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[ REPAIR GUIDE ] WEBSITE ERRORS

How to fix "There has been a critical error on this website" in WordPress

ERROR DETECTED >There has been a critical error on this website.

UPDATED NOVEMBER 20263 MIN READ8 FIXES

QUICK FIX

Open the recovery mode email WordPress sent to the site admin address, click its link, and deactivate the plugin or theme it names. No email? Rename the wp-content/plugins folder in your host's file manager to turn all plugins off.

What it means

This WordPress message means a PHP fatal error stopped the site from loading, usually caused by a plugin, a theme or an incompatible PHP version. Older setups or sites with errors hidden show a blank white page instead, often called the white screen of death. It is the site owner's problem; visitors can only wait or tell the owner, while the owner can use the recovery email, the error log or the file manager to switch off what broke.

Common causes

  • A plugin with a bug or a conflict with another plugin
  • A theme error, often after editing functions.php
  • A plugin, theme or WordPress update that did not finish
  • A PHP version the plugin or theme does not support
  • The site ran out of PHP memory
  • Missing or corrupted WordPress core files

How to fix it

Work down the list. Each fix is safe to try before moving on to the next.

FIX 01Reload in a few minutesEASY

  1. Wait a few minutes.
  2. Press F5 on Windows or Command + R on a Mac to reload.
  3. If you see "Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance", the site is updating; try again in a little while.

Why it helps: Updates and short glitches often finish on their own.

FIX 02Tell the site ownerEASY

  1. If the message stays for more than a short while, contact the site through its email or social media.
  2. Tell them the exact message and the time you saw it.

Why it helps: Visitors cannot fix a WordPress critical error; the owner may not know the site is down.

// RUN THIS SITE? FIXES FOR SITE OWNERS

FIX 03Use the recovery mode emailEASYSITE OWNERS

  1. Check the inbox of the site admin email address, including spam, for a message from your site about a technical issue.
  2. Read which plugin or theme it names, then click the recovery mode link in the email.
  3. Log in; the faulty plugin or theme is paused for your session only.
  4. Go to Plugins or Appearance > Themes and deactivate or replace the item named.
  5. Click Exit Recovery Mode in the top toolbar and check the site.

Why it helps: Recovery mode lets you reach the dashboard and switch off the broken code without touching files.

FIX 04Remove a stuck maintenance fileEASYSITE OWNERS

  1. If the site says "Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance" for more than a few minutes, open your host's File Manager or connect with SFTP.
  2. In the WordPress root folder (the one with wp-config.php), turn on showing hidden files.
  3. Delete the file named .maintenance.
  4. Reload the site, then go to Dashboard > Updates and re-run any update that did not finish.

Why it helps: WordPress adds .maintenance during updates and normally removes it; an interrupted update can leave it behind.

FIX 05Turn off plugins from the file managerMEDIUMSITE OWNERS

  1. In File Manager or SFTP, open wp-content.
  2. Rename the plugins folder to plugins_old to turn off all plugins at once.
  3. Reload the site; if it works, rename the folder back to plugins.
  4. In Plugins, activate them one at a time until the error returns, then leave that plugin off and contact its developer.
  5. If you already know the culprit, just rename that plugin's own folder instead.

Why it helps: Plugins are the most common source of fatal errors, and renaming a folder is a safe way to disable them without the dashboard.

FIX 06Switch to a default themeMEDIUMSITE OWNERS

  1. In File Manager or SFTP, open wp-content/themes.
  2. Make sure a default theme such as Twenty Twenty-Five is present.
  3. Rename your active theme's folder, for example add -old to its name.
  4. Reload the site; WordPress will fall back to an available theme.
  5. If you recently edited functions.php, undo that change from a backup.

Why it helps: A broken theme, especially a recent edit to functions.php, can crash every page.

FIX 07Turn on debug logging to find the causeADVANCEDSITE OWNERS

  1. Download a backup copy of wp-config.php.
  2. Above the line that says to stop editing, set define( 'WP_DEBUG', true );, define( 'WP_DEBUG_LOG', true ); and define( 'WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false );.
  3. Reload the broken page, then open wp-content/debug.log and find the line starting with PHP Fatal error; it names the file and plugin or theme.
  4. Your host's PHP error log in the control panel shows the same kind of information.
  5. Warning: set WP_DEBUG back to false and delete debug.log when done, since debugging is not meant to stay on for a live site.

Why it helps: The log tells you exactly which file failed instead of disabling things by trial and error.

FIX 08Check PHP version and memoryADVANCEDSITE OWNERS

  1. If the error started after your host changed PHP versions, switch back in the control panel's PHP version tool and update the plugin or theme before trying again.
  2. If the log mentions Allowed memory size ... exhausted, add define( 'WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M' ); to wp-config.php; if your host does not allow WordPress to raise it, raise memory_limit in your host's PHP settings instead.
  3. If core files may be damaged, download a fresh copy of WordPress and re-upload only the wp-admin and wp-includes folders after taking a backup.

Why it helps: Incompatible PHP versions, memory limits and damaged core files are the other common causes WordPress lists.

Check it's fixed

  • The front page and wp-admin load normally.
  • Tools > Site Health shows no critical issues about plugins or PHP.
  • debug.log gets no new fatal errors, and WP_DEBUG is back to false.

When to get help

If no recovery email arrives, the log shows nothing and disabling plugins and themes does not help, contact your hosting provider. WordPress notes the recovery email can be blocked when the server's mail is not trusted, so hosts can often check logs for you.

Questions

I did not get the recovery mode email. What now?

Check spam first. If it is not there, the server may not be able to send mail, so use the file manager to rename the plugins folder or turn on debug logging.

What is the WordPress white screen of death?

It is a completely blank page caused by the same kind of fatal PHP error, shown when the error message is hidden. The same fixes apply.

Is recovery mode visible to my visitors?

No. The paused plugin or theme is only paused for your logged-in session; visitors still see the error until you deactivate or fix it.

How do I get out of maintenance mode?

Delete the .maintenance file in the WordPress root folder using your host's file manager or SFTP, then finish any updates.

Related fixes

How to fix HTTP error 500 (500 Internal Server Error)If you are visiting the site, refresh after a minute or two and try again later; the fault is on the server. If you own the site, check the How to fix "Error establishing a database connection" in WordPressSite owners should first confirm the database name, username, password and host in wp-config.php match what the hosting control panel shows.How to fix 503 Service UnavailableIf you are a visitor, wait a few minutes and reload; the site is busy or under maintenance. If you own the site, check whether the server isHow to fix 504 Gateway TimeoutAs a visitor, wait a minute and reload, then try another network if it keeps happening. As a site owner, find what is making the origin serv

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