As a WordPress user, you might have encountered different issues. One of these most common and frustrating errors is the WordPress white screen of death. You are annoyed because there is no error note, yet you got locked out of WordPress. This error can also damage some parts of the website. In some cases, the white screen of death error will only be in the WordPress admin area. However, on several occasions, everything else on your website will work fine, and a specific post will depict this error.
Why does WordPress White Screen of Death Occur?
The question is, what can cause this error? In most cases, database and PHP errors are the leading cause of this problem. An unresponsive script that gets interrupted or times out by the WordPress hosting server can also create the white screen of death error. In some instances, faulty configured theme installation, incompatible plugins, and memory issues can be the reason for this error. Either way, this error can reduce the speed of your website.
You can learn how to fix this error from the different steps mentioned in this article.
Try Emptying the Browser Cache
Certain websites use browsers to save the files locally, reducing the load time. The term used for this kind of activity is called browser caching. Browser caching can produce errors if the storage contains outdated files. To clear the browser cache, you can use any WordPress plugin. This won’t be a hard step, as your chosen plugin will contain a visible option for this sort of activity.
When you are done clearing the cache, see if your website is responsive or not. If not, don’t worry; there are plenty of other solutions for such errors.
Deactivate your Plugins
Sometimes, the plugins you are using cause several errors on your website. There might be some compatibility issues with such plugins on your website. To resolve this issue, you must deactivate all plugins and then reactivate them all one by one. You can also take other steps if you have access to the administrator account.
- First, select Plugins from your administrator dashboard and then go to the Installed Plugins.
- Second, you have to check the box right next to the plugin; this will select all plugins that you are using.
- Third, select Deactivate from the Bulk Actions drop-down, then click the Apply option.
- Finally, reopen your website and see if the issue is fixed or not. If the problem is resolved, you can now reactivate all plugins one after the other. Try reloading your website after each plugin activation to find the defective plugin.
Disable the Outdated WordPress Theme
WordPress theme can be another problem that conflicts with your plugins. You need to make sure that you are not using an out-of-date theme. In numerous cases, website themes are improperly installed because of corrupted files. Solving this problem is relatively easy. All you have to do is replace your installed WordPress theme with the default one.
You can access the theme by selecting Appearance and then Themes from your WordPress dashboard. If the website has a white screen of death error, this step can fix the error for you.
Adjust the Server’s Memory Limit
Your installed plugin runs various scripts on the WordPress website, which uses your server’s memory each time. These scripts can reduce your website speed. To avoid this, WordPress establishes a specific memory limit on the plugins. If your hands require a little more memory than the set limit, you will face the white screen of death error.
However, resolving this problem is relatively easy. You just have to tell WordPress to increase the plugin memory. Start by logging into the server by SFTP. After that, identify and open the folder public_html and find the location of the wp-config.php file. Right-click on your wp-config.php option and select the View/Edit option. Then, scroll down to the bottom and instruct WordPress to apply 64 megabytes of memory for all plugin scripts by this code define (‘WP_MEMORY_LIMIT, ’64 M’);
Revisit your website to see if the error has been fixed or not.
Look for the problems in WordPress Error Logs
Changing any code in the WordPress backend can sometimes create errors such as typos in source files. If that is the case, the problem might arise from such minor issues. To eliminate such problems, check your WordPress error log. The error log will also identify the specifics of a problem. You can also find a debugging tool that can troubleshoot such minor issues.
The debugging tool is often disabled by default. So, you need to access it and enable it to get rid of the White Screen of Death. If none of these steps fix your website, just use the recent backup to restore your files.
Conclusion
Minor errors on your business website can cost you customers if you don’t fix the problems immediately. Suppose you are a small business owner and have created a new business website. In that case, you need some assistance to resolve these problems. Building a website or blog with WordPress is more straightforward, but you must learn how it works. If dealing with WordPress problems is too difficult for you, ask for professional help. Contact us for professional WordPress services to fix and troubleshoot problems in your business website.
Outsource to Convex Studio
Convex Studio can help you establish the best website for your new business venture. We can also resolve the glitches, fix the WordPress white screen of death error, and resume your business website’s smooth working.