You Open Your Website and See Nothing but White. Here Is Exactly What to Do.
The WordPress white screen of death is alarming but usually fixable in minutes. It means PHP encountered a fatal error and stopped running before it could output any content. It does not mean your site is gone — it means something specific broke, and that thing can be identified and fixed.
“The white screen looks catastrophic. It rarely is. Follow the steps in order and you will find the cause within ten minutes.”
The Fix Process
1. Enable WordPress debug mode. Add to wp-config.php: define('WP_DEBUG', true); define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true);. Visit your site. Check /wp-content/debug.log for the specific error message. The error tells you exactly which plugin, theme, or file caused the problem. 2. Disable all plugins. Rename the /wp-content/plugins/ folder to /plugins-disabled/ via FTP. If the site works, a plugin is the cause. Rename it back and activate plugins one by one until the white screen returns — that is the problematic plugin. 3. Switch to a default theme. Rename your active theme folder. WordPress will fall back to a default theme. If the site works, your theme is the cause. 4. Increase PHP memory limit. Add define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M'); to wp-config.php. 5. Restore from backup. If nothing else works, restore your last clean backup. This is why daily backups matter. For professional emergency support, see our WordPress Services page.
“The white screen of death is not the end. It is a clue. Follow the clue, find the cause, fix it, and your site is back.”
