How to Fix WordPress White Screen of Death in 2024

Is it as scary as the name suggests?

Well, the only thing that gets affected is your confidence when you realize you don’t know what to do when the White Screen of Death appears.

Certainly, it’s an error that frustrates most of us and can even make us feel panicky. Why? Because there are no error messages to tell us what’s wrong, making it really hard to figure out and fix the problem.

But once you identify the issue and know how to deal with it, you’re good to go. And here, we’ll show you how to solve this annoying problem.

In this post, we’ll clarify what the WordPress White Screen of Death (WSoD) is and outline its common causes. Most importantly, we’ll guide you through 8 possible solutions to quickly get your site back up and running.

Let’s begin!

What is WordPress White Screen of Death (WSoD)

The White Screen of Death is a frustrating error that many users encounter, leaving them feeling helpless in front of a blank screen. Here’s what it does:

1. Locks you out of your WordPress dashboard: You can’t access the admin panel of your WordPress site.
2. Turn your website into a blank canvas: Your site appears completely empty.
3. Doesn’t provide any clues about the problem: There are no error messages to help you understand what went wrong.
4. Leaves you feeling hopeless: You’re unsure about how to proceed and fix the issue.

This problem is aggravating because it prevents access to the WordPress admin panel, and you’re left without guidance on what steps to take. The White Screen of Death can impact specific parts of your site, such as only affecting the WordPress admin while the rest of the site appears normal. Alternatively, it may target a specific post, leaving the rest of the site seemingly unaffected. In more severe cases, the entire site can be affected, making it challenging to determine if the issue lies with WordPress, your internet connection, or your hosting provider.

Now that we understand what the White Screen of Death is, let’s explore the common causes of this issue. 

What is the Cause of WordPress White Screen of Death?

The White Screen of Death (WSoD) error doesn’t have a single, fixed cause. Instead, it often arises from PHP errors, memory limit issues, or problems with the database. Identifying the exact root cause can be challenging, making troubleshooting a bit tricky.

This error may be triggered by incompatible plugins or themes on your website. Exceeding your PHP memory limit, causing an unresponsive script, can also result in the blank screen. Additionally, server issues may be behind the WSoD, and only your hosting provider can fix those.

Regardless of the cause, it’s important not to delay fixing the error. In the next section, let’s explore quick fixes to resolve this issue.

Also read: Effective Ways to Fix White Screen Of Death Error

Solution 1: Disable Your WordPress Plugins

To address the WordPress White Screen of Death (WSoD), a common and straightforward solution is to deactivate all your plugins. This is often the result of a problematic plugin update.

If you can still access your admin area, follow these steps:

• Navigate to the “Plugins” section on the dashboard.
• Select all plugins.
• Click “Deactivate” from the Bulk Actions dropdown menu.

This will deactivate all your plugins.

If the issue is resolved, you’ll need to identify the problematic plugin. Follow these steps:

• Activate the plugins one by one.
• Reload the site after each activation.
• When the frontend crashes, you’ve found the troublesome plugin.

Contact the plugin’s developer for assistance or submit a support ticket in the WordPress Plugin Directory.

If you can’t log in to the WordPress admin, use a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) client to access your site’s files directory:

• Locate the “plugins” folder under the wp-content folder in your root directory.
• Rename it to something like “plugins_old“:

Solution 2: Clear the WordPress Cache

Websites often utilize browser caching to save files locally and enhance load times. However, outdated cached files can lead to errors. If you have access to your admin dashboard and use a WordPress caching plugin, follow these steps to clear the cache:

1. Navigate to your WordPress administrator dashboard.
2. If you use a caching plugin, find the option to clear the cache within the plugin settings.
3. For instance, in WP Rocket, go to “Settings,” then “WP Rocket,” and click on “Clear Cache.” Most caching plugins will provide a similar option.
4. Execute the cache-clearing process.

After clearing the cache, check if your website is functioning properly. Go on to the next step if the problem still exists.

Solution 3: Enabling Debug Mode

If clearing the browser cache doesn’t resolve the issue, the next step is to enable WordPress debug mode. Debug mode provides crucial information about errors that may be causing the White Screen of Death in WordPress.

Follow these steps to enable debug mode:

1. Access the `wp-config.php` file. You can do this through CPanel or by connecting to your server via SFTP using a tool like FileZilla.
2. Open the `wp-config.php` file in a text editor.
3. Look for the following line:

define(‘WP_DEBUG’, false);

4. Change `false` to `true`:

define(‘WP_DEBUG’, true);

5. Save the changes and upload the updated file.
6. Refresh the browser screen.

You will still see the White Screen of Death, but this time with an error message. For example:

Cannot redeclare get_posts() (previously declared in /var/www/html/wordpress/wp-includes/post.php:1624) in /var/www/html/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/my-plugin/my-plugin.php on line 75

This error message indicates a problem at line 75 in a plugin. Contact the plugin provider, replace the plugin, or, if necessary, disable all WordPress plugins.

