WordPress Plugin Conflict After a PHP Update
After a 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. update, part of 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 no longer works: a page looks broken, a form does not send, or the whole site shows an error.
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The cause is often one 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. that does not fit the new 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., and the steps below help you find it.
A WordPress plugin conflict after a PHP update means one or more plugins no longer work with the PHP version your server now runs, or two plugins interfere with each other. The result ranges from a broken page layout to a white screen or the message that the site has a critical error.
What the problem looks like
Symptoms vary. You may see a blank page, a critical error notice, a dashboard that will not load, a form or checkout that stops working, or a page where one section is missing. The common thread is timing: the problem started right after a PHP version change, a host migration or a plugin update.
Common causes
The most common cause is an old plugin that was written for an earlier PHP version and uses features that newer versions changed or removed. A second cause is a plugin that was updated while another one it depends on was not. A third cause is two plugins that do similar things, such as two cachingA cache is a store of ready-made copies, such as finished pages, so a website or browser can show something instantly instead of building it again. or two security plugins, and clash.
A fourth cause is a missing PHP extensionA PHP extension adds functions to PHP that a website or application may need. on the new server that a plugin needs.
How to check it safely
Take 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 files and database first. Then read the PHP 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., which usually names the plugin folder in the file path of the first error. Check the version of PHP the site runs now, and look at the plugin pages in the WordPress directory, where authors often state the PHP versions they support.
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What you can try yourself
Work in this order. First, switch the PHP version back to the one that worked before, if your hosting control panelA hosting control panel, such as cPanel, Plesk or DirectAdmin, is the web page where you manage your domain, email, databases and PHP version. allows it, so the site is up again while you investigate. 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.
Second, if you cannot log in, rename the plugins folder through your file manager, which switches all plugins off. Third, rename it back and activate plugins one at a time, reloading the site after each, until the problem returns. The last plugin you activated is your suspect.
Fourth, check for an update of that plugin, or look for an alternative that is actively maintained. Fifth, only after the plugins are sorted out, try the newer PHP version again.
When the PHP version is the cause
If a plugin works on the older PHP version and fails on the newer one, the plugin is the one that needs to change, not your server settings. Staying on an unsupported PHP version for long is not a solution, because the PHP project no longer ships security fixes for it. Our page on supported PHP versions explains which versions the PHP project supports right now.
When to get help
If the plugin is business critical, such as a shop or booking plugin, and no updated version exists, get help to replace or repair it. A human at Website Without PHP replies within 1 business day. An emergency fix starts from $425, excluding VAT.