How to Fix WordPress Critical Error?

Last updated: January 24, 2025

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How to Fix WordPress Critical Error?
How to Fix WordPress Critical Error?

WordPress powers over 40% of websites on the internet, making it one of the most popular and widely used content management systems (CMS). Whether you are running a blog, an online store, or a business site, WordPress offers a flexible and powerful platform for building and maintaining websites. However, like any software, it is not immune to errors, and one of the most alarming issues you might encounter is the dreaded WordPress Critical Error.

If you’re seeing the message, “There has been a critical error on this website,” you are likely wondering what went wrong and how to fix it. This guide will walk you through the troubleshooting process to help you resolve this error and get your website back online as quickly as possible.

What Is the WordPress Critical Error?

Before diving into solutions, it’s important to understand what exactly a critical error in WordPress refers to. A WordPress critical error typically occurs when something goes wrong with your site’s functionality, preventing it from being accessed properly by users. When a critical error occurs, WordPress displays a message like:

“A critical error has occurred on this website. Please check your site admin email inbox for further instructions.”

This error message is quite vague and can leave website owners feeling helpless, unsure of what to do next. Critical errors can happen for a variety of reasons, ranging from plugin conflicts and issues with your theme to server problems or misconfigured PHP settings. The most common cause of the error is a conflict between your WordPress site’s components (themes, plugins, etc.) or an issue with the server environment.

Common Causes of WordPress Critical Errors

WordPress critical errors don’t just happen randomly—they’re typically caused by something specific. Understanding what can trigger a critical error is essential to diagnosing and fixing the issue efficiently. Some of the most common causes include:

Plugin Conflicts

Plugins are one of the greatest strengths of WordPress, allowing you to extend the functionality of your site in countless ways. However, plugins can sometimes conflict with each other or with the core WordPress software. This can cause issues like functionality breaks, site crashes, and, in the worst case, a critical error that prevents your site from loading. Plugin conflicts often occur after updates, when a new version of a plugin may be incompatible with others or with the current version of WordPress.

Theme Issues

Another common cause of critical errors is a problem with the theme your website is using. Themes are responsible for the WordPress website design and layout of your site, but if a theme is poorly coded, outdated, or incompatible with the latest version of WordPress, it could lead to critical errors. Additionally, some themes have built-in plugins or custom functions that might conflict with other elements of your website, leading to issues that cause the site to crash.

PHP Version Incompatibility

WordPress runs on PHP, a programming language that powers dynamic content. The version of PHP that your site is using can have a significant impact on performance and compatibility. If your PHP version is outdated or incompatible with certain plugins or themes, it could lead to critical errors. As WordPress evolves, some older PHP versions may no longer be supported, causing conflicts with newer plugins and themes.

Memory Exhaustion

Every WordPress site has a memory limit, which is set by your hosting provider. Exceeding the allocated memory on your site may result in a critical error. This often happens when you have many plugins running at once, or when your site is using resource-intensive features. If your site is running out of memory, you may see errors that prevent it from loading or cause it to crash entirely.

Corrupted .htaccess File

The .htaccess file is an important configuration file that controls how your web server handles certain requests. If this file gets corrupted or misconfigured, it can lead to all sorts of issues, including critical errors. The .htaccess file can get corrupted during updates, plugin installations, or theme changes, and when this happens, your site might fail to load.

Server-Side Issues

In some cases, a critical error on your WordPress site might not be caused by anything within WordPress itself, but rather by an issue on the server. Your hosting provider may have server-side issues, such as insufficient resources, misconfigurations, or restrictions that prevent WordPress from running correctly. Server-side problems can also include issues like database connection failures or server downtimes, which could result in a critical error.

Diagnosing and Fixing WordPress Critical Errors

When a critical error occurs on your WordPress site, it’s important not to panic. The first step in solving any problem is to pinpoint its root cause. Here, we’ll guide you through several troubleshooting steps to help you diagnose and fix the critical error on your site.

Check Your Admin Email for a WordPress Error Message

In many cases, WordPress will send an email to the site administrator with additional information about the error. If you haven’t already, check your inbox (and spam folder) for an email from WordPress. The email may provide useful details, such as which plugin or theme is responsible for the critical error. This can give you a clue as to where the issue lies, allowing you to fix the problem more quickly.

Enable WordPress Debugging

If you didn’t receive an email or the information provided isn’t enough to solve the problem, you can enable debugging in WordPress. Debugging mode in WordPress allows you to view detailed error messages and identify the exact source of the issue. Here’s how to enable debugging:

  1. Access your website’s files via FTP or File Manager (from your hosting provider’s control panel).
  2. Find the wp-config.php file in the root directory of your WordPress installation.
  3. Open the file and add the following lines of code just above the line that says, “That’s all, stop editing!”:
php
define('WP_DEBUG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false);
  1. Save the changes.

After enabling debugging, WordPress will log errors in a file called debug.log located in the wp-content folder. You can view this log to help pinpoint the cause of the critical error.

Deactivate All Plugins

Plugins are often the culprit behind WordPress critical errors. To determine whether a plugin is causing the problem, you should deactivate all plugins and see if the error is resolved. Here’s how to do it manually via FTP:

  1. Access your website files using FTP or File Manager.
  2. Navigate to the /wp-content/ directory.
  3. Rename the plugins folder to something like plugins_old.
  4. Check your site again.

If the critical error goes away, you know that one of your plugins is the cause. To identify the problematic plugin, rename the plugins_old folder back to plugins and then deactivate plugins one by one from the WordPress dashboard until the error reappears. Once you’ve pinpointed the problem plugin, you can either update, replace, or remove it entirely.

