WordPress White Screen of Death

How to fix it

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

1. 1. Deactivate all plugins

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   1. If you can still reach wp-admin, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins, select all and choose Deactivate.
   2. If you are locked out, connect over FTP or your host's file manager and rename wp-content/plugins to plugins_old.
   3. Load the site. If it returns, rename the folder back to plugins and reactivate plugins one at a time until the blank page returns.
   Did this fix it? Yes No

2. 2. Switch to a default theme

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   1. Over FTP, rename your active theme's folder inside wp-content/themes. WordPress falls back to a default theme such as a Twenty Twenty-series theme if one is installed.
   2. Reload the site; if it works, the theme is the culprit. Update or replace it.
   Did this fix it? Yes No

3. 3. Turn on debug logging to see the real error

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   1. Open wp-config.php and set define('WP_DEBUG', true); define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true); define('WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false); above the line that says 'That's all, stop editing'.
   2. Reload the page, then open wp-content/debug.log. The file path in the last fatal error names the plugin or theme at fault.
   Did this fix it? Yes No

4. 4. Raise the PHP memory limit

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   1. In wp-config.php add define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M');
   2. If the host caps memory, ask them to raise memory_limit in PHP settings.
   Did this fix it? Yes No

5. 5. Re-upload core files

   1. Download a fresh WordPress zip from wordpress.org and upload new wp-admin and wp-includes folders over the old ones. Do not overwrite wp-content or wp-config.php.
   Did this fix it? Yes No

Symptoms

Your site or wp-admin shows a completely blank white page with no error message. Sometimes only the front end or only wp-admin is blank.

Why it happens

• A plugin that conflicts with another plugin, the theme or the current PHP version
• A broken theme or a bad theme update
• PHP memory limit exhausted
• A PHP fatal error with error display switched off
• Corrupted core files after an interrupted update

This guide also covers

• wordpress white screen of death
• wordpress blank page
• wordpress white screen after update
• wp-admin blank white screen

Other WordPress errors

• WordPress Error Establishing a Database Connection
• WordPress Critical Error: 'There Has Been a Critical Error on This Website'
• 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