Solving White screen of death in Wordpress

How to Fix the White Screen of Death in WordPress

The White Screen of Death (WSOD) is one of the most frustrating issues in WordPress. It leaves you staring at a blank screen without any error messages, making it hard to know what went wrong.

But don’t worry! In this guide, I’ll walk you through simple, step-by-step solutions to fix the WordPress White Screen of Death.

What Causes the White Screen of Death?

Before we jump into the fixes, let’s understand what causes WSOD. Some of the common reasons include:

• Plugin conflicts – A faulty or incompatible plugin can break your site.
• Theme issues – A problematic theme can cause the site to stop displaying.
• PHP errors – Outdated or incorrect PHP code can trigger a blank screen.
• Memory limit exceeded – Your site may be using more resources than allowed.
• Corrupt files – Corrupt WordPress files can lead to a white screen.

How to Fix the White Screen of Death

1. Check for Plugin Conflicts

Since plugins are a common cause of WSOD, the first step is to disable them.

Steps:

• Log in to your hosting account and go to File Manager.
• Navigate to wp-content and find the plugins folder.
• Rename the plugins folder to plugins_old. This deactivates all plugins.
• Check your site. If it works, rename the folder back to plugins and activate plugins one by one.
• Delete or replace the plugin causing the issue.

2. Switch to a Default WordPress Theme

If the issue persists, your theme might be the problem.

Steps:

• Go to wp-content/themes in File Manager.
• Rename your active theme’s folder to something like theme_old.
• WordPress will automatically switch to a default theme like Twenty Twenty-Four.
• If your site works, your theme is the issue.
• Update or replace the theme.

3. Increase PHP Memory Limit

If your site is hitting the memory limit, increasing it can help.

Steps:

• In File Manager, find the wp-config.php file.
• Edit it and add the following line before /* That's all, stop editing! */:

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

• Save the file and refresh your site.
• If it works, the issue was due to a low memory limit.

4. Enable Debug Mode

WordPress has a debug mode that can help identify errors.

Steps:

• Edit wp-config.php and add these lines:

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

• Check the wp-content/debug.log file to see error messages.

5. Restore a Backup

If nothing works, restoring a backup can save you time.

Steps:

• Use your hosting’s backup tool or a plugin like UpdraftPlus.
• Restore your website to a previous working state.

Final Thoughts

The White Screen of Death can be scary, but it’s fixable. Start by checking plugins and themes, then move on to debugging and increasing memory. If all else fails, restoring a backup is the best option.

Have you faced WSOD before? Let me know in the comments!