Switch to a Default WordPress Theme

If deactivating plugins didn’t solve the issue, it’s time to check if your theme is causing the critical error. Sometimes, themes that are outdated or poorly coded can lead to site crashes. To rule out a theme issue, switch to a default WordPress theme, such as Twenty Twenty-Three.

  1. Go to your WordPress dashboard.
  2. Navigate to Appearance > Themes.
  3. Activate a default WordPress theme.

If switching to a default theme resolves the issue, you’ll know that your theme was causing the critical error. You may need to contact the theme developer for support or consider using a different, more compatible theme.

Increase PHP Memory Limit

If the error is related to a memory issue, increasing the PHP memory limit might solve the problem. WordPress has a default memory limit, but sometimes more memory is needed, especially on larger sites with many plugins or complex content. To increase the memory limit:

  1. Access your wp-config.php file.
  2. Insert the following line of code directly above the “That’s all, stop editing!” message!” line:
php
define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M');
  1. Save the changes.

This will raise your PHP memory limit to 256MB. If the error was caused by memory exhaustion, this should fix the problem. If it doesn’t, you may need to contact your hosting provider to request an increase in the memory limit.

Repair or Regenerate the .htaccess File

If a corrupted .htaccess file is causing the error, you can fix it by generating a new one. Here’s how:

  1. Access your website’s files via FTP or File Manager.
  2. Locate the .htaccess file in the root directory and download it to your computer for backup.
  3. Delete the .htaccess file from your server.
  4. Open your WordPress dashboard and go to Settings > Permalinks.
  5. Click Save Changes.

This will regenerate a new .htaccess file, and it may fix any issues that were caused by a corrupted or misconfigured file.

Update WordPress, Themes, and Plugins

Outdated versions of WordPress, themes, and plugins can sometimes cause compatibility issues that lead to critical errors. Make sure you are using the latest versions of all components by following these steps:

  1. In your WordPress dashboard, navigate to Dashboard > Updates.
  2. Update WordPress, along with your plugins and themes, to the latest versions.

Updating everything ensures that your site is running the most secure and compatible versions of each component, which can often resolve critical errors caused by outdated code.

Check for Server-Side Issues

If none of the above steps work, the problem could be related to your hosting environment. Server-side issues, such as insufficient resources or misconfigured server settings, can prevent WordPress from functioning properly. Here’s what you can do:

  • Check with your hosting provider to ensure your account is not running out of resources like disk space or bandwidth.
  • Ask your host to check for any server errors or misconfigurations that could be causing the critical error.

In some cases, your hosting provider may be able to identify and resolve the issue from their end.

Preventing Future Critical Errors

Now that you’ve resolved the critical error, it’s important to take steps to prevent it from happening again. Here are a few best practices to keep your WordPress site running smoothly:

  • Regular Updates: Ensure that WordPress, plugins, and themes are always kept up to date. Regular updates help ensure compatibility and security.
  • Use a Staging Site: Before making any significant changes to your website, test them on a staging site first. This allows you to catch issues before they affect your live site.
  • Backup Regularly: Use a reliable backup solution to back up your site frequently. This ensures that you can restore your site to a previous working version in case of an emergency.
  • Choose a Reputable Hosting Provider: Good hosting is critical for site performance. Choose a provider that offers excellent support, sufficient resources, and reliable uptime.
  • Monitor Your Site: Regularly monitor the health of your WordPress site using built-in tools or third-party services. Identifying issues early can help prevent larger problems down the line.

FAQs About Fixing the WordPress Critical Error

Here are answers to some common questions about fixing a WordPress critical error. We’ve broken them down into simple steps to help you resolve the issue quickly.

What causes a WordPress critical error?

Critical errors can happen due to plugin conflicts, outdated themes, server issues, or corrupted code. It often happens after a plugin or theme update.

How do I fix the WordPress critical error?

  • Deactivate plugins: Try disabling all plugins via the dashboard, FTP, or your hosting provider.
  • Switch to a default theme: Change to a default theme like Twenty Twenty-Three.
  • Increase PHP memory limit: This can solve memory-related errors.
  • Re-upload WordPress files: Sometimes, core files can get corrupted.

Can I fix this without technical knowledge?

Yes, many solutions are simple, like disabling plugins or switching themes. If unsure, you can reach out to your hosting provider or a professional.

How do I find the cause of the error?

Enable WordPress debug mode by adding define('WP_DEBUG', true); to the wp-config.php file to see detailed error messages.

Will restoring a backup help?

If the issue started recently, restoring a backup may help, but be sure to identify the root cause before doing so.

What if I can’t access my WordPress dashboard?

If you can’t access the dashboard, use FTP or your hosting file manager to deactivate plugins and switch themes.

How can I prevent critical errors in the future?

  • Regularly update WordPress, themes, and plugins.
  • Backup your site and use high-quality themes and plugins.
  • Keep your PHP version and server environment up to date.

When should I reach out to my hosting provider or a professional?

If the issue persists after trying the above fixes, reach out to your hosting provider or a professional for deeper troubleshooting.

Conclusion

Dealing with a WordPress critical error can be frustrating, but it’s a fixable problem with the right approach. By following the troubleshooting steps outlined in this guide, you can quickly diagnose and resolve the issue, restoring your website to its full functionality. If you’ve tried all of the steps above and are still struggling to fix the error, consider reaching out to a professional WordPress support team like WebAllWays.

With our years of experience and expertise in WordPress website designing and SEO, we’re here to help ensure your site runs smoothly. Reach out to us today, and let us help you keep your WordPress site error-free and performing at its best.

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