WordPress white screen or 500 error

Symptoms

• The site shows a blank white page, or "500 Internal Server Error".
• The admin dashboard fails to open, but parts of the site may still load.
• The problem started after an update, a plugin change or a theme change.

Common causes

• A plugin or theme conflicts with the current PHP version.
• The memory limit is too low for the application.
• A corrupt .htaccess file, or a file with wrong permissions.
• A database connection problem, or a damaged wp-config.php file.

Safe initial checks

1. Make a backup of the files and the database before you change anything. See Website backups.
2. Check the error log in the hosting panel. See Resource usage and logs.
3. Test the database connection. See Database connection failed.

Step-by-step solutions

1. Plugin or theme conflict. Rename the plugin folder under wp-content/plugins to disable all plugins, then enable them one at a time to find the cause.
2. PHP version mismatch. Select a PHP version supported by the application. See PHP and applications.
3. Memory limit. Raise the PHP memory limit within your plan's allowance, or ask support if the value is capped.
4. Corrupt .htaccess. Rename the file, and let the application create a new one from its permalink settings.
5. Permissions. Set folders and files to the standard values. See File permission problems.

How to confirm the issue is fixed

• The home page and the admin dashboard both load without errors.
• The error log shows no new fatal errors.

When to contact support

Contact support if the backup is in place, the logs show a server-side fault, and the error continues after the steps above.

Information to include in a support ticket

• The WordPress and PHP versions, and the last change made.
• The relevant lines from the error log.

Related articles

• PHP version incompatible
• Database connection failed
• File permission problems
• PHP and applications

Last reviewed

2026-10-27