Are you tired of seeing a blank white screen when you try to access your WordPress website? You are not alone! Many WordPress users face the same issue, which is commonly known as the “White Screen of Death.” It can be frustrating and confusing, but fortunately, there are ways to fix it.
In this article, we will provide you with a step-by-step guide on how to fix the WordPress White Screen of Death. We will explain the common causes of this issue and provide you with solutions to resolve it. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced WordPress user, our guide will help you get your website up and running again in no time.
We have consulted with WordPress experts and compiled the most effective methods to fix this issue. So, without any further delay, let’s dive into the solutions and get your website back on track.
What is the WordPress White Screen of Death?
As a WordPress user, you know that it’s an incredibly powerful platform for building websites. However, like any other technology, it’s also not perfect, and occasionally, you might encounter issues that leave you feeling frustrated and stuck. One such issue is the white screen of death. If you’re unfamiliar with this term, it’s when you try to access your WordPress website, but instead of seeing your site, all you see is a blank white screen. No error messages, no content, just white.
This issue can be caused by a variety of factors, from plugin conflicts to server problems. Fortunately, there are several steps you can take to fix the white screen of death and get your site back up and running. Let’s dive into some common causes and solutions.
Causes of the WordPress White Screen of Death
There are several reasons why you might be experiencing the WordPress White Screen of Death. Here are some of the most common causes:
#Memory Exhausted
Most of the time when you see a white screen of death in WordPress, it means that a script on your website has run out of memory.
#Unresponsive Scripts
Unresponsive scripts are either killed by your hosting server or simply time out. This is why no error message is generated and you see a blank white screen.
#Plugin or Theme Conflicts
Sometimes, conflicts between plugins or themes can cause the WordPress White Screen of Death. This can happen if two plugins are trying to do the same thing, or if a plugin or theme is not compatible with your version of WordPress.
#Server or Database Issues
Server or database issues can also cause the WordPress White Screen of Death. This can happen if your server is down or if your database is corrupted.
#WordPress Installation Issues
Finally, issues with your WordPress installation can cause the WordPress White Screen of Death. This can happen if a file is missing or if there’s a problem with your WordPress core files.
Whether you see a blank screen, or a critical error message “There has been a critical error on your website,” is the same error. Since the white screen error can be caused by any number of things, fixing it requires systematic troubleshooting.
How to Fix the WordPress White Screen of Death
Now that you know some of the common causes of the WordPress White Screen of Death, let’s take a look at how to fix it. Here are some troubleshooting steps you can follow:
#Disable all Plugins
Plugins are a critical component of the WordPress ecosystem, but they can also be a source of problems. If you recently installed or updated a plugin and then started experiencing the white screen of death, the plugin may be the culprit.
To fix this issue, you’ll need to deactivate your all plugins. Here’s how:
- Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
- Click on “Plugins” in the left-hand menu.
- Select all of your plugins by checking the box next to “Plugin” at the top of the list.
- From the “Bulk Actions” dropdown menu, select “Deactivate” and click the “Apply” button.
However, if you don’t have access to the WordPress admin, you will need to disable all plugins via FTP.
- Connect your WordPress directory using an FTP client.
- Navigate to the wp-content folder
- Where you’ll see the “plugins” folder
- Rename the plugins folder name something like “plugin-disable”.
WordPress looks for a folder called “plugins” to load all plugins. When it can’t find the folder, it simply disables all plugins.
Once you’ve deactivated your plugins, try accessing your website again. If the white screen of death is gone, you know that a plugin was causing the issue. To find the culprit, reactivate your plugins one by one until you encounter the white screen of death again. When you do, you’ll know which plugin is the problem, and you can either delete it or find an alternative.
#Switch to the Default Theme
If disabling all plugins doesn’t resolve the issue, your theme may be the problem. Switch to a default WordPress theme, such as Twenty Twenty-One, and see if the white screen of death disappears.
To change your theme, follow these steps:
- Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
- Click on “Appearance” in the left-hand menu.
- Click on “Themes.”
- Select the default WordPress theme you want to use.
- Click the “Activate” button.
