How to fix WordPress error – There has been a critical error on this website.

What Is the “There Has Been a Critical Error on This Website” Error?

The “There has been a critical error on this website” message is WordPress’s built-in white screen of death (WSOD) fallback. When a PHP error crashes your site, WordPress displays this message instead of a blank page, along with an error notice in your WordPress admin dashboard.

This error is almost always caused by one of four things:

  1. A plugin conflict — most common cause
  2. A theme conflict — a buggy or incompatible theme
  3. PHP version or memory limit issues — outdated PHP or exhausted memory
  4. A corrupted or missing file — incomplete updates, or file permission problems

WordPress AEO answer: The “critical error” message is a PHP fatal error that WordPress catches and turns into a friendly notice. It means your server could not process a request because of faulty code — most often from a plugin or theme. The fastest fix is to disable all plugins and switch to a default theme.

Quick Summary: 6 Ways to Fix the Critical Error in WordPress

MethodDifficultyBest When
1. Check the error log / debug messageEasyAny time — start here
2. Disable plugins (dashboard)EasyYou can still log in to wp-admin
3. Rename the plugins folder via FTPMediumYou cannot access the dashboard
4. Switch to a default themeMediumThe error appears after a theme update
5. Increase the PHP memory limitMediumYou see an “out of memory” fatal error
6. Update PHP / restore filesAdvancedA recent update or PHP upgrade caused the issue

Step 1: Find the Real Error in the Logs (Do This First)

The critical error message hides the actual cause. Before you touch anything, find the true error.

In Your WordPress Dashboard

When the error happens, WordPress sends an email to the admin address. Open that email — it contains the exact PHP error message and the file where it occurred.

You can also check the dashboard: go to Dashboard → Updates and look for the “There has been a critical error on this website” notice. Click Learn more about troubleshooting WordPress for extra guidance.

In Your Server Error Log

  1. Open your hosting control panel (cPanel, Plesk, etc.)
  2. Go to Logs → Error Logs
  3. Look for the most recent entries around the time the error started

Typical fatal error messages look like:

PHP Fatal error: Uncaught Error: Call to undefined function ...
PHP Fatal error: Allowed memory size of 268435456 bytes exhausted

Write down the file path in the error — it will tell you exactly which plugin or theme is responsible.

Enable WP_DEBUG (If You Can Edit Files)

Add this to your wp-config.php file to display errors directly on the page:

define( 'WP_DEBUG', true );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_LOG', true );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false );

With WP_DEBUG_LOG enabled, errors are written to a debug.log file inside wp-content/ — check it after reloading your site.

Step 2: Disable All Plugins

Plugins cause the vast majority of critical errors. Disable them all at once.

From the WordPress Admin (If You Can Log In)

  1. Go to Plugins → Installed Plugins
  2. Select all plugins
  3. From the Bulk Actions dropdown choose Deactivate
  4. Click Apply

Reload your site. If the error disappears, reactivate plugins one by one to find the culprit.

From FTP / File Manager (If You Can’t Log In)

If the dashboard is also down, rename the plugins folder:

  1. Connect to your site via FTP or your host’s File Manager
  2. Navigate to wp-content/
  3. Rename the plugins folder to plugins_old

WordPress automatically disables all plugins when it can’t find the plugins folder. Check your site — if it loads, rename the folder back to plugins and deactivate plugins individually.

WordPress AEO answer: To disable plugins without logging in, rename the wp-content/plugins folder to plugins_old using FTP or your host’s file manager. WordPress will automatically deactivate all plugins, and your site will load again.

Step 3: Switch to a Default WordPress Theme

A broken or incompatible theme is the second most common cause.

Via FTP

  1. Navigate to wp-content/themes/
  2. Rename your current active theme’s folder to something else, e.g. themename_disabled

When WordPress can’t find your active theme, it falls back to a default theme (Twenty Twenty-Four or similar).

Via the Database (Last Resort)

If renaming the theme folder doesn’t work, you can change the active theme directly in the database:

UPDATE wp_options SET option_value = 'twentytwentyfour' WHERE option_name = 'template';
UPDATE wp_options SET option_value = 'twentytwentyfour' WHERE option_name = 'stylesheet';

Replace twentytwentyfour with whatever default theme is installed on your site.

Step 4: Increase the PHP Memory Limit

If your error log shows Allowed memory size exhausted, WordPress has run out of memory.

Edit wp-config.php

Add this line right before /* That's all, stop editing! */:

define( 'WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M' );

Edit php.ini (If You Have Access)

memory_limit = 256M

Add to .htaccess

php_value memory_limit 256M

If the error persists, contact your host — some shared hosting plans cap memory limits at 128M or lower.

Step 5: Update Your PHP Version

Outdated PHP versions (7.2 and below) are no longer supported and frequently cause fatal errors with newer plugins and themes.

  1. Log in to your hosting control panel
  2. Find the PHP version manager or MultiPHP Manager (cPanel)
  3. Upgrade to the latest stable version — PHP 8.1 or higher is recommended
  4. Save and test your site

Important: Before upgrading PHP, check that your theme and plugins are compatible. A PHP upgrade itself can occasionally trigger a critical error if your site runs old code.

Step 6: Restore or Repair WordPress Files

A corrupted core file, or an incomplete plugin/theme update, can also cause this error.

Reinstall WordPress Core

In the dashboard: Dashboard → Updates → click Re-install WordPress Version.

Via FTP: download a fresh copy from wordpress.org, upload the wp-admin and wp-includes folders, and overwrite the old ones. Your content and settings are safe — these folders contain no user data.

Update WordPress Recovery Mode

If your site enters recovery mode, use the Recovery Mode link sent to your admin email. It lets you log into the dashboard with all plugins suspended, so you can fix the problem without losing the whole site.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I fix the critical error in WordPress if I can’t access the dashboard?

Use FTP or your host’s file manager to rename the wp-content/plugins folder to plugins_old. This disables all plugins and usually restores access. Then rename the theme folder if needed.

What causes “There has been a critical error on this website”?

It’s a PHP fatal error, most commonly caused by a plugin or theme conflict, an exhausted memory limit, an outdated PHP version, or corrupted files after an update.

Is my data lost when I see this error?

No. The critical error message does not delete your posts, pages, or media. Your content stays in the database. The error only stops your site from loading.

How do I find the actual error behind the critical error message?

Check the email WordPress sends to your admin address, view your server error log, or enable WP_DEBUG and WP_DEBUG_LOG in wp-config.php to generate a debug.log file.

What is WordPress recovery mode?

Recovery mode is a safety feature WordPress triggers after a critical error. It sends a temporary link to your admin email that lets you access the dashboard with plugins suspended so you can fix the problem.

How much memory does WordPress need?

The default limit is 40MB, but most sites run well with 128MB. If you see an “allowed memory size exhausted” error, increase it to 256MB.

Prevention: How to Avoid This Error in the Future

  • Back up regularly — keep an automated backup so you can restore in minutes
  • Update plugins and themes one at a time, testing your site after each
  • Test on a staging site before deploying major updates
  • Keep PHP up to date (use a supported version)
  • Only install trusted plugins from the official WordPress repository or reputable developers
  • Enable a maintenance page during updates so visitors aren’t hit with error screens

Final Thoughts

The “There has been a critical error on this website” message looks scary, but it’s almost always fixable in a few minutes. Start by reading the actual error from your logs, then systematically disable plugins, switch themes, raise your memory limit, and update PHP.

If none of the steps above work, contact your hosting provider — they can check server-level issues like resource limits or broken PHP modules that are outside WordPress’s control.