If you’re using WordPress for a long time, then you may have come across the term “White Screen Of Death” (WSOD). This is one of the worst errors that a beginner can make and get into deep trouble. Following some steps, this error can be fixed. Today we’ll go through the possible ways to Fix White Screen Of Death error in WordPress.
First let’s have a look at why this problem occurs. The WSOD can be caused for a couple of reasons. Probable reasons are listed below.
- Poor memory limit
- Incompatibility between Themes or Plugins
- Syntax error
In five steps, we’ll try to Fix White Screen Of Death issue.
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Increase Memory Limits
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Disable Themes and Plugins.
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Fix in Syntax Errors
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Enable Debug Mode.
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Check File Permission.
1. Increase Memory Limits
Most of the time, we use a shared hosting server that is given lower memory to function properly for a wide range of plugins or themes. Then the exhausted memory causes this problem.
To resolve this problem, you need to increase the memory. Locate your wp-config.php file using your FTP manager and edit it. Add the code given below to the file.
define(‘WP_MEMORY_LIMIT’, ‘64M’);
If this doesn’t resolve the problem, you can increase the memory limit through the.htaccess file that is in your site’s root directory. Simply add the following line in your .htaccess file.
php_value memory_limit 64M
If you have an issue with poor memory, I hope this’ll Fix White Screen Of Death issue.
2. Disable Themes and Plugins
Sometimes this problem may cause incompatibility of themes or plugins. To find the culprits, you’ve got to do the following:
First of all, deactivate all your themes installed in WordPress and refresh the page where the problem occurs. See whether the problems are fixed or not. If it is OK, then the problem lies in your themes. To find the individual theme causing the problem, activate your theme one by one. If the White Screen Of Death occurs again, then the theme is responsible for causing the error.
After you find the accused theme for the error, you can contact its developer to solve this issue.
The same problem may lie in a specific plugin. Solve for this issue is the same as for the theme. Follow those steps to find the theme responsible for the error.
3. Fix in Syntax Errors
If you use a poorly coded theme or plugin, that may also cause the White Screen Of Death to occur. When there is a character that is less or more than what it demands, then the error occurs. If the error is related to wp-config.php or functions.php, then find the associated file by FTP manager and look into it if there is a blank line before opening or after closing a PHP tag. After deleting those blank lines and saving the file, reload the page. I hope this will fix the issue if it relates to the syntax error.
4. Enable Debug Mode
If you failed to detect the problem, enable the WP_DEBUG feature to find it. Open your wp-config.php file through the FTP manager once again and add the line below.
define('WP_DEBUG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false);
Save the file and reload the page. Now you will be given a clue as to where the problem is hidden. Locate that file and if you are familiar with coding a bit, then resolve the issue.
5. Check File Permission
If all the attempts go in vain, then check your file permissions. A wrong file permission may cause this error. Check and reconfigure your file if it has any issues. For instance,
- Change File Permission value to 644
- Folder Permission value set to 755
We know that this is one of the most confusing errors in WordPress. But we hope that one of the solutions above will help you to Fix White Screen Of Death of WordPress error. If you find this article useful, stay tuned to the Code Astrology blog.