❌ My Site is Down / Blank Screen (White Screen of Death)
✔ Possible Causes: Plugin/theme conflicts, PHP errors, memory limits.
Step-by-Step Fix:
1. Check if Your Hosting Server is Down
- Visit Down for Everyone or Just Me to check if your website is actually down.
- Log into your hosting control panel and check for server errors or suspensions.
2. Disable Plugins via FTP
- Connect to your website using FTP (via FileZilla) or File Manager in cPanel.
- Go to wp-content/plugins and rename the plugins folder to
plugins-old.
- Try loading your website again. If it works, rename the folder back to
plugins and disable plugins one by one.
3. Switch to a Default Theme
- Navigate to wp-content/themes/ and rename your active theme’s folder (e.g.,
theme-old).
- WordPress will switch to a default theme like Twenty Twenty-Four automatically.
4. Increase PHP Memory Limit
- Open
wp-config.php and add this line before /* That's all, stop editing! */:
define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M');
5. Enable Debug Mode to See Errors
define('WP_DEBUG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false);
- Refresh your site, then check wp-content/debug.log for errors.
🐌 My Site is Slow
✔ Possible Causes: Bloated plugins, unoptimized images, slow hosting, excessive scripts.
Step-by-Step Fix:
1. Check Your Site Speed
2. Optimize Images
- Install Smush or ShortPixel to compress images.
- Convert images to WebP format for better performance.
3. Enable Caching
- Install WP Rocket (premium) or WP Fastest Cache (free).
4. Reduce External Scripts & Remove Unused Plugins
- Deactivate unused plugins and remove them.
- Use Asset Cleanup to disable unused CSS/JS on specific pages.
5. Upgrade Hosting if Necessary
- Shared hosting can be slow—consider Cloudways, Kinsta, or SiteGround for better performance.
🔒 I’m Locked Out of WordPress (Admin Login Issues)
✔ Possible Causes: Incorrect password, plugin conflicts, database corruption.
Step-by-Step Fix:
1. Reset Password via Email
- Go to the login page (
/wp-admin) and click "Lost your password?"
2. Reset Password via Database (PHPMyAdmin Method)
- Log into cPanel → Open PHPMyAdmin → Select your database.
- Find the wp_users table → Click Edit on your admin user.
- In the user_pass field, enter a new password and set the function to
MD5.
3. Disable Security Plugins via FTP
- Some security plugins may block admin access.
- Connect via FTP, go to wp-content/plugins, and rename your security plugin folder (e.g.,
wordfence-old).
⚠ I See an Error Message on My Site
✔ Possible Causes: PHP errors, plugin conflicts, syntax mistakes.
Step-by-Step Fix:
1. Identify the Error Message
- Common errors:
- 500 Internal Server Error → Check
.htaccess, increase PHP memory.
- Error Establishing Database Connection → Verify database details in
wp-config.php.
- 403 Forbidden → Check file permissions.
2. Check Your Error Logs
- Enable debugging in
wp-config.php:
define('WP_DEBUG', true); define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true); define('WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false);
- Check wp-content/debug.log for error messages.
3. Disable the Problem Plugin or Theme
- Use FTP to rename the suspected plugin/theme folder.
4. Restore from a Backup
- If nothing works, restore your site from a recent backup.
🔄 My Site is Stuck in Maintenance Mode
✔ Possible Cause: Failed WordPress update.
Step-by-Step Fix:
1. Delete the .maintenance File
- Connect via FTP or File Manager in cPanel.
- Go to the root directory (
public_html).
- Delete the .maintenance file.
2. Manually Update WordPress
- Download the latest WordPress core files from wordpress.org.
- Upload & overwrite wp-admin and wp-includes folders via FTP.
🔧 Plugins or Themes Are Not Working Correctly
✔ Possible Causes: Plugin conflicts, outdated themes, PHP version issues.
Step-by-Step Fix:
1. Check for Plugin Conflicts
- Deactivate all plugins.
- Reactivate them one by one to identify the faulty one.
2. Update Plugins, Themes & WordPress Core
- Ensure everything is updated to the latest version.
3. Check PHP Version
- Some plugins require PHP 7.4 or higher.
- Update PHP in cPanel > MultiPHP Manager.
4. Clear Cache & Browser Data
- Use WP Rocket or Clear Cache via Hosting Panel.
🚫 Images, Links, or Content Aren’t Displaying Properly
✔ Possible Causes: Broken links, incorrect file paths, caching issues.
Step-by-Step Fix:
1. Check for Broken Links
- Install Broken Link Checker plugin and scan your site.
2. Regenerate Thumbnails
- Use Regenerate Thumbnails plugin if images aren’t appearing properly.
3. Disable Lazy Loading
- Some themes or caching plugins lazy load images incorrectly.
- Disable lazy loading in WP Rocket or your theme settings.
4. Check Image File Permissions
- Go to wp-content/uploads, right-click on an image, and ensure permissions are 755 or 644.
🛠 Other Issues (General Troubleshooting Guide)
✔ Possible Causes: Various issues related to WordPress updates, server configurations, or custom code conflicts.
Step-by-Step Fix:
1. Enable Debug Mode to Identify the Issue
- In
wp-config.php, enable debugging by adding:
define('WP_DEBUG', true); define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true); define('WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false);
- Check
wp-content/debug.log for error messages.
2. Try Deactivating Plugins
- Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins in your WordPress dashboard.
- Deactivate all plugins and check if the issue is resolved.
- Reactivate them one by one to identify the problematic one.
3. Switch to a Default Theme
- Temporarily switch to Twenty Twenty-Four to check if the issue is theme-related.
4. Check for Hosting or Database Issues
- Log in to your hosting control panel and check for error logs.
- If the site is not loading, restart PHP or contact your hosting provider.
5. Restore from a Backup
- If the issue persists, restore your site from a recent backup.
