{"id":13736,"date":"2023-09-26T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-09-26T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dreamhost.com\/blog\/?p=13736"},"modified":"2025-05-21T17:46:22","modified_gmt":"2025-05-22T00:46:22","slug":"troubleshooting-wordpress-white-screen-death","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www-dev.dreamhost.com\/blog\/troubleshooting-wordpress-white-screen-death\/","title":{"rendered":"Fixing the \u201cWhite Screen of Death\u201d in WordPress"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you\u2019re reading this, it\u2019s too late<\/i>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(No, I\u2019m kidding. That\u2019s a Drake mixtape from 2015.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re reading this, you\u2019ve probably just tried to visit your WordPress website and were greeted with a menacing message.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere has been a critical error on this website.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Critical<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Gulp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it\u2019s okay. We can fix it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step one: Don\u2019t panic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What you have encountered is the \u201ccritical error message.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Or, the artist formerly known as the White Screen of Death, AKA the WSoD.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is one of the most common WordPress errors<\/a>, and while that moniker sounds intimidating, the reality isn\u2019t as terrifying as you might imagine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For many years, WordPress sites experiencing this issue would simply be greeted with a blank, all-white screen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"WordPress<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

(It wasn\u2019t very helpful.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, since WordPress version 5.2, there\u2019s an error message that lets you know when things have gone wrong and gives you an idea of how to fix the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this guide, we\u2019ll dig deeper into the reasons why the critical error message occurs and how to deal with it when it does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s party!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is A WordPress Critical Error?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The fabled critical error or WSoD can occur when certain things go wrong<\/a> with WordPress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Usually, you\u2019ll see the above message (or, in some cases, the plain white screen) when trying to access your site\u2019s frontend. In some cases, you\u2019ll see the same result when trying to access the WordPress admin panel (\u201cwp-admin\u201d), making the error especially scary for someone experiencing it for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t worry, though \u2014 Your site is still there.  You just need to resolve the error to bring it back to life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before we get to that, what causes the critical error to happen in the first place?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The problem often stems from an issue with your site\u2019s PHP<\/a>, which is the programming language WordPress is based on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

\n\t\n\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/svg>\n\t<\/a>\n

PHP<\/h3>\n

PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) is an open-source scripting language. It\u2019s widely used in web development and can be embedded in HTML. Several popular Content Management Systems (CMS), such as WordPress, are built with PHP.<\/p>\n \n Read More <\/a>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The error is usually triggered because of:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Faulty code added to your website<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Conflicts between plugins<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • PHP version issues\/memory limitations<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    We\u2019re going to help you figure out which issue is causing your case and how you can fix it. You\u2019ll probably learn a lot about WordPress<\/a> along the way, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Restoring From A Backup<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    The quickest and easiest way to resolve the critical error issue is to simply revert your website to a previous version.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In most cases, the problem was caused by a change made to WordPress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    For instance, if you recently installed a new plugin, added some code to your site, or made edits to your site\u2019s theme files.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Before we dive into how to fix those problems, consider restoring a backup copy of your website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Many WordPress hosting<\/a> providers offer managed backup services<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If that\u2019s the case, then all you need to do is log into your hosting account and find where the backups are stored. Look for a backup that was created before the error started to occur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n