Fixing Common WordPress Errors

Use these quick fixes and a simple diagnostic flow to resolve the most frequent WordPress issues.

1) White Screen / 500 Internal Server Error

• • Temporarily rename wp-content/plugins to plugins.off to disable all plugins; if fixed, restore and activate one by one.

• • Switch to a default theme (e.g., Twenty Twenty-Four).

• • Enable debug in wp-config.php:

    define('WP_DEBUG', true);
    define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true);
    define('WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false);

    Check wp-content/debug.log for errors.

• • Increase PHP memory limit (if allowed):

    define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M');

2) 404s on All Posts/Pages

• • Go to Settings → Permalinks and click Save to regenerate .htaccess.

• • Check server rewrite modules (Apache/Nginx rules) if issue persists.

3) Mixed Content / Not Secure (SSL)

• • Force HTTPS and update the Site Address (URL) in Settings → General.

• • Search/replace old http:// URLs in the database; fix hard-coded assets in theme.

• • Use a plugin to update URLs & enable Really Simple SSL-style fixes if needed.

4) Too Many Redirects / Login Loop

• • Clear browser + server caches/CDN; check conflicting redirect rules.

• • Confirm Home and Site URL match; temporarily disable security plugins that force redirects.

• • Remove stray rules in .htaccess and re-save permalinks.

5) “Briefly Unavailable for Scheduled Maintenance” Stuck

Delete the .maintenance file in the site root via FTP/File Manager, then reload the site.

6) Cannot Upload / Upload Size Too Small

• • Increase limits (host-level or php.ini/.user.ini if allowed):

    upload_max_filesize = 64M
    post_max_size = 64M
    max_execution_time = 300

• • Regenerate thumbnails if images look blurry/broken.

7) REST API / AJAX Errors

• • Temporarily disable firewall rules that block admin-ajax requests.

• • Check console/network tab for blocked requests or 403/500s.

• • Verify permalinks and remove conflicting security headers for admin routes.

8) Plugin/Theme Conflict

• • Reproduce on a clean theme; activate one plugin at a time to isolate.

• • Match required PHP/WordPress versions; check changelogs and known issues.

• • Open a support ticket with logs, steps to reproduce, and screenshots.

9) Useful Tools

• • Health Check & Troubleshooting plugin (safe mode for conflict testing)

• • Error logs: wp-content/debug.log, server logs (PHP/Nginx/Apache)

• • Search/Replace utilities for URL fixes

• • Uptime monitors & status pages for quick alerts