If you are encountering a WordPress error message or white screen, don’t panic. Someone has likely encountered the same message before and it can easily be solved.
Themes mill lists the most common WordPress errors experienced by WordPress users, and provides a starting point for fixing them.
The White Screen of Death
Both PHP errors and database errors can manifest as a white screen, a blank screen with no information, commonly known in the WordPress community as the WordPress White Screen of Death (WSOD).
Before resorting to desperate measures, there are a number of reasons for the WordPress white screen of death:
- A Plugin is causing compatibility issues. If you can access the Administration Screens try deactivating all of your Plugins and then reactivating them one by one. If you are unable to access your Screens, log in to your website via FTP. Locate the folder
wp-content/pluginsand rename the Plugin folderplugins_old. This will deactivate all of your Plugins. - Your Theme may be causing the problem. This is especially likely if you are experiencing the white screen of death after you have just activated a new Theme, or created a New Site in a WordPress Network. Log in to the WordPress Administration Screens and activate a default WordPress Theme (e.g. Twenty Twenty-One). If you are using WordPress 5.8 and below, please switch to Twenty Twenty-One theme since the Twenty Twenty-Two theme requires 5.9 and above. If you can’t access your Administration Screens, access your website via FTP and navigate to the
/wp-content/themes/folder. Rename the folder for the active Theme.
Error Establishing Database Connection
If you get a page featuring the message “Error Establishing Database Connection,” this means that there is a problem with the connection to your database and there could be a number of reasons for this. The following are possible reasons and solutions.
Incorrect wp-config.php Information
“Error establishing a database connection” is usually caused by an error in your wp-config.php file. Access your site in your FTP client. Open up wp-config.php and ensure that the following are correct:
- Database name
- username
- password
- and Database host
Problems with your web host
The next step is to contact your web host. The following hosting issues may be causing the problem:
- Your database has met its quota and has been shut down.
- The server is down.
Contact your hosting provider to see if either of these issues is causing your problem.
Compromised Website
If you have checked wp-config.php for errors, and confirmed with your host for hosting issues, it is possible that your site has been hacked.
Scan your site with Sucuri SiteCheck to ensure that it hasn’t been compromised. If it has you should check out My Site was Hacked.
Failed Auto-Upgrade
There will be situations when the WordPress auto-update feature fails. Symptoms include:
- A blank white screen and no information.
- A warning that the update failed.
- A PHP error message.
The WordPress automatic upgrade feature may fail due to a glitch in the connection with the main WordPress files, a problem with your Internet connection during upgrade, or incorrect File Permissions