Wordpress displays message "There has been a critical error on this website"

The "There has been a critical error on this website" message in WordPress typically occurs due to:

  1. A plugin issue.
  2. A theme issue.
  3. A PHP error caused by incompatibility between PHP version, plugins, or theme.
  4. Incorrect .htaccess or wp-config.php configuration.

Steps to Resolve the Issue

Follow these steps to identify and fix the problem:

1. Enable Debugging

  • Access the File Manager on your hosting server (or via FTP).
  • Edit the wp-config.php file.
  • Locate the line:
     
    define('WP_DEBUG', false);
    Change it to:
     
     
    define('WP_DEBUG', true);
    define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true);
    define('WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false);
  • Save the file and reload the site. Errors will be logged in /wp-content/debug.log.

2. Deactivate Plugins

  • Navigate to /wp-content/plugins in the File Manager.
  • Rename the plugins folder to plugins_backup.
  • Check if the site works. If it does, the issue lies in one of the plugins.
  • Rename the folder back to plugins and deactivate plugins one by one until you find the problematic one.

3. Switch Themes

  • If the issue persists, navigate to /wp-content/themes and rename the folder of the active theme.
  • WordPress will revert to a default theme (e.g., Twenty Twenty-Two).

4. Check PHP Version

  • Ensure your PHP version is compatible with your WordPress version, plugins, and theme.
  • Update PHP through Plesk or cPanel.

5. Restore the .htaccess File

  • Go to your WordPress root directory and create a new .htaccess file with the following content:
     
     
    # BEGIN WordPress <IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
    RewriteEngine On
    RewriteBase /
    RewriteRule ^index\.php$ - [L]
    RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
    RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
    RewriteRule . /index.php [L]
    </IfModule>
    # END WordPress

6. Reinstall Core WordPress Files

  • Download the latest WordPress version from wordpress.org.
  • Upload the files (except the wp-content folder and wp-config.php) to your site.
  • Overwrite the existing files.

7. Contact Technical Support

  • Our technical support department will look into the problem in detail. Don't worry, your current request will be reviewed by our team as soon as possible.
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