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Troubleshooting MailPoet Critical Errors After Plugin Updates

31 threads Sep 16, 2025

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Experiencing a critical error or 'white screen of death' after updating the MailPoet plugin is a frustrating but common issue reported by users. This guide will help you understand why these crashes happen and walk you through the most effective steps to get your site back online.

Why Do Critical Errors Occur After an Update?

Critical errors are often the result of a conflict or an incomplete update process. Based on community reports, the most frequent causes include:

  • Plugin or Theme Conflicts: A new feature or code change in the updated MailPoet version can become incompatible with another active plugin or your theme.
  • Incomplete Update: The plugin files may not have downloaded or installed correctly due to a brief connection hiccup or server permissions issue.
  • Cached Code: Old, cached versions of the plugin's files might be served by your site or a caching plugin, conflicting with the new update.
  • Outdated Dependencies: The update may require a newer version of PHP that your server is not yet running.

Step-by-Step Troubleshooting Guide

Step 1: Regain Access to Your Website

If your site is completely down, you'll need to access it without using the WordPress admin area.

  • Via Your Hosting File Manager: Navigate to the wp-content/plugins directory and rename the mailpoet folder to something like mailpoet_deactivate. This will forcibly deactivate the plugin and should restore access to your WordPress admin dashboard. You can then rename it back to mailpoet to attempt reactivation.
  • Via FTP/SFTP: Connect to your site using an FTP client and rename the plugin folder as described above.

Step 2: Run a Conflict Test

This is the most crucial step for identifying the root cause.

  1. Deactivate all other plugins except MailPoet.
  2. Switch your theme to a default WordPress theme like Twenty Twenty-Four.
  3. Check if the error persists. If the site works normally, you have a conflict. Reactivate your plugins one by one, checking your site after each, to identify the culprit. Finally, switch back to your theme to test it.

Step 3: Clear All Caches

Cached data can cause conflicts. Clear the following:

  • Your WordPress caching plugins (e.g., WP Rocket, W3 Total Cache).
  • Your server-level or hosting cache (check your hosting control panel or contact your host).
  • Your browser cache.

Step 4: Check for a Specific Error Message

WordPress often sends an email to the site administrator's address with details about a critical error. Check your inbox for an email from WordPress with a specific error message or a stack trace. This information is invaluable for pinpointing the exact issue.

Step 5: Reinstall the Plugin

If the update was incomplete, a fresh install can often resolve the issue.

  1. In your WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins.
  2. Deactivate and delete the MailPoet plugin. Do not worry; this will not delete your subscriber lists, emails, or settings, as they are stored in your database.
  3. Go to Plugins > Add New and reinstall MailPoet from the WordPress repository.
  4. Activate the plugin.

Step 6: Verify Your System Environment

Ensure your server meets the plugin's minimum requirements. Navigate to MailPoet > Help > System Status and verify that your PHP version is compatible. The MailPoet team recommends running PHP 7.4 or higher for optimal performance and security.

When to Seek Further Help

If you have tried all the steps above and the issue continues, the problem may be more complex. Before seeking help from the community or the plugin's official channels, gather the following information from MailPoet > Help > System Info, as this is commonly requested to diagnose tricky issues.

By methodically working through these steps, you can usually resolve post-update critical errors and restore functionality to your site.

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