What is the WordPress white screen of death, and how do I get my site back?

The white screen of death is a completely blank page where your WordPress site should be. It's the same problem as a critical error, a PHP failure, but with error messages hidden. The usual causes are a broken plugin or theme, PHP running out of memory, or a failed update.

Is it the whole site or just part?

If the front of the site is blank but /wp-admin works, a theme is the likely cause. If both are blank, suspect a plugin or memory. If only one page is blank, it may be a page builder or a single shortcode.

Finding the cause

1. Turn on debug logging in wp-config.php and check the debug.log file in the wp-content folder.
2. Check your host's PHP error log in the control panel.
3. Rename the plugins folder to deactivate all plugins; if the site returns, rename it back and deactivate one at a time.
4. Switch to a default theme by renaming your theme's folder.

Memory limits

If the log shows "Allowed memory size exhausted", the site needs more PHP memory or, better, the plugin using it all needs replacing. Raising the limit hides the problem; it doesn't fix it.

Want it sorted today? Book a WordPress emergency fix.

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