Introduction
WordPress powers roughly 43 percent of the entire web, which also means WordPress errors are some of the most common technical problems on the internet. How to fix common WordPress errors and website problems usually comes down to a handful of repeatable steps, not a mystery that needs a specialist every time. This guide walks through the errors that show up most often, what causes each one, and the exact steps to fix them yourself before calling in outside help.
Start Here Before Fixing Anything
Before touching a single setting, back up your site if you possibly can, even a broken site should be backed up before you start changing things. Most WordPress errors trace back to one of four sources: a plugin conflict, a theme conflict, low PHP memory, or a broken configuration file such as .htaccess or wp-config.php.
Four habits fix a surprising share of WordPress problems on their own: clear your cache, deactivate plugins one by one, switch to a default theme temporarily, and turn on debugging to see the actual error message. Learning just these four steps solves most issues covered in this guide.
Most WordPress errors are configuration or code problems, not content loss, since your posts and pages remain stored safely in the database.
The White Screen of Death
A completely blank page, sometimes with no error message at all, is the most recognized WordPress problem and understandably the most alarming. It usually appears when a PHP fatal error or a database issue stops WordPress from rendering anything at all.
Fix it by deactivating all plugins first. Connect through FTP, rename the wp-content/plugins folder to something like plugins_old, and reload the site. If the site comes back, rename the folder back and reactivate plugins one at a time until the blank screen returns, which identifies the culprit.
If deactivating plugins does not help, switch to a default WordPress theme through your database or by renaming your active theme’s folder. A low PHP memory limit is another common cause, and raising it inside wp-config.php often resolves the issue on its own.
Add this line to wp-config.php before the “That’s all, stop editing!” comment to raise your memory limit: define(‘WP_MEMORY_LIMIT’, ‘256M’);
The 500 Internal Server Error
A 500 error tells you almost nothing on its own, since WordPress simply reports that something broke without saying what. The cause could be a plugin, a theme, a corrupted .htaccess file, or a server-side limitation, so a systematic process of elimination is the fastest way through it.
Start with the .htaccess file. Connect through FTP, navigate to your site’s root directory, and rename .htaccess to .htaccess_old. Reload the site, and if it works, go to Settings, then Permalinks, inside your WordPress dashboard and click Save Changes to generate a fresh .htaccess file automatically.
If that does not resolve the error, move on to deactivating plugins the same way described for the White Screen of Death. File permission issues can also trigger a 500 error, since WordPress files need 644 permissions and directories need 755, with incorrect permissions blocking WordPress from accessing essential files.
Bring plugins back one at a time after a fix, rather than all at once, so you know exactly which one caused the problem if it returns.
Error Establishing a Database Connection
This error is severe, since it usually takes the entire site offline for every visitor, front end and sometimes even the admin login. WordPress stores nearly everything, posts, pages, settings, and user accounts, inside a MySQL database, and when WordPress cannot reach that database, nothing can display.
The most common cause is incorrect database credentials inside wp-config.php. Open the file and confirm that DB_NAME, DB_USER, DB_PASSWORD, and DB_HOST exactly match the values shown in your hosting control panel, since a single wrong character breaks the connection completely.
This error often appears suddenly after a site migration, a credentials change, or a server-side database crash. On shared hosting, it can also appear during a traffic spike if your plan has a database connection limit that gets exceeded.
| Error | Typical Cause | First Fix to Try |
| White Screen of Death | Plugin or theme conflict, low PHP memory | Deactivate all plugins via FTP |
| 500 Internal Server Error | Corrupted .htaccess, plugin conflict, file permissions | Rename .htaccess and resave permalinks |
| Database connection error | Wrong credentials, server outage, migration issue | Verify DB_NAME, DB_USER, DB_PASSWORD, DB_HOST |
| 404 errors on every page | Corrupted permalink structure | Resave permalinks in Settings |
| Login or redirect loop | Corrupted cookies, plugin conflict, bad .htaccess redirect | Clear cookies, then deactivate plugins |
If your database credentials look correct but the error persists, contact your hosting provider directly, since a server-side database outage can affect multiple sites at once.
404 Errors on Every Page
When every page on your site suddenly returns a 404 error, the permalink structure has almost always become corrupted, rather than every individual page actually going missing. This tends to happen after a plugin update, a server change, or an accidental edit to the .htaccess file.
The fix is usually quick. Go to Settings, then Permalinks, inside your WordPress dashboard, and click Save Changes without altering anything else. This regenerates the underlying rewrite rules and the .htaccess file, and most sites recover immediately.
If saving permalinks does not resolve it, confirm that your .htaccess file has correct write permissions, and check that no security plugin is blocking access to the file.
Login and Redirect Loops
A login page that keeps refreshing and never lets you in is usually caused by corrupted cookies or a plugin conflict, rather than an actual account or password problem. Clearing your browser cookies for the site is the fastest first step, since a stale or corrupted cookie is a common trigger.
If clearing cookies does not fix it, deactivate plugins through FTP the same way described earlier in this guide, since a security or caching plugin is a frequent cause of redirect loops. Also check your .htaccess file for a bad redirect rule, particularly if the loop started right after a domain or SSL certificate change.
A redirect loop that appears immediately after switching to HTTPS is almost always caused by a mismatched site URL setting rather than a plugin.
When to Call In a Developer
Simple fixes like clearing cache, deactivating plugins, and raising the PHP memory limit are safe for almost anyone to attempt without special skills. Roughly 90 percent of common WordPress issues have straightforward fixes that take five to fifteen minutes, even for a non-technical site owner.
Bring in a developer for recurring errors that keep coming back, anything requiring direct database edits, or problems that persist after you have worked through every step in this guide. Errors involving corrupted core files or an active hack are also worth handing to a professional, since fixing those incorrectly can cause further damage.
Key Takeaways
- Start with the basics: clear cache, deactivate plugins, switch themes, and enable debugging before anything else.
- White Screen of Death: usually a plugin, theme, or low PHP memory issue, fixed by deactivating plugins via FTP.
- 500 Internal Server Error: start with .htaccess and resaved permalinks, then move to plugin deactivation.
- Database connection errors: check DB_NAME, DB_USER, DB_PASSWORD, and DB_HOST inside wp-config.php first.
- 404 errors on every page: almost always fixed by resaving permalinks in Settings.
- Call a developer for recurring or database-level issues: most other errors are safe to fix yourself.
FAQs
Will fixing a WordPress error delete my content?
No, most WordPress errors are configuration or code problems, and your posts and pages remain safely stored in the database throughout.
What is the fastest way to find which plugin is causing an error?
Deactivate all plugins at once, confirm the site works, then reactivate them one at a time until the error reappears.
Why does my WordPress site show a blank white screen with no error message?
This is the White Screen of Death, usually caused by a plugin or theme conflict, or a PHP memory limit that is set too low.
How do I fix 404 errors that appear on every page of my site?
Go to Settings, then Permalinks, in your WordPress dashboard and click Save Changes to regenerate the site’s rewrite rules.
Should I back up my site before fixing an error?
Yes, always back up before troubleshooting, since some fixes involve editing files or the database that could make things worse if something goes wrong.
Conclusion
How to fix common WordPress errors and website problems comes down to a small, repeatable process: identify the error, isolate the likely cause, and work through plugins, themes, and configuration files one step at a time. The White Screen of Death, 500 errors, database connection failures, 404 errors, and login loops all follow patterns that this guide covers directly. Work through the matching section above, and most WordPress problems resolve in well under an hour.