White Screen of Death or WSOD is a widely discussed Wordpress error. This issue is similar to the blue screen of death, which was frequently observed in Windows. It is awkward to stare at a white screen without any clue and ask…what is going on? On the top of that, if your white screen is not showing any messages except solid white screen, then you are in a nightmare.

What is the WordPress white screen of death?

Technically, a WordPress white screen of Death (WSOD) is a white screen showing by WordPress when you are trying to access your WordPress site. Now, there are several reasons that can lead to this common WordPress error. One of the most common reasons is Memory Limit exhaustion. However, PHP coding error in the site can also lead to the same result. If you have a WordPress site, then you should be concerned about white screen of death. Here are the possible solutions for this issue.

• Increase Memory limits

Memory limits exhaustion is one of the most common reasons behind a white screen of death. If all of the plugins and the theme are in good shape but still you are experiencing white screen of death, then it is confirm that the memory limit is exhausted. If you are sharing hosting facility, then exhaustion of memory limit could be frequent. Increasing memory limits is an easy task. You can add the following code in your wp-config.php file to increase memory limit:

define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '64M');

If you cannot access the wp-config.php file, then you can also use the .htaccess file and increase the memory limit. You just have to access .htaccess file and simply paste the following line:

php_value memory_limit 64M

Apart from that, you also have the power to increase memory limit by using the php.ini file. For this, please add following line in your php.ini file:

memory_limit = 64M

These steps are sufficient to increase your memory limit, however, if you are still shortened for memory then you may have issues within the application. In that case, you will require help from professional WordPress maintenance service provider.

• Disable Plugins and themes

Plugins and themes could be the culprit of the white screen of death. In most of the cases, plugins are detected for causing trouble. A lot of times WordPress website goes down due to bad plugin integration. If you can access the WordPress admin panel, then browse to “Plugins” and deactivate all of the plugins. After disabling all of the plugins, check whether the problem has been resolved. If the white screen of death is resolved then it must be plugin error. Now, activate plugins one by one and reload the site each time after activating the plugin. This process will help you to detect the “trouble making” plugin. On the other hand, if you have downloaded themes from any unauthorized sources then it could make trouble. We will advise you to change the theme immediately to resolve the issue.

• Resolve failed auto-update

Sometimes, if plugins or theme update interrupted or fail, then it may lead to the white screen of death. WordPress having issues with updates is very common. In order to fix this problem, you need to find .maintenance file. If there is any .maintenance file then delete that file without any hesitation. If WordPress fails to delete this file automatically after the update process is completed, then everything will be normal soon. If the update is interrupted and not completed the file will be removed automatically. If you find plugin update failure is causing the issue, then you have to delete that plugin immediately to resolve the problem.

• Coding error and file permission issues

The coding error in your WordPress PHP file can also lead to the same problem. In order to resolve this problem, you may need to seek help from the WordPress care providers or go through WordPress maintenance guide. Fixing PHP coding is like fixing the backbone of WordPress. A single mistake in the PHP code can disrupt the website structure. So, be careful while fixing PHP file.

Unlike other causes, file permission issue could rarely result in the white screen of death. You can easily fix permission issues, but if you have poor coding and technical knowledge, it is better to search for an expert. There are three main rules of WordPress:

• Folders should be 775
• Files should be 664
• The wp-config.php must be 660

With SSH access you can apply these rules by using the following commands:

sudo find . -type d -exec chmod 775 {} +
sudo find . -type f -exec chmod 664 {} +
sudo chmod 660 wp-config.php

If you are not sure about these coding changes, take help from your host or WordPress service providers.

• Switch on Debugging

If you have tried all of the steps that we have mentioned here and still could not find what is wrong with your WordPress site, you must switch on debugging process. Enabling debugging process will help you to find any error that possibly happened to your site. After switching on the debugging process you will see a message informing the issues is appearing on the blank page or on the white screen. To enable debugging process you have to open the wp-config.php file and the following sentence:

define( 'WP_DEBUG', false )

Change the option “false” to “true” and you will start getting error messages.

Conclusion

When you have a WordPress site, it is wise to learn about common WordPress issues. WordPress users frequently experience different issues; however, the situation is not as dire as it looks like. Whenever you confront such situation, try to use step by step solution as mentioned in this blog. Let us know if you have more queries, we would like to enlighten you with details.

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