Back to Community
Home / Community / Core → Fixing wordpress

Troubleshooting the Dreaded WordPress Critical Error: A Step-by-Step Guide

19 threads Sep 26, 2025 Core → Fixing wordpress

Content

Encountering the "There has been a critical error on this website" message can be a heart-stopping moment for any WordPress site owner. It's a vague error that can stem from a multitude of issues, leaving you locked out of your dashboard and unsure of where to start. Based on common community reports, this guide will walk you through the most effective methods to diagnose and resolve this critical error.

Why Does This Critical Error Happen?

WordPress displays this generic message to avoid showing potentially sensitive server error details to the public. The root cause is almost always one of the following:

  • Plugin Conflict: A plugin update or new installation contains code that causes a fatal PHP error.
  • Theme Conflict: Your active theme (or its recent update) is incompatible with your current version of WordPress or a plugin.
  • Corrupted Core File: A file from WordPress itself, or a theme/plugin, did not upload completely or became corrupted.
  • Server Environment Change: Your web host may have updated the PHP version or a server module, causing compatibility issues.

Step 1: Enable Debugging to Find the Root Cause

The first step is to uncover the specific error message hidden behind the generic warning. You can do this by enabling WordPress debugging.

  1. Access your website's files using an FTP client or your hosting provider's file manager.
  2. Navigate to the root directory of your WordPress installation and locate the wp-config.php file.
  3. Edit this file and look for the line that says define('WP_DEBUG', false);.
  4. Replace that line with the following code: 
    define('WP_DEBUG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false);
  5. Save the file and upload it back to your server if necessary.

Now, when you reload your website, the error will be logged to a file called debug.log inside the /wp-content/ directory. This log file will contain the specific PHP error that is causing the crash. If you are uncomfortable editing this file, your hosting provider's support team can often assist you.

Step 2: The Quick Fix - Deactivate All Plugins

If you cannot access your dashboard, you can deactivate plugins manually.

  1. Via FTP/File Manager, navigate to the /wp-content/ folder.
  2. Rename the plugins folder to plugins.deactivate.
  3. This will instantly deactivate all plugins on your site. If the error disappears, you know a plugin was the culprit.
  4. Rename the folder back to plugins.
  5. To identify the problematic plugin, rename the folder again to plugins.deactivate, then create a new folder called plugins. Reactivate your plugins one by one by moving them from the plugins.deactivate folder into the new plugins folder, checking your site after each move.

Step 3: Switch to a Default Theme

If deactivating plugins doesn't resolve the issue, the problem may lie with your theme.

  1. Via FTP/File Manager, navigate to /wp-content/themes/.
  2. Rename the folder of your currently active theme. This will force WordPress to fall back to a default theme like Twenty Twenty-Four.
  3. Check your site. If it loads correctly, you'll need to contact your theme's support for assistance or find a compatible version.

Step 4: As a Last Resort - Check with Your Host

As seen in community threads, sometimes the issue is server-related. Your hosting provider may have tools in their admin panel to disable plugins or increase PHP memory limits. If the steps above have not worked, contacting your host's support team is a recommended next step. They can check server error logs and confirm that your server environment meets WordPress's requirements.

By systematically following these steps, you can move from a state of panic to a clear path for resolving the critical error and getting your website back online.

Related Support Threads Support