How to Fix the “This Site is Experiencing Technical Problems” Error in WordPress #
If you’re seeing the dreaded “This Site Is Experiencing Technical Problems” error message on your WordPress site, don’t panic. This is a common issue that can be resolved with a few troubleshooting steps. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the process of diagnosing and fixing the problem so your site can run smoothly again.
What Causes This Error?
Before we discuss the solutions, it is important to understand what could be causing this error. Generally, it appears by:
- Plugin or theme conflicts
- PHP Errors
- Corrupted core files
- Memory limits exhausted
Step-by-step Guide to Fix the Error
- Check Your Email
First, check your email. WordPress often sends a recovery email to your admin email address with more details about the error and a special link to log into recovery mode. The email may give you insight into which plugin or theme is causing the problem.
- Disable All Plugins
One of the most common causes of this error is a plugin conflict. To check if this is the problem, you can disable all of your plugins.
- Via WP Admin (if accessible):
- Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins .
- Check the box at the top to select all plugins.
- Select Deactivate from the Bulk Actions dropdown and click Apply .
- Via FTP or File Manager:
- Connect to your site via FTP or your hosting control panel’s file manager.
- Navigate to the wp-content folder.
- Rename the plugins folder to, for example, plugins_old.
- Switch to a Default Theme
If disabling plugins doesn’t fix the problem, it could be your theme. Try switching to a default WordPress theme like Twenty Twenty-One.
- Via WP Admin (if accessible):
- Go to Appearance > Themes .
- Activate a default theme.
- Via FTP or File Manager:
- Connect to your site via FTP or your hosting control panel’s file manager.
- Navigate to the wp-content/themes folder.
- Rename your active theme folder to something like theme_old.
- WordPress automatically switches to a default theme.
- Increase PHP memory limit
Sometimes this error occurs because your site has exhausted its PHP memory limit. You can increase it by editing your wp-config.php file.
- Connect to your site via FTP or your hosting control panel’s file manager.
- Find and edit the wp-config.php file in the root folder.
- Add the following line before the line /* That’s it, stop editing! Happy blogging. */:
php
- define(‘WP_MEMORY_LIMIT’, ‘256M’);
- Enable Debugging
Enabling WordPress debugging can help you identify the issue. You can enable this by editing your wp-config.php file.
- Connect to your site via FTP or your hosting control panel’s file manager.
- Find and edit the wp-config.php file in the root folder.
- Add or edit the following lines:
php
- define(‘WP_DEBUG’, true);
- define(‘WP_DEBUG_LOG’, true);
- define(‘WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY’, false);
This will create a debug.log file in the wp-content folder, where you can find more details about the error.
- Check File Permissions
Incorrect file permissions can also cause this error. Make sure your files have the correct permissions:
- Folders: 755
- Files: 644
- wp-config.php: 440 of 400
- Re-upload Core Files
If none of the above steps work, you may need to re-upload the core WordPress files. Download a fresh copy of WordPress from wordpress.org and upload everything except the wp-content folder via FTP.
Conclusion
Encountering the error message “This Site Is Experiencing Technical Problems” can be frustrating, but with some patience and the right steps, you can fix it. Start with the simplest solutions like disabling plugins and switching themes, and move on to more advanced troubleshooting as needed.
If you continue to experience issues after trying these steps, consider contacting your hosting provider for further assistance.
If you still can’t solve the problem, we can help you. Contact us at [email protected] .
