In this blog post, we will discuss some of the most common WordPress troubleshooting techniques and how to resolve them.
404 Error Page Not Found
A common issue that WordPress users often encounter is the 404 error page not found. This error occurs when a user tries to access a page that doesn’t exist on the website. This can happen when a page is deleted, or the URL structure is changed. To resolve this issue, you can try resetting the permalink structure or installing a redirection plugin to redirect users to the correct page.
To reset the permalink structure please go to your WordPress dashboard, Settings > Permalinks, set it as Post Name and don’t forget to click on the Save Changes. That’s it!
White Screen of Death (WSOD)
WSOD is another most common issue faced by WordPress users is the White Screen of Death. This error occurs when you try to access your website and see a blank screen with no error message. This can happen due to various reasons like plugin conflicts, theme issues, or PHP errors. To resolve this issue, there are some probable solutions:
- Deactivate all the plugins then activating one by one and check each time your site. This way you can find which plugin is main culprit for the issue.
- Change the theme to default theme. If it’s the theme issue you’ll see the site is working.
- Enable the debug log and check if there is any errors/warnings.
Internal Server Error
Another issue that WordPress users often encounter is Internal Server Error. This error message doesn’t provide much information about the issue, which makes it difficult to diagnose. The most common cause of this error is a corrupted .htaccess file or a plugin conflict.
To resolve this issue, there are some probable solutions:
- Rename the .htaccess file: The .htaccess file is a hidden file that controls various settings for your website. Sometimes this file can become corrupted, causing the Internal Server Error. To fix this, you can rename the .htaccess file to something like .htaccess_old. This will disable the file, and WordPress will generate a new one automatically. You can find the .htaccess file in the root directory of your WordPress installation.
- Deactivate plugins: A plugin conflict can also cause the Internal Server Error. To check if this is the case, you can deactivate all your plugins and see if the error goes away. If the error disappears, you can reactivate your plugins one by one to identify the culprit.
- Increase PHP memory limit: Sometimes, the Internal Server Error can be caused by a lack of memory allocated to PHP. You can try increasing the PHP memory limit by adding the following line to your wp-config.php file: define(‘WP_MEMORY_LIMIT’, ‘256M’); This will increase the memory limit to 256MB.
- Enable the debug log and check if there is any errors/warnings.
Error Establishing a Database Connection
Error Establishing a Database Connection is another common issue that can occur when your WordPress website is unable to establish a connection with the database. This can happen due to various reasons like incorrect database credentials, corrupted database, or server issues. To resolve this issue, you can check the database credentials.
If You’re Using Cpanel
If You’re in Local Machine
To check the database credentials in WordPress, you can follow these steps:
- Login to your website’s cPanel or hosting dashboard.
- Navigate to the section called ‘MySQL Databases’.
- Scroll down to the section called ‘Current Users’.
- Check that the username listed in the ‘User’ column matches the username listed in your WordPress configuration file (wp-config.php).
- If the usernames match, click on the ‘Manage User Privileges’ button next to the username.
- Check that the database listed in the ‘Database’ column matches the database name listed in your WordPress configuration file (wp-config.php).
- Check that the user has the necessary permissions to access the database. They should have ‘ALL PRIVILEGES’.
- If any of the details don’t match, you will need to update your WordPress configuration file (wp-config.php) with the correct details.
If you don’t have access to your hosting dashboard or cPanel, you can also check your WordPress configuration file (wp-config.php) to confirm the database credentials. You can find this file in the root directory of your WordPress installation. Look for the following lines of code:
define( 'DB_NAME', 'database_name_here' );
define( 'DB_USER', 'username_here' );
define( 'DB_PASSWORD', 'password_here' );
define( 'DB_HOST', 'localhost' );If you’re running WordPress on your localhost (local machine) and want to check your database credentials, you can follow these steps:
- Open the wp-config.php file in your WordPress installation directory. This file contains your WordPress database credentials.
- Look for the following lines of code:
define('DB_NAME', 'database_name_here');
define('DB_USER', 'username_here');
define('DB_PASSWORD', 'password_here');
define('DB_HOST', 'localhost');- Make sure that the database name, username, password, and host are correct. If you’re unsure of the correct database credentials, you can check your local MySQL server or database management system (such as phpMyAdmin) to confirm the details.
- If the credentials are correct, try connecting to the database using a database management tool such as MySQL Workbench or phpMyAdmin. This will allow you to confirm that you can connect to the database and see if there are any issues with the database itself.
Memory Limit Exhausted
Memory Limit Exhausted is another common issue that can occur when your WordPress website exceeds the allocated memory limit. This can happen due to various reasons like large image files, heavy plugins, or themes with a lot of features. To resolve this issue, you can increase the memory limit or remove any unnecessary plugins or themes. To see your current server configuration please go to WordPress dashboard, Tools > Site Health, navigate to Info tab and expand the Server section.
You can match the below server configuration:
– PHP Version: 7.4 or, higher
– upload_max_filesize = 265M
– post_max_size = 265M
– max_input_time = -1
– max_input_vars = 8000
– max_execution_time = 500
– Memory Limit = 512MConclusion
WordPress is a powerful and user-friendly platform, but it is not without its challenges. By knowing the most common WordPress troubleshooting techniques, you can resolve any issues that you may encounter and ensure that your website runs smoothly. If you are still experiencing
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