White Screen of Death (WSOD): Causes, Answers, and Prevention

As a website owner, encountering a blank, characteristic-less screen when trying to access your site can be both alarming and frustrating. This effect, renowned as the White Screen of Death (WSOD), is a common issue in the web development realm. Understand the challenges it presents, and this guide is here to help you resolve.

Understanding the White Screen of Death

The WSOD is a WordPress-related problem that leaves operators staring at a blank screen without any error messages or clues. It typically results from host limitations.

Main causes of WSOD:

Plugin or Theme Conflicts : Plugins and themes enhance your website’s functionality and appearance, but they can sometimes clash with each other or with WordPress updates, leading to WSOD.
PHP Memory Exhaustion : Every WordPress site requires PHP memory to execute scripts. If your website’s tasks exceed the available memory, it may crash and display a white screen.
Coding Errors : Poorly written custom code in themes, plugins, or the functions.php file can crash your site.
Host Issues : Host-side problems, such as misconfigured settings or corrupted files, can also trigger the WSOD.

Step-by-Step Solutions to Fix WSOD

1. Deactivate Plugins and Themes

A common cause of WSOD is plugin or theme conflicts. To troubleshoot:

Access Your Website via FTP or File Manager:

Use an FTP client like FileZilla or your hosting’s file manager to log into your site.
Navigate to wp-content/plugins and rename the plugins folder to plugins-disabled. This action deactivates all plugins.
Reload your site. If it works, a plugin is causing the issue.
Rename the folder back to plugins and reactivate plugins one by one to identify the culprit.
If plugins aren’t the issue, repeat the process for themes. Rename your active theme folder in wp-content/themes and switch to a default theme like Twenty Twenty-Three.

2. Increase PHP Memory Limit

If your website is running out of memory, increase the PHP memory allocation:

Edit wp-config.php:

1. Log in via FTP or file manager.

2. Open the

wp-config.php

file located in your site’s root directory.

3. Add the following code before the line that says

/* That’s all, stop editing! Happy blogging. */:

define(‘WP_MEMORY_LIMIT’, ‘256M’);

4. Save and upload the file back to the server. Refresh your site to check if the issue is resolved.

3. Debugging Mode

Enable WordPress debugging mode to uncover the root cause:

1. Open

wp-config.php

and find the line

define(‘WP_DEBUG’, false);.

2. Change it to:

define(‘WP_DEBUG’, true);

define(‘WP_DEBUG_LOG’, true);

3. Save and reload your site. The error details will be logged in this file

wp-content/debug.log

Use this information to identify and resolve the problem.

4. Check File Permissions

Incorrect file permissions can block WordPress from accessing essential files. Ensure the permissions are:

Files: 644
Folders: 755

5. Replace Corrupted Files

Sometimes WordPress core files become corrupted. To fix this:

Download a fresh copy of WordPress from WordPress.org.
Extract the files and upload everything except the wp-content folder and wp-config.php file to your site via FTP.
Overwrite the existing files.

6. Contact Your Hosting Provider

If none of the above steps work, the issue might be server-related. Reach out to your hosting provider for assistance. At Erichost, our support team is available 24/7 to help diagnose and resolve such issues.

Preventing WSOD in the Future

Regular Updates : Keep WordPress, themes, and plugins updated to their latest versions to avoid compatibility issues.
Use Reliable Plugins and Themes : Only install plugins and themes from trusted developers. Read reviews and check update frequency before installing.
Monitor Resource Usage : Use a resource monitoring plugin to track PHP memory and server load, ensuring your site stays within its limits.
Schedule Backups : Always keep recent backups of your website. In case of issues, you can restore your site to a working state quickly. Erichost offers automated backup solutions to simplify this process.
Choose a Reliable Hosting Provider : A reliable hosting provider can prevent many server-related issues that lead to WSOD. At Erichost, we offer optimized hosting solutions with ample resources and robust support to ensure your site’s stability.

Conclusion

The White Screen of Death is a common yet solvable problem. By following these troubleshooting steps and applying proper measures, you can minimize downtime and keep your site running smoothly. At Erichost, we are here to support you every step of the way with expert advice and reliable hosting services.

For questions or to get help, reach out to our team now and receive the service you need to make your website a success.

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