{"id":20424,"date":"2026-11-02T12:29:03","date_gmt":"2026-11-02T11:29:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stage.surver.nl\/kennisbank\/wordpress-fouten-oplossen\/"},"modified":"2026-11-03T14:54:13","modified_gmt":"2026-11-03T13:54:13","slug":"troubleshooting-wordpress-errors","status":"publish","type":"kennisbank","link":"https:\/\/stage.surver.nl\/en\/kennisbank\/wordpress-fouten-oplossen\/","title":{"rendered":"Troubleshooting WordPress Errors: An Overview of the Most Common Error Messages"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Troubleshooting<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

You open your website or wp-admin<\/code> and you see an error message you don't understand\u2014or nothing at all. The most common WordPress errors are critical errors, the white screen, database connection errors, server errors 500 through 504, too many redirects, mixed content, and the memory limit. Almost all of them are caused by a plugin, theme, update, or server setting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That makes it less of a problem than it seems, because you can resolve most WordPress issues without losing any data, as long as you follow the correct steps. Troubleshooting WordPress errors starts with four standard steps, and after that, you can read about the cause of each error message and find the solution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First things first: four steps to help with any WordPress error<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For every WordPress error, you follow the same steps, no matter what message you see. I compare an error message to a warning light on your dashboard. The light tells you that something is wrong, but only the garage\u2019s diagnostic tool can tell you exactly what it is. In WordPress, the error log is that diagnostic tool, which is why reading the actual message below comes before fixing the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Do not delete anything.<\/strong> Don't delete any plugins or files, and don't reinstall anything until you know what the problem is. You can undo disabling a plugin, but you can't undo deleting it.<\/li>\n\n
  2. Make a backup or check to see if there is a recent one.<\/strong> Do the same even if your site is already down. With Surver, you can restore backups using JetBackup 5 in cPanel, but the current state isn't automatically saved during the process. To learn how this works, see Restore a backup<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n
  3. Display the actual error message.<\/strong> If a critical error occurs, WordPress will email the administrator address a link to recovery mode, which allows you to log in with the problematic plugin paused. Didn't receive an email? Then set WP_DEBUG<\/code> as described in Enable debug mode<\/a> and read wp-content\/debug.log<\/code>, or open the server's error log. For Surver, that's the file error_log<\/code> in the folder where the error occurs, which you can open using File Manager in cPanel.<\/li>\n\n
  4. Undo the last change.<\/strong> Think of an update, a new plugin, a code snippet, or a setting. If you can't log in wp-admin<\/code>, then rename the plugin folder via (S)FTP or File Manager to wp-content\/plugins<\/code>, or the entire \"plugins\" folder to disable everything at once. If the problem is with the theme, rename the theme folder to wp-content\/themes<\/code>, so that WordPress falls back to a default theme. More on that in Site Down After an Update<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    In practice, most errors are already resolved by step 4. If that doesn't work, step 3 at least tells you where to look next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    What WordPress error are you seeing? Overview of error messages<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    This table matches the most common WordPress error messages\u2014exactly as they appear on your screen\u2014with their meanings, the most likely causes, and the article that provides a solution. The \u201cSelf or Hosting\u201d column indicates who usually resolves the error.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    What You See<\/th>What it means<\/th>Most likely cause<\/th>Self-hosted or hosted<\/th>Solution<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
    \u201cA critical error has occurred on this site\u201d<\/td>WordPress catches a fatal PHP error.<\/td>Plugin or theme update, old PHP version<\/td>Usually on my own<\/td>\u2018Troubleshooting \u2019A critical error has occurred\"<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
    \u201cAn error occurred while establishing a database connection\u201d (\u201cError establishing a database connection\u201d)<\/td>WordPress cannot access the database.<\/td>Data in wp-config.php<\/code>, overloaded database server<\/td>Together<\/td>Troubleshooting the database connection error<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
    A completely white screen<\/td>Something will go wrong if it isn't reported.<\/td>Plugin, theme, or PHP error<\/td>Usually on my own<\/td>Fixing the \"White Screen of Death\"<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
    \u201cTemporarily unavailable due to scheduled maintenance\u201d<\/td>WordPress is still in maintenance mode.<\/td>Interrupted update<\/td>By myself<\/td>stuck in maintenance mode<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
    Status Code 500 or \u201cInternal Server Error\u201d<\/td>The server cannot process the request.<\/td>.htaccess<\/code>, plugin, or PHP error<\/td>Usually on my own<\/td>status code 500<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
