Common WordPress Errors and How to Fix Them

1. The White Screen of Death (WSOD)

Symptoms: A completely blank screen with no error messages.
Causes: Plugin/theme conflicts, memory limit exhaustion, or PHP errors.
Fix:

• Disable Plugins/Themes:
  1. Access your site via FTP or hosting control panel (e.g., cPanel).
  2. Navigate to wp-content/plugins and rename the folder to deactivate all plugins.
  3. Rename the active theme folder under wp-content/themes to switch to a default theme.
• Increase Memory Limit:
  Edit your wp-config.php file and add:
  
  php

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

• Debug Mode: Enable debugging by adding this line to wp-config.php:
  
  php

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  define('WP_DEBUG', true);


2. Internal Server Error (500)

Symptoms: A “500 Internal Server Error” message appears.
Causes: Corrupt .htaccess file, PHP memory limit, or server issues.
Fix:

• Check .htaccess File:
  1. Access your site via FTP.
  2. Rename the .htaccess file to .htaccess_old.
  3. Log in to WordPress and go to Settings > Permalinks, then save to regenerate the .htaccess file.
• Increase PHP Memory Limit: (See WSOD solution.)
• Reinstall Core Files: Replace WordPress core files by uploading a fresh copy, except the wp-content folder.

3. Error Establishing a Database Connection

Symptoms: The site cannot connect to the database.
Causes: Incorrect database credentials, database corruption, or server overload.
Fix:

• Check wp-config.php: Verify database name, username, password, and host in the wp-config.php file.
  
  php

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  define('DB_NAME', 'your_database_name');
define('DB_USER', 'your_username');
define('DB_PASSWORD', 'your_password');
define('DB_HOST', 'localhost');

• Repair Database:
  Add the following to wp-config.php and visit yourdomain.com/wp-admin/maint/repair.php:
  
  php

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  define('WP_ALLOW_REPAIR', true);


  After repairing, remove the line from wp-config.php.

4. 404 Error for Posts/Pages

Symptoms: Posts/pages return a 404 error, but the homepage works.
Causes: Permalink structure issue.
Fix:

1. Go to Settings > Permalinks in the WordPress dashboard.
2. Re-save the permalink settings.
3. If the issue persists, ensure the .htaccess file is writable and contains:
   
   apache

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   # BEGIN WordPress
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /
RewriteRule ^index\.php$ - [L]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule . /index.php [L]
</IfModule>
# END WordPress


5. WordPress Stuck in Maintenance Mode

Symptoms: The message “Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance. Check back in a minute.” appears.
Causes: An interrupted update left the site in maintenance mode.
Fix:

1. Access your site via FTP.
2. Delete the .maintenance file in the root directory.

6. Sidebar Below Content

Symptoms: Sidebar appears below the main content instead of beside it.
Causes: HTML/CSS issues in the theme.
Fix:

• Check Theme Code: Look for unclosed <div> tags in your theme files.
• Switch Themes: Temporarily activate a default WordPress theme to identify if the issue is theme-related.

7. Login Page Redirect/Refresh Error

Symptoms: The login page keeps redirecting or refreshing without logging in.
Causes: Cookie issues, plugin conflicts, or corrupt .htaccess file.
Fix:

• Clear Cookies: Clear your browser’s cookies and cache.
• Deactivate Plugins: (See WSOD solution.)
• Regenerate .htaccess: (See 500 error solution.)

8. Images Not Uploading

Symptoms: Unable to upload images, or broken thumbnails.
Causes: Incorrect file permissions or memory limit.
Fix:

• File Permissions:
  Set permissions for the wp-content/uploads folder to 755 or 775 using FTP or hosting control panel.
• Increase Memory Limit: (See WSOD solution.)

9. Connection Timed Out

Symptoms: The site takes too long to load and eventually times out.
Causes: Overloaded server, memory limit, or resource-heavy plugins.
Fix:

• Deactivate Plugins: (See WSOD solution.)
• Optimize Hosting: Consider upgrading your hosting plan or switching to a more performant provider.
• Increase PHP Execution Time:
  Add to wp-config.php:
  
  php

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  set_time_limit(300);


10. Broken Links After Migration

Symptoms: Links or images don’t work after moving the site.
Causes: Old URLs in the database.
Fix:

• Update URLs: Use the Better Search Replace plugin to update old URLs in the database.
• Check .htaccess: Ensure correct rewrite rules.

Final Tips

• Always backup your site before making significant changes.
• Use reliable hosting with good support.
• Regularly update WordPress core, themes, and plugins to avoid compatibility issues.

Would you like help implementing any of these fixes?