To see whether this is the case, you’ll need to edit the wp-config.php file in your website’s root directory:
Instead, it could be an error in your site’s code ( typically the code of a plugin or theme). The first step should be to at least try to make sense of the error - you could get lucky! Depending on how your server handles errors, what you’re seeing may not actually be a server error at all. If you can’t access your WordPress dashboard to use a backup plugin, you should still be able to create a backup through your hosting dashboard - ask your host’s support for help if you’re not sure how. But, in general, go from top to bottom!īeyond that, just a reminder that we always recommend backing up your site before making any of the changes on this list.
In a few situations, we’ll tell you to skip ahead based on the results of one of the steps. That is, start at Step #1 and work your way through the list. We recommend you perform these steps in order.
How to Fix WordPress 500 Internal Server Error By systematically going through the things that could be going wrong, you’ll be able to figure out what’s causing the problem and, more importantly, how to fix it. To figure out what’s going on, you’ll need to do a little troubleshooting and trial and error. There’s nothing wrong with the server itself - it’s simply encountered something it can’t figure out. The server encountered an unexpected condition that prevented it from fulfilling the request.
If you take a look at the HTTP specifications, you can see that an internal server error means the following: What’s more, the name ‘internal server error’ can be misleading, because, in almost all cases, your host (and/or server) isn’t to blame. Imagine if you went to the doctor and said you felt pain, but refused to reveal where that pain was - it’d make it very hard for the doctor to treat it! That’s the difficulty with an internal server error - there’s no indication of where the problem’s coming from. Internal server errors are annoying to users and developers alike because they don’t provide any information about the root of the problem - they just tell you there is one. Important: Always make a complete backup of your site (even if it’s not working as it should be) before making any changes - better safe than sorry! In this article, we’ll explain what an internal server error is, and, more importantly, how to fix it. If you’re lucky, the WordPress admin still works, but, in some cases, even that may refuse to cooperate. We’ve all been there - a site that was functioning perfectly well just seconds ago suddenly decides to throw a fit and spits out an internal server error.