    Status code 502, 503, or 504<\/td>The server is slow to respond or isn't responding at all.<\/td>Overloading, demanding processes, maintenance<\/td>Mostly hosting<\/td>status code 502<\/a>, 503<\/a>, 504<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
    Status Code 403 or \u201cForbidden\u201d<\/td>The server is denying access.<\/td>The firewall is blocking your IP address, .htaccess<\/code>, file permissions<\/td>Together<\/td>status code 403<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
    \u201cThis page isn't working; I'm being redirected too often\u201d (ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS<\/code>)<\/td>Addresses are constantly being passed back and forth.<\/td>Site URL, duplicate HTTPS redirects, CDN<\/td>Usually on my own<\/td>Fixing too many redirects<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
    No padlock icon or \u201cnot fully secure\u201d message after switching to HTTPS<\/td>Parts are still being uploaded via http:\/\/.<\/td>Old references in the database<\/td>By myself<\/td>Resolving mixed content<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
    \u201cAllowed memory size exhausted\u201d<\/td>A script is using too much PHP memory.<\/td>Resource-intensive plugin or low limit<\/td>Together<\/td>Increase the memory limit<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
    \u201cThe uploaded file exceeds the `upload_max_filesize` limit\u201d<\/td>The file is too large for the server.<\/td>Upload Limit in PHP<\/td>By myself<\/td>Increase the maximum upload size<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
    \u201ccURL error 28\u201d in Site Diagnosis<\/td>An outgoing connection is timing out.<\/td>Slow external service or firewall<\/td>Together<\/td>cURL error 28<\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Your site isn't loading or is showing a blank screen<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    These are the errors that can cause your entire site or wp-admin<\/code> is obvious, and thus the mistakes that cause the most fear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The Critical Error<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    The critical error means that WordPress has caught a fatal PHP error and is displaying a general message instead. The actual cause is listed in the recovery mode email or the error log, where you can usually see exactly which plugin or theme is causing the error. In most cases I encounter, the issue is related to a plugin or theme update, or a plugin that isn\u2019t compatible with your PHP version. If you\u2019ve just pasted a piece of code, you\u2019ll often see a parse error with the filename and line number. You can remove that snippet using File Manager. If WordPress\u2019s core files are corrupted, upload fresh folders wp-admin<\/code> and wp-includes<\/code>, but never overwrite wp-content<\/code>, because that's where your themes, plugins, and uploads are located. The complete step-by-step guide can be found in \u2018Resolving \u2019A critical error has occurred'.\".<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The White Screen<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    The white screen (white screen of death) is an error with no message, where the page remains blank because error display is disabled or WordPress is out of date. It\u2019s actually similar to a critical error\u2014with the same causes\u2014except that WordPress doesn\u2019t show you anything. So start here as well by checking the debug mode or the error log. You can read about the approach in \u201cFixing the White Screen of Death.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The database connection error<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    The database connection error means that WordPress cannot access the MySQL database; in English, this is called \u201cError establishing a database connection.\u201d There are three common causes. The data in wp-config.php<\/code> are no longer correct, often after a move or a password change. The database server is overloaded or down. Or some tables are corrupted. I want to be honest here, because you can\u2019t fix every error on your own. If the database server is down, that\u2019s your hosting provider\u2019s responsibility. To find out which of the three is the cause, read the guide on troubleshooting database connection errors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Stuck in maintenance mode<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Stuck in maintenance mode means that an interrupted update has caused the file to .maintenance<\/code> left in the root folder. Delete that file and then check to see if the update has actually completed. More on this in maintenance mode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Do you see \u201cThis site is unavailable\u201d or DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN<\/code>, then there\u2019s something else going on. That\u2019s not a WordPress error, but a domain that isn\u2019t yet properly pointing to the server\u2014often right after a migration. At Surver, the default TTL\u2014the time a DNS response is cached\u2014is 600 seconds. See also What is DNS?<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Server errors, status codes, and redirects<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    A status code is the response code that the server returns with every request, and a WordPress error with a code starting with a 4 or 5 indicates a problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n