How do I fix the WordPress white screen of death?

What the white screen means

Current versions of WordPress normally show the message "There has been a critical error on this website" when code crashes. A completely blank page still appears when the error happens very early, when memory runs out, or when the server is set to hide all errors. The causes and the fixes are largely the same in both cases.

Step 1: clear every cache

A cache stores ready-made copies of pages to make the site faster. If a page was cached during a brief fault, visitors can keep seeing a blank page after the fault has gone.

1. Open the site in a private browser window, or on a phone using mobile data, to rule out your own browser cache.
2. If you can log in, clear the cache in your caching plugin, for example WP Rocket, LiteSpeed Cache or W3 Total Cache. The option is usually in the admin bar at the top of the screen.
3. Clear the server cache in your hosting control panel if your host provides one.
4. If you use Cloudflare or another content delivery network, purge its cache as well.

Step 2: rule out plugins

Plugins cause more white screens than anything else, particularly straight after an update or a new install.

1. If the dashboard works, go to Plugins, then Installed Plugins, tick the box at the top to select all, choose Deactivate from the Bulk actions menu and click Apply.
2. If the dashboard is blank, open your host’s file manager or connect by FTP, go to wp-content, and rename the plugins folder to plugins-off. This deactivates every plugin without deleting any settings.
3. Reload the site. If it appears, a plugin is the cause.
4. Rename the folder back to plugins. The plugins stay deactivated.
5. Reactivate them one at a time from the Installed Plugins screen, reloading the site after each. When the white screen returns, the last plugin you activated is responsible. Rename that plugin’s folder to switch it off again.

Step 3: rule out the theme

If plugins are not the cause, test the theme. With dashboard access, go to Appearance, then Themes, and activate a default theme such as Twenty Twenty-Five. Without access, rename your active theme’s folder inside wp-content, then themes, and WordPress will fall back to a default theme if one is installed. If no default theme is present, download one from wordpress.org, unzip it and upload the folder into wp-content, then themes.

If the site loads with the default theme, the fault is in your theme. Recently added code in the theme’s functions.php file is a frequent cause, and removing that code or restoring the previous copy of the file normally fixes it.

Switching theme can reset menu and widget positions on some sites. Take a backup first if your host’s tools still work, and switch back as soon as you have your answer.

Step 4: raise the PHP memory limit

Each page load is allowed a fixed amount of server memory. Large plugins, page builders and WooCommerce can exceed a low limit, and PHP then stops with nothing on screen. The error log will say "Allowed memory size exhausted" when this is the cause.

1. Download a copy of wp-config.php from the main folder of your site as a backup.
2. Open wp-config.php in the file manager’s editor.
3. Above the line that says "That’s all, stop editing", add: define( 'WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M' );
4. Save the file and reload the site.

Your host sets the real ceiling, so this line has no effect if the hosting plan allows less. Many control panels have a PHP settings or PHP options page where memory_limit can be raised, and otherwise your host’s support can tell you what your plan allows. If a site needs ever more memory to stay up, one plugin is usually misbehaving, and the log will show which.

Step 5: read the error log with your host

The PHP error log records the exact file and line that failed, which removes the guesswork. Most hosting control panels have an Errors or Logs section, and some write a file called error_log into the site’s main folder. Your host’s support team can find the log for you and will often tell you which plugin it names.

You can also have WordPress keep its own log. In wp-config.php, set WP_DEBUG to true and add define( 'WP_DEBUG_LOG', true ); and define( 'WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false ); beneath it. Reload the blank page, then read debug.log inside wp-content. Turn debugging off and delete the log afterwards. If nothing so far has worked, restore your host’s most recent backup from before the problem began, bearing in mind that a full restore loses any orders or entries received since.

Related questions

Why is only my WordPress admin area showing a white screen?

A plugin that runs only in the dashboard, or a memory shortage on heavier admin pages, is the usual cause. Rename the plugins folder through the file manager to get back in, then reactivate plugins one by one.

Is the white screen of death the same as the critical error message?

They come from the same kind of fault, a fatal PHP error. Newer WordPress versions catch most of these and show the critical error message, while a plain white page appears when the error cannot be caught, such as when memory runs out.

Will I lose my website content?

No. The content lives in the database and the uploads folder, which these steps do not touch. Renaming plugin and theme folders is reversible and leaves their settings in place.