WordPress White Screen of Death? Here's How to Fix It

You try to load your WordPress site and get... a blank white page. No error message. Nothing. Just white. This is the infamous "White Screen of Death" (WSOD) and it's almost always fixable in under 30 minutes.

Step 1: Enable WP_DEBUG

The first thing to do: see the actual error. Edit wp-config.php and change:

`` define('WP_DEBUG', false); ``

to:

`` define('WP_DEBUG', true); define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true); define('WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false); ``

Now errors write to /wp-content/debug.log without showing to visitors. Reload the page, then check that log.

Step 2: Disable all plugins

Plugin conflicts cause 70% of WSOD cases. If you can't log in to admin:

• Via FTP: Rename the /wp-content/plugins folder to plugins.bak
• Reload your site — if it works, a plugin is the culprit

Rename the folder back, then deactivate plugins one-by-one (rename each plugin folder) until the site breaks again. That's your problem plugin.

Step 3: Switch to a default theme

Themes also cause WSODs. Via FTP, rename your current theme folder. WordPress will fall back to a default theme (twentytwentyfour or similar). If the site works, your theme is the issue.

Step 4: Increase PHP memory limit

Plugins that try to do too much can exhaust PHP memory. Add to wp-config.php:

`` define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M'); ``

Or edit your .htaccess:

`` php_value memory_limit 256M ``

Step 5: Check for corrupt core files

If a WordPress core file is damaged:

1. Download the same WordPress version from wordpress.org
2. Upload /wp-admin and /wp-includes folders via FTP, overwriting the existing ones
3. Do NOT overwrite /wp-content

Step 6: Check file permissions

Wrong permissions break everything:

• Folders: 755
• Files: 644
• wp-config.php: 600 or 640

Step 7: Check error logs

If debug logs show nothing, check your hosting error logs:

• cPanel: Error Logs under Metrics
• SiteGround: Site Tools → Statistics → Error Logs
• Managed hosts: usually have a dashboard section

Look for PHP Fatal error messages.

Common specific fixes

"Allowed memory size exhausted" → Increase WP_MEMORY_LIMIT

"Maximum execution time exceeded" → Add to .htaccess: php_value max_execution_time 300

"Failed to open stream" → File permissions or missing file. Re-upload the referenced file.

"Cannot redeclare function" → Two plugins providing the same function. Deactivate one.

Blank admin but site works → Plugin conflict. Deactivate via FTP.

Site works logged in but WSOD for visitors → Caching problem. Clear all caches (plugin, server, CDN).

Prevention

• Don't update plugins without backups — always snapshot first
• Use staging — test updates on staging, not production
• Monitor uptime — know within minutes if something breaks
• Keep a list of installed plugins — makes diagnosis faster

Need help?

WSOD usually takes less than an hour to fix once you know where to look. If your site is down right now, send me a message and I'll get it back up.