WordPress: There Has Been a Critical Error on This Website

Your WordPressWordPress is free software for building and editing a website in your browser. It is written in PHP, so it builds each page when someone visits. site shows a message that there has been a critical error, so visitors cannot see your pages and you may not be able to log in. For a business site that means lost enquiries and trust until it is fixed. WordPress usually emails you a recovery link that gets you back in, and the steps below start there.

The WordPress message "There has been a critical error on this website" means that PHPPHP is a programming language that builds your web pages on the computer that hosts your site, just before they reach the visitor. WordPress runs on it. hit a fatal error while loading a page, and WordPress stopped instead of showing a broken site. It is a critical error in WordPress terms, and it is most often caused by a pluginA WordPress plugin is an add-on you install in WordPress to give your site extra features, such as contact forms, SEO tools or a webshop., a themeA WordPress theme is a ready-made package that decides how your WordPress site looks and how its pages are laid out. Change the theme and the design changes. or a PHP versionA PHP version is a numbered edition of PHP, like 8.3. Each edition is looked after for a limited time, then gets security fixes only, then nothing. that does not match the code.

What the message means

Since version 5.2, WordPress catches fatal PHP errors and replaces the white screen with this short notice. The message itself does not name the cause. The real details sit in the error logAn error log is a file where your website's software writes down what went wrong, with the time and place. It is the first thing to check when a site breaks., and WordPress usually sends an email to the site administrator address with a link to recovery modeWordPress recovery mode is a safe mode that starts after a serious error, so you can still log in and switch off the plugin or theme that broke your site..

Common causes

The cause is often a plugin or theme update that is not compatible with your PHP version. It can also be a plugin that was updated halfway, a file that did not upload completely, or a custom code snippet with a mistake. Running out of PHP memory is another frequent trigger. Sometimes the cause is a change on the server, such as a PHP version switch by the hosting providerWeb hosting is the service that keeps your website's files on a computer that is always online, so visitors can open your site at any time..

How to check it safely

Start with a full backupA backup is a separate copy of your website's files and database, so you can bring the site back after a mistake, a hack or a failed update. of the files and the database. Then look for the email WordPress sent to the administrator address, including the spam folder. It names the plugin or theme that failed and contains the recovery mode link. If you cannot find it, open the error log in your hosting panel. You can also set WP_DEBUGWP_DEBUG is a WordPress setting that makes hidden errors visible or saves them to a file, which helps find out why a site shows a blank page. and WP_DEBUG_LOG to true and WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY to false in wp-config.php, so errors are written to a log file and not shown to visitors. Switch them off again when you are done. By default this log is wp-content/debug.log, which is often reachable from the web; delete it afterwards. Do not switch on visible error display on a live site, because messages can reveal file paths to visitors. Also check which PHP version the site runs now.

What you can try yourself

Try these steps in order, and stop as soon as the site loads again.

First, open the recovery mode link from the email, log in and pause the plugin or theme it names. Second, if there is no email, connect over SFTP or the hosting file manager and rename the folder of the suspected plugin inside the plugins directory. WordPress then deactivates it. Third, if no plugin is to blame, rename the active theme folder so WordPress falls back to a default theme. Fourth, read the log again, because a fresh entry shows whether the error changed. Never share passwords with anyone who asks for them in a chat or an email.

When the PHP version is the cause

If the error started right after a PHP update, or after your host moved the site to a newer PHP version, an old plugin or theme may use code that the new version no longer accepts. Rolling the PHP version back briefly can confirm this. Only switch back to a PHP version that still receives security fixes, keep it as short as possible, and check with your host that it includes the latest security release. Then update or replace the old component, rather than staying on an old PHP version. The page on supported PHP versions on this site explains which versions the PHP project still maintains.

When to get help

If the log points to custom code, if you do not have file access, or if the site earns money while it is down, ask for help. A human at Website Without PHP replies within 1 business day. A rush repair starts from $425, excluding VAT.