How to Fix Common WordPress Errors — 500, White Screen, Database & More

How to Fix Common WordPress Errors

WordPress errors can appear suddenly and leave your site inaccessible. This guide covers the most frequent problems — 500 Internal Server Error, White Screen of Death, database connection failures, and admin lockouts — and shows you how to fix each one.

500 Internal Server Error

A 500 error means something on the server went wrong but the server can't be more specific. The most common causes in WordPress are a broken plugin, a corrupted .htaccess file, or a PHP memory limit being hit.

Fix 1 — Regenerate .htaccess

1. Log in to cPanel → File Manager → public_html.
2. Find .htaccess (tick Show Hidden Files if you can't see it).
3. Rename it to .htaccess_old.
4. Log in to your WordPress admin (/wp-admin) and go to Settings → Permalinks.
5. Click Save Changes — WordPress will regenerate a fresh .htaccess.

Fix 2 — Disable all plugins via FTP/File Manager

1. In File Manager, navigate to public_html/wp-content/.
2. Rename the plugins folder to plugins_disabled.
3. Try loading your site. If it loads, a plugin was the cause.
4. Rename the folder back to plugins, then re-activate plugins one at a time to find the culprit.

Fix 3 — Increase PHP memory limit

1. In File Manager, open wp-config.php.
2. Add this line before /* That's all, stop editing! */:

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

Save the file and refresh. See our PHP memory limit guide for more options.

White Screen of Death (Blank Page)

A completely blank page usually means a PHP fatal error is occurring silently. Enable error display temporarily to see what's failing.

Enable WordPress debug mode

1. Open wp-config.php in File Manager.
2. Find define( 'WP_DEBUG', false ); and change it to:

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

3. Save the file and reload the page.
4. Check public_html/wp-content/debug.log for the error message.
5. Once fixed, set WP_DEBUG back to false.

If the error points to a plugin or theme file, disable that plugin/theme via File Manager (rename its folder) and try again.

Error Establishing a Database Connection

This error means WordPress cannot connect to its MySQL database. Check these in order:

Step 1 — Verify database credentials

1. Open wp-config.php and check DB_NAME, DB_USER, DB_PASSWORD, and DB_HOST.
2. In cPanel, go to Databases → MySQL Databases and confirm the database name and user exist and the user is assigned to the database with All Privileges.
3. Try logging in to phpMyAdmin with the same credentials to confirm they work.

Step 2 — Repair the database

If credentials are correct but the error persists, the database may be corrupted.

1. Add this line to wp-config.php (before the stop-editing comment):

define( 'WP_ALLOW_REPAIR', true );

2. Visit yourdomain.co.uk/wp-admin/maint/repair.php.
3. Click Repair Database.
4. Remove the WP_ALLOW_REPAIR line once done.

Locked Out of WordPress Admin

Reset password via phpMyAdmin

1. In cPanel, open phpMyAdmin and select your WordPress database.
2. Open the wp_users table.
3. Find your admin account and click Edit.
4. In the user_pass column, select MD5 from the function dropdown and type your new password in the value field.
5. Click Go to save.

WordPress Admin Is Slow or Times Out

• Deactivate plugins: Performance or caching plugins commonly cause admin timeouts. Disable them and test.
• Increase PHP max execution time: Add php_value max_execution_time 300 to your .htaccess file.
• Check disk quota: A full disk will slow or freeze WordPress. In cPanel, check Disk Usage under Files.

Related Articles

• How to Increase PHP Memory Limit
• PHP: Allowed Memory Size Exhausted Error
• How to Install a Plugin in WordPress