How do I troubleshoot the ‘White Screen of Death’ in WordPress?

Applies to: WordPress.org (self-hosted)
Last updated: May 2025

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Problem

You visit your WordPress site (or admin dashboard), and all you see is a completely blank white screen—no error message, no content. This is often referred to as the “White Screen of Death” (WSOD) and typically means a PHP error or memory issue has stopped the site from loading.

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Solution

This issue is usually caused by:

• Plugin or theme conflicts
• Exhausted PHP memory limit
• Corrupt core files
• Syntax errors in custom code

You’ll need to troubleshoot step-by-step, starting with the most common causes.

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Step 1: Enable Debug Mode

Turn on WordPress debugging to reveal error messages.

1. Access your site files via FTP or File Manager
2. Open the wp-config.php file
3. Look for this line: define('WP_DEBUG', false);
4. Change it to: define('WP_DEBUG', true); define('WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', true);
5. Save the file and reload the site

If there’s a PHP error, it will now be displayed on the screen—note the file and line number.

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Step 2: Disable All Plugins

If the frontend or admin dashboard is blank, disable plugins manually:

1. Go to /wp-content/ via FTP or File Manager
2. Rename the plugins folder to plugins_old
3. Visit your site—if it loads, a plugin is the issue
4. Rename the folder back to plugins
5. Rename plugins one-by-one inside the folder to find the culprit

Once identified, you can delete or replace the problematic plugin.

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Step 3: Switch to a Default Theme

Sometimes the theme is the cause.

1. Go to /wp-content/themes/
2. Rename your active theme folder (e.g., mytheme_old)
3. WordPress will fall back to a default theme like Twenty Twenty-Four if available

If no default theme is installed, upload one manually via FTP

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Step 4: Increase PHP Memory Limit

A lack of memory can cause WSOD.

1. Edit your wp-config.php file
2. Add this line before /* That's all, stop editing! */: define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M');
3. Save and refresh the site

Some hosts require you to set memory limits in php.ini or .htaccess.

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Step 5: Check for File Corruption

Re-upload fresh copies of:

• wp-admin/
• wp-includes/
  (from a clean WordPress download at wordpress.org)

Do not replace wp-content/—it contains your themes, plugins, and media.

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Step 6: Restore a Backup

If the issue persists and you have a working backup:

• Use your backup plugin or hosting panel to restore your site to a stable version.

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Notes

• Always back up your site before troubleshooting
• Enable debug logging (instead of displaying errors) in production:
• define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true); define('WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false);
• Logs are stored in /wp-content/debug.log