How to Fix the WordPress White Screen of Death

Staring at the blank website pages is annoying. It is also not so good for business. But, you don’t have to be demotivated as white screen of death is a common phenomenon often faced by WordPress website users.

Why it happens all the time? There are several reasons behind WordPress White Screen Death. For the 70% cases, it is found either plugins error or exhausted memory limit is causing this trouble. So far, we have detected 10 possible solutions to fix WordPress White Screen of Death.

The solutions discussed here could be tried by both “tech” and “non-tech” people. However, there is still an option to use WordPress support services or seek similar professional help.

How to Fix the WordPress White Screen of Death

1. Use a backdoor to Reach Admin Panel

The first concerned thing should be gaining access to admin panel. If you have an access to the admin panel then it is well and good. Otherwise, you will need a backdoor, such as an FTP client to access the admin panel.

Transmit and Filezilla is two popular FTP clients we recommend to you.

2. Disable Plugins

Bad plugins are the usual culprit of this issue. Sometimes bad plugins, not updated plugins, and or plugins from unauthorized sources can lead to White Screen of Death. If this is the case, you have to access to the admin and deactivate al of the plugins at once. If it resolves the issue, take your time and activate one by one plugin to detect the faulty one.

3. Back to the Default Theme

Sometimes, installation of an incompatible theme can cause the white screen of death issue. To resolve this issue you can replace the current theme with a default one. To do so, you have to access admin panel and select “Themes” from Appearance menu and activate any other theme or default one.

If changing the theme resolves your issue, then you have to change the previously selected theme or check into the code, if there is anything missing.

4. Missing or Renamed Theme Directory

Missing from theme directory or renamed of theme directory could happen while cloning the database. This might as well lead to the white screen of death.

To solve this issue, get access to your admin area and you may recognize theme directory may not exist. So, install the default theme or download a fresh one to retrieve the site.

5. WordPress Debugging

If the common tricks like plugin or theme removal have not worked, then you may need some genuine help. We suggest you switch to the debugging system.

How? Just open the wp-config.php file of the site and you will find:

[mkdf_custom_font content_custom_font=”define( ‘WP_DEBUG’, false )” custom_font_tag=”h2″ font_family=”Courier New” font_size=”” line_height=”” font_style=”normal” text_align=”left” font_weight=”” color=”Red” text_decoration=”none” letter_spacing=””]

replace “false” with “true” and now you will find the white page is filled up with information like what is the issue with a clear note of who is causing the trouble.

6.Increase Memory Limits

When allotted memory limits are exhausted, it could result in white screen death. To extend memory limit open the wp-config.php file and add the following code:

[mkdf_custom_font content_custom_font=”define( ‘define( ‘WP_MEMORY_LIMIT’, ‘64M’);” custom_font_tag=”h2″ font_family=”Courier New” font_size=”” line_height=”” font_style=”normal” text_align=”left” font_weight=”” color=”Red” text_decoration=”none” letter_spacing=””]

If this trick doesn’t work, then you can add following code to your .htaccess file:

[mkdf_custom_font content_custom_font=”Php_value memory_limit 64M” custom_font_tag=”h2″ font_family=”Courier New” font_size=”” line_height=”” font_style=”normal” text_align=”left” font_weight=”” color=”Red” text_decoration=”none” letter_spacing=””]

In case, if you do not have the .htaccess file, you have the option to open php.ini file and add the following code:

[mkdf_custom_font content_custom_font=”Memory_limit = 64M” custom_font_tag=”h2″ font_family=”Courier New” font_size=”” line_height=”” font_style=”normal” text_align=”left” font_weight=”” color=”Red” text_decoration=”none” letter_spacing=””]

7. Failed Auto-Update

Auto update is a remarkable feature of WordPress. Sometimes, unwanted interruption in auto-update process can cause White Screen of Death issue.

To fix this issue, open the root directory and look for a .maintenance file. If you encounter .maintenance file, delete it promptly. If you are frequently facing auto-update issues, we will suggest you switch into manual update process.

8. File Permission Troubles

The chances of causing white screen of death due to file permission issues are rare. But, it is always good to learn something advanced.

With SSH access to the server, you may apply WordPress rules using following commands:

sudo find . -type f -exec chmod 664 {} +
sudo find . -type d -exec chmod 775 {} +
sudo chmod 660 wp-config.php

[mkdf_custom_font content_custom_font=”sudo find . -type f -exec chmod 664 {} +” custom_font_tag=”h2″ font_family=”Courier New” font_size=”” line_height=”” font_style=”normal” text_align=”left” font_weight=”” color=”Red” text_decoration=”none” letter_spacing=””]

[mkdf_custom_font content_custom_font=”sudo find . -type d -exec chmod 775 {} +” custom_font_tag=”h2″ font_family=”Courier New” font_size=”” line_height=”” font_style=”normal” text_align=”left” font_weight=”” color=”Red” text_decoration=”none” letter_spacing=””]

[mkdf_custom_font content_custom_font=”sudo chmod 660 wp-config.php” custom_font_tag=”h2″ font_family=”Courier New” font_size=”” line_height=”” font_style=”normal” text_align=”left” font_weight=”” color=”Red” text_decoration=”none” letter_spacing=””]

If working with code make you feel scared, take some professional help from WordPress service providers.

9. Hosting Issues

Poor hosting systems or shared hosting system could lead to the white screen of death. In shared servers, many sites fight for resources. In this case, try to maximize memory limit by adding following code to wp-config.php:

[mkdf_custom_font content_custom_font=”define( ‘WP_MEMORY_LIMIT’, ‘64M’); ” custom_font_tag=”h2″ font_family=”Courier New” font_size=”” line_height=”” font_style=”normal” text_align=”left” font_weight=”” color=”Red” text_decoration=”none” letter_spacing=””]

But, our best suggestion is to switch the hosting provider.

10.The site is Hacked

Hackers are another reason for white screen of death. Well, his is not a very common reason, but when you are unable to detect the real issue, you may need to consider this option also.

In this case, we are sorry to admit that there is no definite way to fix a hacked site.

Thought Summary

White screen of death is not as terrifying as it looks like but it is not good either. Always check your site whether it is showing a white screen, it is definitely not good for UX or your business. You can try all of the 10 methods to resolve this issue without paying extra bucks to any WP service providers.

Let us know if you need further clarification on any step.

About Post Author

HTP Team

HTP is a blog which provide free information and tips.HTP specially build to gives users to tutorials on how to use WordPress plugins.We also review WordPress plugin and show you exact ratings of WordPress plugins.

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