How to Fix the WordPress White Screen of Death (WSoD)

So, you loaded up your WordPress site, and BAM — nada.

Just a blank white screen staring back at you like a haunted house with the lights off. No errors. No dashboard. No clue what just happened.

Yup… you’ve met the infamous WordPress White Screen of Death (WSoD).

But don’t panic.

This guide will walk you through seven proven steps to fix that white screen of death, rescue your WordPress dashboard, and get your website's functionality back on track.

Whether you're dealing with a faulty plugin, a theme conflict, or a PHP memory limit that just gave up, we’re covering it all.

What Even Is the WordPress White Screen of Death?

The WSoD is basically your site’s version of a nervous breakdown.

It shows up as a blank page (no content, no error message, nothing) when you visit your site — sometimes on the entire site, sometimes just the WordPress admin dashboard, or just the front end.

Look Out for These WSoD Symptoms:

• A blank white screen (in Chrome, Safari, etc.)
• You can’t access the wp-admin panel
• No helpful error message in sight
• It usually appears after installing a problematic plugin or a faulty theme

Why Does the White Screen of Death Even Happen?

Ah yes — the “why.” The truth? It’s usually a cocktail of:

How to Fix Wordpress White Screen: 7 Steps That Actually Work

Ready to roll up your sleeves and bring your WordPress website back to life?

Step 1: Disable All Your Plugins (Yes, All of Them)

If one specific plugin is the villain here, disabling them all at once helps you pinpoint the guilty one.

Here’s how to do:

1. Use an FTP client or your hosting account’s file manager
2. Navigate to /wp-content/ and rename the plugins folder (e.g. plugins-old)
3. Refresh your site — if it loads, congrats, the issue was plugin-related!
4. Rename the folder back and reactivate one plugin at a time to find the culprit

Pro Tip: If you just installed a new plugin, it’s probably the troublemaker. You can also check with the plugin developer if things go sideways.

Step 2: Switch to a Default WordPress Theme

Next up — your WordPress theme. Sometimes a faulty theme (or one with sketchy code edits) can throw your whole site into chaos.

1. Head to /wp-content/themes/
2. Rename your active theme folder
3. WordPress will fall back to a default theme (like Twenty Twenty-Four)

If your site loads again — boom 💥 — you’ve just uncovered a theme conflict.

Bonus Tip: Always test theme changes in a staging site first. Your future self will thank you.

Step 3: Clear WordPress and Browser Cache

Old cache can sometimes mess with website visibility, especially after you’ve already fixed the issue. Here's what to do:

• Use your caching plugin (like WP Super Cache) to clear the WordPress plugin cache
• Clear your browser cache (or just use Incognito mode to double-check)
• Don’t forget your WordPress cache if you’re using a host with built-in caching!

Cached content = stale content. Keep it fresh!

Step 4: Enable Debug Mode and Check Error Logs

This is where things get a little technical — but don’t worry, I’ve got your back!

In your WordPress root directory, open up wp-config.php and add this:

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

This activates WordPress debugging and logs all errors to /wp-content/debug.log. It's super helpful for spotting a syntax error, fatal error, or an issue with a WordPress plugin.

Citation: WordPress Debugging Documentation

Step 5: Increase PHP Memory Limit

If your PHP memory limit is too low, WordPress might just stop trying.

To boost it:

Add this to wp-config.php:

define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '512M');

Or modify your .htaccess file or php.ini file depending on your host setup.

💡 A higher memory limit helps fix unresponsive scripts, especially when dealing with big plugins or resource-heavy themes.

📖 Citation: PHP Memory Limit Best Practices

Step 6: Check File Permission Issues & .maintenance File

Your WordPress files need to be accessible — or the whole system grinds to a halt.

File permission recommendations:

• Files: 644
• Directories: 755

Also, check for a .maintenance file in your WordPress root directory. If it’s there, delete it. It might be leftover from a failed update and could lock you out.

📖 Citation: WordPress File Permissions Guide

Step 7: Restore a Backup or Call in Your Hosting Provider

If all else fails — don’t worry. You still have options:

• Restore a backup via a plugin or your host
• If you don’t have a backup (been there 😅), contact your hosting provider and share:
  • A description of the issue
  • The steps you’ve tried
  • The error logs or wp-debug.log file

Most hosts are happy to help — especially if they have a support team that understands WordPress core issues.

How to Prevent the WSoD From Ever Coming Back

Now that you’ve fixed it, let’s keep that white screen away for good:

• Always update your WordPress core, plugins, and themes
• Test changes on a staging site
• Use tools to monitor uptime and performance
• Backup everything before you touch a PHP file
• Don’t blindly install one plugin after another — quality > quantity!

FAQ: You Asked, We Answered

Quick Reference: WSoD Troubleshooting Steps

There you have it! With these steps, you're now fully equipped to conquer the WordPress White Screen of Death like a seasoned pro.

Got more WordPress questions or want us to write about another tricky fix? Drop us a line — we're here to help