There is a common WordPress issue that displays a blank white screen i.e. no content instead of the hoped content, It is often referred to as WSOD i.e. White Screen of Death. This can be caused by plugin conflicts, theme issues, PHP or Apache errors.
In this lesson, you will learn about the possibilities that might cause this issue and how you can fix them easily.
Check For Plugin Conflicts
Start by deactivating all your plugins. If you can access your WordPress admin dashboard, go to “Plugins” and select all plugins, then click “Deactivate” from the Bulk Actions dropdown.
And if you cannot access your dashboard, log in to the cPanel of your website, open the file manager, and navigate to the /wp-content/ directory to rename the “plugins” folder to “plugins-disabled.” After doing this login to your dashboard and navigate to the Plugins page. This will deactivate all plugins.
Now rename the folder back to its original name i.e. Plugins and then again go back to the plugins page on your admin area dashboard to start activating the plugins one by one. As soon you find the plugin which upon activation causes the blank white screen on your website, delete it from your website and the WSOD would get fixed. This process helps you to identify the specific plugin causing the conflict.
Check For Incompatible Themes & Plugins
In some cases, a combination of plugins or a specific theme might be causing conflicts. Research online to see if others have reported similar issues with specific themes or plugins.
Switch To Default WordPress Theme
If the issue persists after deactivating plugins, your theme might be causing the problem. Switch to a default WordPress theme to see if the WSOD is resolved. If it is, there might be compatibility issues with your previous theme.
Check .htaccess File
This file is located in the root directory of your website and can be accessed from the cPanel -> File Manager -> Public_HTML or the main directory of the website where WordPress is installed. Many times this file is kept hidden by the cPanel, so in order to view the file you will need to display the hidden files from the settings icon present on the top-right corner of the cPanel File Manager’s screen.
Next, download one copy of the file as a backup and then open the file for online editing. Remove any unnecessary lines by comparing the original file code from here and then check your website.
Increase PHP Memory Limit
Sometimes, a low PHP memory limit can cause the WSOD. To increase it, access your site’s wp-config.php file using FTP and add the following line before the “That’s all, stop editing!” line: define(‘WP_MEMORY_LIMIT’, ‘256M’);
Check for Syntax Errors
If you recently edited your theme’s files or added custom code to your site, a syntax error might be causing the WSOD. Use FTP to access your site’s files and check for any errors in the code you added.
Review Error Logs
Sangkrit.net provides you access to your server’s error logs from WHM and cPanel (Metrics -> Errors), these logs can provide valuable information about the cause of the WSOD. Look for any PHP error messages that might point to the specific issue and get it fixed. In general, there are plugin issues so there is a chance that you would be finding some errored line in a plugin or theme of your website. If you don’t know how to fix the code then simply change that plugin or theme to get the issue resolved.
Revert Recent Changes
If you have recently made changes to your website (e.g., installing a new plugin, or updating a theme), try reverting those changes to see if the WSOD is resolved.
Restore From Backup
If none of the above solutions work and you have a recent backup of your website, consider restoring your site to a previous working version.
Sangkrit.net offers you regular backups and restores from its one-click website installer on cPanel so if you have activated that then restore your website. And if you have manually downloaded the backup of your website then restore it manually, in 95 percent of cases the issue gets fixed after restoring the website.
Seek Professional Help
In case you don’t have a backup or you are not able to resolve the issue anyhow then there is nothing to panic about because there are experts who have trained themselves to resolve such website issues. So if you’re unable to identify or resolve the problem on your own, consider reaching out to online support from your Sangkrit.net account page.
Remember to create a backup of your website before making any major changes to avoid data loss. Diagnosing and fixing the White Screen of Death can be a bit complex, so be patient and methodical in your troubleshooting efforts.