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WordPress White Screen of Death (WSOD): Complete Troubleshooting Guide

Troubleshooting Common WordPress Issues- A Comprehensive Guide

The WordPress White Screen of Death (WSOD) is one of the most dreaded issues website owners face. It’s a situation where your WordPress site displays nothing but a blank white screen, leaving you unable to access even the admin dashboard. Don’t panic – this comprehensive guide will walk you through understanding and fixing the WSOD.

What is the White Screen of Death?

The WSOD occurs when PHP encounters a fatal error but error reporting is disabled or suppressed. Instead of showing the error message, your browser displays a blank white page. This can happen on your entire site or just specific pages, including the admin area.

Common Causes of WSOD:

PHP Memory Limit Issues

  • Insufficient memory allocation
  • Resource-intensive plugins or themes
  • Large media file processing

Plugin Conflicts

  • Incompatible plugin versions
  • Multiple plugins conflicting
  • Poorly coded plugins


Theme Issues

  • Corrupt theme files
  • PHP syntax errors
  • Incompatible theme functions


Corrupt WordPress Core Files

  • Incomplete updates
  • Server file permissions
  • Failed file transfers

 

Step-by-Step Troubleshooting:

1. Enable WordPress Debug Mode

  • Access your wp-config.php file via FTP
  • Add the debug code before the line that says “/* That’s all, stop editing! */”
  • Check your site and look for error messages
  • Also check the debug.log file in wp-content folder
// Add these lines to wp-config.php
define('WP_DEBUG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', true);

 

2. Increase PHP Memory Limit

// Add to wp-config.php
define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M');

// Alternative: Add to php.ini or create .htaccess
php_value memory_limit 256M

If you’re using a managed WordPress host, contact their support to increase the limit.

3. Deactivate All Plugins

  • Connect to your site via FTP
  • Navigate to wp-content/plugins
  • Rename the plugins folder to “plugins_old”
  • Check if your site works
  • If it works, rename back to “plugins”
  • Activate plugins one by one to find the culprit

4. Switch to a Default Theme

Using phpmyadmin/database,

// Via MySQL:
UPDATE wp_options SET option_value = 'twentytwentythree' 
WHERE option_name = 'template' 
OR option_name = 'stylesheet';

Alternatively via FTP:

  • Navigate to wp-content/themes
  • Rename your current theme’s folder
  • WordPress will automatically switch to the default theme

5. Check Correct WordPress file permissions:

Directories: 755 (drwxr-xr-x)
Files: 644 (-rw-r--r--)

# Using FTP or SSH:
find /path/to/wordpress -type d -exec chmod 755 {} \;
find /path/to/wordpress -type f -exec chmod 644 {} \;

 

6. Verify Core Files

  • Download a fresh copy of WordPress
  • Delete everything except wp-content and wp-config.php
  • Upload fresh WordPress files
  • This replaces potentially corrupted core files

7. Check Server Logs

Common locations:

  • /var/log/apache2/error.log (Apache)
  • /var/log/nginx/error.log (Nginx)
  • Check your hosting control panel for log access

Preventive Measures:

  1. Regular Backups
  • Maintain daily backups of files and database
  • Use reliable backup plugins or hosting services
  • Test backup restoration periodically
  1. Safe Update Practices
  • Back up before updates
  • Update themes and plugins in a staging environment
  • Keep local development copies
  1. Performance Monitoring
  • Monitor PHP memory usage
  • Track server resource utilization
  • Use performance monitoring tools
  1. Quality Plugins
  • Use reputable plugins
  • Keep plugins updated
  • Remove unused plugins
  1. Development Best Practices
  • Use a staging environment
  • Implement version control
  • Follow WordPress coding standards

 

Emergency Recovery Steps:

If nothing else works:

  1. Access via FTP
  2. Create a backup
  3. Download wp-content folder
  4. Fresh WordPress installation
  5. Restore wp-content
  6. Restore database if needed

Contact Your Host If:

  • Server logs show hosting-related issues
  • You need PHP settings modified
  • File permissions can’t be changed
  • Database access is restricted

Tools for Troubleshooting:

  1. FTP Client (FileZilla, Cyberduck)
  2. Text Editor (VSCode, Sublime)
  3. Database Manager (phpMyAdmin)
  4. Browser Developer Tools
  5. Server Log Analyzer

Remember: Always back up your site before making any changes, and if you’re not comfortable with code, contact a WordPress developer or your hosting provider for assistance.

Need more help? Drop a comment below with your specific WSOD situation, and I’ll help you troubleshoot it.

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