Solution 4: Disable Your Currently Active Theme

Your WordPress theme might be outdated or conflicting with a plugin, or there could be issues with the theme installation. To troubleshoot, temporarily switch to a default WordPress theme. If you have access to administrator controls, follow these steps:

• Navigate to Appearance > Themes in the WordPress dashboard.
• Activate any default WordPress theme, such as Twenty Nineteen.

Check your website for the White Screen of Death.

If you can’t access the admin, follow these steps using SFTP:

• Open the public_html folder and then the wp-content folder.
• Locate the themes folder and find your active theme folder.
• Add “_old” to the end of the active theme folder’s name to disable the theme.
• Visit your website. 

If the White Screen of Death disappears, you’ve identified the problem. Contact the theme developer regarding the error and inquire about the latest version of the theme.

Solution 5: Increase Your Memory Limit

If the White Screen of Death persists or you encounter memory-related errors, allocating more memory to the application might be necessary. Follow these steps, primarily using the `wp-config.php` file:

1. In your WordPress installation, open the `wp-config.php` file.
2. Add the following code to increase the memory limit to 64 megabytes:

define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '64M');

3. If the above doesn’t work, you can use the `.htaccess` file. Add the following line:

php_value memory_limit 64M

4. If you can’t access the `.htaccess` file, use the `php.ini` file via FTP. Locate the `php.ini` file in the root directory and add this line:

memory_limit = 64M

If you still encounter memory issues, it’s possible that a theme or plugin is using excessive resources, causing the problem within your application.

Solution 6: Check File Permission Issues

The White Screen of Death (WSoD) can also be caused by permission and ownership issues. While you can attempt to fix this problem, it’s crucial to exercise caution, as incorrect adjustments may create vulnerabilities that attackers can exploit.

Follow these guidelines for WordPress permissions:

1. Files should be set to 664 or 644.
2. Set the folders to either 775 or 755.
3. You need to set the value of wp-config.php to either 660, 600, or 644.

If you have SSH access to your server, you can apply these rules using the following commands from the root WordPress directory:

sudo find . -type f -exec chmod 664 {} +

sudo find . -type d -exec chmod 775 {} +

sudo chmod 660 wp-config.php

If you’re unsure about this process or feel intimidated, it’s recommended to seek assistance from your web host.

Solution 7: Assess Your Other WordPress Integrations

In addition to WordPress plugins and themes, issues with CDNs (Content Delivery Networks) and SSL certificates can also trigger the White Screen of Death. This can occur when incompatible integrations are used. For instance, pairing a CDN from one provider with an SSL certificate from another might cause your website to go down.

It’s essential to be aware of any recent integrations on your WordPress site. If you’ve made changes in the last 48 hours, consider deactivating or removing the potential culprit to see if it resolves the issue. If the problem is resolved, you may need to find an alternative tool or contact the service provider for a solution.

Solution 8: Restore Your Website from a Backup

If none of the methods on this list have resolved the issue, another option is to completely restore your site files using a recent backup of your WordPress site. Despite seeming counterintuitive, it’s advisable to create a current backup of your website files before initiating the restoration. 

This precaution allows you to revert to the state your site was in before the restoration if any issues arise. Although the White Screen of Death may still be present, safeguarding your data ensures that you can continue to diagnose the problem.

Conclusion

Resolving the WordPress White Screen of Death (WSoD) requires a systematic approach, considering various potential causes such as plugin conflicts, theme issues, memory limitations, and file permission errors. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can diagnose and address the problem, whether it’s related to plugins, themes, memory, permissions, or other integrations. Remember to exercise caution, create backups, and seek assistance from your web host if needed. With patience and persistence, you can restore your WordPress site to normal functionality.

FAQs on White Screen of Death 

What causes the WordPress White Screen of Death?

The White Screen of Death can be caused by various factors, including plugin conflicts, theme issues, memory limitations, file permission errors, and problems with other integrations like CDNs or SSL certificates.

How do I identify the plugin causing the White Screen of Death?

To identify the problematic plugin, deactivate all plugins and reactivate them one by one. If the White Screen reappears after activating a specific plugin, you’ve found the culprit. For assistance, get in touch with the plugin creator or think about choosing an alternative.

Why should I enable WordPress debug mode?

Enabling debug mode in WordPress helps uncover detailed error messages that may be causing the White Screen of Death. By accessing the wp-config.php file and setting WP_DEBUG to true, you can identify specific issues, making it easier to troubleshoot and resolve the problem.