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Fix WordPress White Screen of Death

WordPress troubleshooting

The White Screen of Death (WSOD) is when your WordPress site shows a blank page or a generic “critical error” message. It usually means a PHP fatal error triggered by:

  • A plugin update
  • A theme update
  • PHP version change
  • Memory exhaustion
  • Corrupt cache or a broken include file

This guide is panel-neutral: it works on both cPanel and Enhance hosting.

Step 1: Confirm what is broken

Check: - Frontend: https://yourdomain.com/ - Admin: https://yourdomain.com/wp-admin/

If only admin is broken, it’s often a plugin or theme issue. If both are blank, treat it as a fatal error or memory problem.

Step 2: Disable plugins (fastest win)

If you have File Manager or FTP access:

  1. Open your site files and go to: - wp-content/
  2. Rename: - plugins → plugins.off

Reload your website.

If the site loads, a plugin is the cause.

Bring plugins back safely

  1. Create a new folder: plugins
  2. Move plugins from plugins.off/ into the new plugins/ one-by-one
  3. Reload after each move

You’ll catch the offender immediately.

Step 3: Switch to a default theme

If disabling plugins didn’t help:

  1. Go to wp-content/themes/
  2. Rename your active theme folder (example: mytheme → mytheme.off)
  3. Ensure you have a default theme available (example: twentytwentyfour)

Reload the site.

Step 4: Increase PHP memory

WSOD can be pure memory exhaustion.

Option A: wp-config.php

Edit wp-config.php and add:

define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M');
define('WP_MAX_MEMORY_LIMIT', '512M');

Option B: Control panel PHP settings

  • In cPanel: use MultiPHP INI Editor or Select PHP Version
  • In Enhance: adjust PHP settings for the website (if exposed in your plan)

Reload and test.

Step 5: Turn on debug logging (temporary)

Edit wp-config.php and set:

define('WP_DEBUG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false);

Reproduce the issue and then check:

  • wp-content/debug.log

If the log points to a plugin/theme file, that’s your root cause.

Warning

Turn WP_DEBUG off after you’re done. Debugging is for diagnosis, not day-to-day production.

Step 6: Clear caches

If the site is blank only after changes:

  • Clear WordPress cache plugin (if you can access admin)
  • Delete cache folders (only if you know what you're doing):
  • wp-content/cache/
  • Purge CDN cache (Cloudflare, etc)

Step 7: Database quick checks (rare but real)

If the site loads partially or admin throws DB-related errors:

  • Confirm database credentials in wp-config.php
  • Run WordPress database repair (advanced):

Add temporarily to wp-config.php:

define('WP_ALLOW_REPAIR', true);

Then visit: - /wp-admin/maint/repair.php

Remove the line when finished.

Summary

WSOD is usually a plugin/theme crash or memory issue. Fix in this order: disable plugins → switch theme → increase memory → enable debug.log → clear caches → database checks.