code problems that occur during normal application execution |
| Host PHP error log | Hosting dashboard, server filesystem or provider-specific log viewer | PHP startup failures, worker errors and other runtime problems that may not reach the WordPress debug file | The debug file is absent, stops abruptly or does not explain a fatal failure |
| Web-server log | Apache, Nginx or managed-host request/error interface | HTTP requests, routing failures, connection errors and server responses | Investigating 4xx/5xx responses, redirects, request handling or failures before PHP runs |
Paths and dashboard labels for host logs vary by provider. A managed WordPress host may expose both PHP and web-server records in its control panel; otherwise ask the host where those two logs are available.
How to read an entry in debug.log
Read from the newest entries upward, because the final lines usually correspond to the latest reproduction. Treat each line as evidence to correlate with a specific request rather than as an automatic diagnosis.
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- Start with the timestamp. Note the date and time, including the server’s timezone if it is shown. Reproduce the problem once and identify entries created immediately afterward.
- Identify severity. Labels such as
Fatal error,WarningandNoticeindicate different levels of urgency. A fatal error normally terminates the request; a warning or notice may allow the page to continue but can reveal the first symptom of a larger issue. - Read the message completely. Look for the function, class, missing file, undefined variable or other condition named in the text. Do not act on a fragment copied from the first line alone.
- Record the file and line number. The path often identifies the responsible plugin, theme or WordPress core component. The reported line is where PHP detected the problem, which is not always where the underlying mistake originated.
- Follow the stack trace. A trace shows how execution reached the failing call. Look for the first path belonging to a plugin or theme and compare it with the action that triggered the request.
- Check repetition and timing. Repeated notices may be secondary effects. Confirm that a line appears when you perform the failing action, then test whether the same message occurs on an unrelated request.
For a critical error, begin with the fatal entry and its stack trace. If no corresponding WordPress entry exists, move to the host PHP log: a failure during PHP startup or before WordPress initializes may be recorded there instead.
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There is not a separate universal file named “critical-error.log” created by WordPress. Critical errors are generally PHP fatal errors and, when WordPress has initialized debugging, appear in debug.log or the custom path configured in WP_DEBUG_LOG. The same event can also be present in the host PHP log.
When a site displays a critical-error message, note the exact time, reproduce it once, then inspect the newest fatal entry. The plugin, theme or core path in the message is the starting point for isolating the failing component. If the site cannot load far enough to create a WordPress entry, provide the host with the timestamp and request the PHP and web-server records for that request.
WordPress.com site logs versus a self-hosted log file
WordPress.com provides a Site Logs interface that records PHP errors and web-server requests on the site. Its support documentation distinguishes those two categories and explains that custom WP_DEBUG_LOG or error_log files are retrieved with SFTP or SSH. See the WordPress.com Site Logs documentation for the current interface and access requirements.
Consequently, use the dashboard when the event is available there, but use SFTP or SSH for a file written to a custom path. A WordPress.com site log and a file named wp-content/debug.log are not interchangeable: one is a hosted log service, while the other is a file produced by your PHP configuration.
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- Check both constants. Confirm that
WP_DEBUGandWP_DEBUG_LOGare enabled and that the definitions occur before WordPress’s stop-editing line. - Check the display setting.
WP_DEBUG_DISPLAYset tofalsehides output but does not disable logging; do not turn it on merely because the file is difficult to find. - Look for a custom path. A string path assigned to
WP_DEBUG_LOGchanges the destination from the defaultwp-content/debug.log. - Trigger a fresh event. Load the page or repeat the action that causes the problem, then refresh the directory listing. A file may not exist until something is logged.
- Check server-level logs. PHP startup errors, permission failures and web-server problems can occur outside WordPress’s logging workflow.
- Ask the host about access. Managed environments may hide filesystem paths while exposing the same information through a dashboard.
If the host reports that PHP cannot write to the configured destination, correct the path or permissions with the host’s assistance rather than making the log world-readable.
Protect logs while troubleshooting
Debug logs can contain filesystem paths, SQL details, request data and other information that should not be public. The WordPress wp-config.php handbook warns that publicly accessible log files are a security risk.
- Keep
WP_DEBUG_DISPLAYset tofalseso diagnostics are not injected into visitor-facing responses. - When possible, configure the log outside the public web root. If that is not possible, restrict direct web access and file permissions through your host’s supported method.
- Use SFTP, SSH or the host’s private log viewer instead of linking to the file publicly.
- After diagnosis, set
WP_DEBUGandWP_DEBUG_LOGback to their normal production values and verify that new verbose entries stop. - Remove or securely archive downloaded copies, since they may contain the same sensitive paths and messages.
A practical workflow for diagnosing a WordPress error
- Write down the failing URL, the action that causes the failure and the approximate time.
- Enable logging with the three constants if it is safe to do so, keeping display disabled.
- Reproduce the failure once; avoid generating thousands of unrelated requests.
- Open the newest section of
debug.logand match timestamps, severity, message, path and line number. - Identify the plugin, theme or core component named in the trace and preserve the original entry before changing configuration.
- If the WordPress file is empty or absent, obtain the PHP error log and then the web-server log for the same timestamp.
- Apply the smallest controlled change needed to test the suspected cause, reproduce the request again and compare the new records.
- Disable verbose debugging and protect or remove exposed copies after the investigation.
This process separates an application-level bug from a PHP-runtime or request-level failure, while preserving the timestamps and context a host or developer needs to continue diagnosis.
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