{"id":19729,"date":"2023-09-21T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-09-21T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dreamhost.com\/blog\/?p=19729"},"modified":"2025-05-21T17:56:09","modified_gmt":"2025-05-22T00:56:09","slug":"common-wordpress-errors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www-dev.dreamhost.com\/blog\/common-wordpress-errors\/","title":{"rendered":"18 Common WordPress Errors (And How To Fix Them)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Nothing can ruin your day quite like an unexpected WordPress error.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thankfully, WordPress is generally a well-oiled machine<\/a> that lives up to its reputation and isn’t likely to throw errors without reason. Alas, that can make it all the more frustrating when a problem does<\/i> appear, especially if you don’t know how to fix it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many errors are intimidating at first glance, especially to WordPress beginners. Luckily, most errors stem from minor issues that are easy to deal with, and once you understand the source of the problem, all it takes is some basic troubleshooting to get your site back up and running.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, let’s get into it! This article will show you how to diagnose the most common WordPress errors, but we’re not stopping there! We’ll also walk you through how to fix the WordPress errors, step-by-step, to get your site back to normal. And remember, if you don’t see your error listed here, you can always head to WordPress’ official list of common issues<\/a> to find more help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let’s start from the top!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. This Site Is Experiencing Technical Difficulties<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"This<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

WordPress introduced fatal error protection features in WordPress 5.2. If your site encounters a fatal error, you’ll get a simple message: “This site is experiencing technical difficulties.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luckily, WordPress also has built-in features to fix these errors. You’ll receive a full report with the cause of the error to your admin email address, along with a link to access your site’s backend, where you can fix it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Parse Error\/Syntax Error<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s another easy one \u2014 While many of the errors we\u2019ll be learning about can be frustrating because of how little information they give you, the \u2018parse error\u2019 (or \u2018syntax error<\/a>\u2019), a type of PHP error, is at least helpful enough to tell you exactly what\u2019s wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Parse<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This error occurs when there’s an issue with your site\u2019s code, usually when you’ve added a code snippet with some incorrect syntax (most commonly in the functions.php file<\/a>.) Instead of loading your page, a simple message appears, explaining what the issue is and where it occurred.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To fix the problem, you\u2019ll need to access the specified file using SFTP<\/a>. In our example, we will be using FileZilla<\/a>, since it\u2019s a free and open-source tool. Just use the SFTP credentials<\/a> provided by your web host to access your site\u2019s backend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, you need to find the file in question. In the example pictured above, you can see that the problem is in the functions.php file<\/b> for the site\u2019s current theme. As such, we\u2019ll access that theme\u2019s folder, right-click on functions.php<\/b>, and select View\/Edit<\/b>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Parse<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If you check the Parse error<\/b> message, you can see it even tells you the exact line of code where the problem exists. Now, we just need to find that line and fix the problem. In our example, it\u2019s a simple case of a missing parenthesis, so let\u2019s sort that out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Parse<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Save your file, and select Yes<\/b> when your FTP client asks if you want to replace the existing file on the server. You should now be able to check your site and see that it\u2019s back to normal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Maximum Execution Time Exceeded<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Maximum<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

One of the most common PHP errors you’re likely to encounter is related to the time limits set for how long a PHP script can run. These time limits are set by WordPress hosting providers and can vary \u2013 some providers set them to higher values, while some set them lower. When a site processes data, if it can’t finish within the maximum time limit, it will time out and display this error: “Fatal error: Maximum execution time exceeded.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are two ways to resolve this issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first way is to find the script that’s running too long and remove it. This is likely part of a plugin or theme, so deactivating plugins and reverting to a default theme are good places to start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The simpler way may be to increase your maximum time limit<\/a>. To do this, add the following code to your php.ini file<\/b>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

max_execution_time = 300<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also contact your hosting provider to ask about their maximum and if they can increase it for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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