However, if you don’t have access to the WordPress admin, you will need to switch back to your default theme via FTP.
- Connect your WordPress directory using an FTP client.
- Navigate to the /wp-content/themes/ folder.
- Here you’ll find the installed theme on your website.
- Select your currently installed theme & download it to your computer as a backup.
- After that, you need to delete your currently installed theme.
- If your website has a default WordPress theme like (Twenty-Twenty-One) installed.
- WordPress will automatically start using it as the default theme.
- However, if you don’t have a default theme, you’ll need to install it manually via FTP.
If the white screen of death disappears when you switch themes, you know that your previous theme was the issue.
You can either stick with the default theme or you should check your theme’s functions.php file. If there are extra spaces at the bottom of the file, you need to remove them and sometimes this solves the problem.
If you use a poorly coded function in your theme’s functions.php file, it can also cause a white screen of death error. Consider downloading a fresh copy of your theme from your theme’s source and then installing it or contact the theme’s developer for assistance.
#Increase Your PHP Memory Limit
If disabling your plugins and themes doesn’t fix the issue, the next step is to increase your PHP memory limit. To do this, you’ll need to access your site’s wp-config.php file and add the following line of code:
define( ‘WP_MEMORY_LIMIT’, ‘256M’ );
This will increase your PHP memory limit to 256MB, which should be enough to fix the WordPress White Screen of Death.
#Check Your Server and Database
If increasing your PHP memory limit doesn’t fix the issue, the next step is to check your server and database. You can do this by contacting your hosting provider or checking your server logs for errors. If your database is corrupted, you may need to restore it from a backup.
#Enable Debug Mode
If nothing helps so far, then the next you need to do is to turn on debugging in WordPress. This will allow you to see what kind of error is being outputted.
Simply, add the following code to your wp-config.php file.
define( ‘WP_DEBUG’, true);
define( ‘WP_DEBUG_LOG’, true );
Once you add it, the blank screen will now show the errors, warnings, and notifications. These can help you determine the root cause.
If you don’t see any errors, you may still want to check the debug log. Go to your website’s wp-content folder using an FTP client. There you will find a new debug.log file containing a log of all errors, notices, and warnings
#Clear WordPress Cache
Sometimes, you may have access to the WordPress admin dashboard, but the front end of the site shows the white screen of death. This can be caused by a caching plugin. Just empty your cache. Here’s: How to clear the cache in WordPress.
#Fixing Longer Articles
If you only see a white screen of death error on a very long post or page, then this little trick might work. This trick increases PHP’s text processing capabilities by increasing the recursion and backtrack limits. You can paste the following code into your wp-config.php file.
/** Trick for long posts */
ini_set(‘pcre.recursion_limit’,20000000);
ini_set(‘pcre.backtrack_limit’,10000000);
#Reinstall WordPress Core Files
If none of the above steps fix the issue, the final step is to reinstall your WordPress core files. To do this, you can download a fresh copy of WordPress from the official website and replace your existing WordPress files with new ones. Make sure to back up your files and database before doing this, as it can sometimes cause data loss. Here’s how to do it:
- Download the latest version of WordPress from WordPress.org.
- Unzip the files on your computer.
- Using an FTP client, connect to your website’s server.
- Navigate to the directory where WordPress is installed on your server (most of the time public_html).
- Rename the wp-admin and wp-includes folders to something else, like wp-admin-old and wp-includes-old.
- Upload the new wp-admin and wp-includes folders from the unzipped WordPress files to your server.
- Don’t upload the wp-content folder, as this contains your site’s themes and plugins and should not be overwritten.
- Once the upload is complete, try accessing your website again.
If replacing the core files doesn’t fix the issue, you may need to reinstall WordPress entirely.
Conclusion
We hope you already understand how to fix the WordPress white screen of death.
The WordPress White Screen of Death can be a frustrating and confusing issue to deal with, but it’s also one that can be fixed with a little bit of troubleshooting. By following the steps outlined in this article, you should be able to diagnose and fix the issue and get your site back up and running again. Remember to always back up your files and database before making any changes, and consider reaching out to Softxaa Tech Support Team if you need additional help.
