WordPress Critical Error: 'There Has Been a Critical Error on This Website'

How to fix it

Try these in order — the most common fix is first.

1. 1. Read the recovery email

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   1. WordPress emails the site admin address with the plugin or theme that caused the error and a recovery-mode login link.
   2. Open the link, log in, deactivate the named plugin or theme. Check spam folder if you do not see the email.
   Did this fix it? Yes No

2. 2. Disable the plugin or theme over FTP

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   1. If there is no email, rename the folder of the most recently updated plugin in wp-content/plugins (or rename the whole plugins folder to test).
   2. Rename the active theme folder in wp-content/themes to fall back to a default theme.
   Did this fix it? Yes No

3. 3. Read the debug log

   1. Set WP_DEBUG and WP_DEBUG_LOG to true in wp-config.php and read wp-content/debug.log for the file and line of the fatal error.
   Did this fix it? Yes No

4. 4. Check the PHP version

   1. In your host panel, change PHP to the version your plugins support (usually one step lower than the newest). Many fatal errors follow a host-forced PHP upgrade.
   Did this fix it? Yes No

5. 5. Raise memory and restore

   1. Add define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M'); to wp-config.php. If nothing works, restore the latest backup from before the update.
   Did this fix it? Yes No

Symptoms

The site shows 'There has been a critical error on this website' or 'The site is experiencing technical difficulties', often right after an update, plugin install or PHP upgrade.

Why it happens

• A plugin or theme throwing a PHP fatal error
• A plugin or theme not compatible with the current PHP version
• Memory limit reached
• Corrupted core files
• A failed or interrupted update

This guide also covers

• wordpress critical error
• there has been a critical error on this website
• wordpress site is experiencing technical difficulties
• wordpress critical error after update

The same problem in other apps

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• Wix Site Not Loading or Can't Be Reached (Wix)

Other WordPress errors

• WordPress White Screen of Death
• WordPress Error Establishing a Database Connection
• WordPress 500 Internal Server Error
• WordPress Too Many Redirects (ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS)
• WordPress Stuck in Maintenance Mode: 'Briefly Unavailable for Scheduled Maintenance'
• WordPress 'Allowed Memory Size Exhausted' Fatal Error
• WordPress 'Updating Failed. The Response Is Not a Valid JSON Response'
• WordPress Posts Return 404 Not Found