15 Common WordPress Errors in 2025 + Proven Fixes & Prevention

Let’s be honest. WordPress is fantastic—but it breaks—a lot.

One day, your site’s going great. But the next day? You’re experiencing a white, dead screen. Or a “500 Internal Server Error.” Or worse… your visitors are bouncing because nothing loads.

If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone.

WordPress powers over 43% of the web in 2025. But with so many plugins, themes, PHP versions, and hosting setups—errors are bound to happen.

Here’s the good news: Most of those issues? You can fix them yourself. You don’t need to be a developer. You don’t need to panic. You just need the right guide.

In this post, you’ll learn:

• The 15 most common WordPress errors in 2025 (and what causes them)
• How to fix each one—step by step
• Pro tips to prevent them from happening again

We’ll cover everything from fatal errors and white screens… to block editor bugs and REST API failures (yes, even the modern stuff). This isn’t one of those bloated lists with 70+ errors you’ll never see.

It’s the stuff that actually happens—and how to solve it like a pro.

Okay, let’s dig in.

Please check before you start fixing WordPress errors

Most WordPress errors look scary… but they usually follow the same pattern. So instead of guessing, use this simple game plan whenever something breaks:

1. First, don’t panic: Most issues have simple fixes. You’re not alone, and this guide has your back.

2. Back up your site: Always. No exceptions. Use a plugin like UpdraftPlus or your hosting provider’s snapshot feature.

3. Use a staging site (if possible): Fixing errors on your live site = risky. If you have staging, use it.

4. Enable WP Debug mode: Add this to your wp-config.php file:

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

Then check /wp-content/debug.log for details.

5. Turn off all plugins: Yes, all of them. Reactivate one by one to find the culprit.

6. Switch to a default theme: Use Twenty Twenty-Four or Twenty Twenty-One. If the problem disappears, your theme is the issue.

7. Clear your browser + site cache: Don’t let stale cache fool you into thinking the problem is still there.

8. Read this guide step by step.

We’ve organized the 15 most common errors in 2025—from beginner-friendly to advanced. Follow the steps, and you’ll fix most issues without calling your developer.

Error 1: White screen of death (WSoD)

You visit your WordPress site and—nothing—just a blank white screen. No error message. No dashboard. Just… silence.

It’s called the White Screen of Death, and it’s one of the most frustrating errors because you often don’t get any clues about what went wrong.

The White screen of dead, in short, WSoD, usually means that WordPress ran into a critical PHP error but can’t display it due to disabled error reporting.

Here are the most common causes:

1. A plugin or theme with bad code
2. Hitting your PHP memory limit
3. A recent update that broke compatibility
4. Corrupted core, theme, or plugin files

Let’s see how you can fix it

1. Enable debugging in wp-config.php

Edit your wp-config.php file and add (or update) these lines just before /* That’s all, stop editing! */:

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

Now check the wp-content/debug.log file via FTP or File Manager. This log often reveals what plugin or theme caused the crash.

2. Deactivate all plugins

If you can access the admin dashboard:

1. Go to Plugins → Installed Plugins
2. Select all → Deactivate

If you can’t access wp-admin, use FTP or File Manager:

1. Go to /wp-content/ and rename the plugins folder to plugins_old
2. Reload the site
3. If it works, you’ve found the issue

Now, rename the folder back and activate plugins one by one to isolate the culprit.

• Switch to a default WordPress theme

Go to Appearance → Themes and activate Twenty Twenty-Four or any other default theme.

Can’t access the dashboard?

Use FTP:

1. Navigate to /wp-content/themes/
2. Rename your active theme folder
3. WordPress will automatically fall back to the default theme

3. Increase PHP memory limit

Sometimes, WSoD is caused by memory exhaustion.

Add this to your wp-config.php:

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

You can also try updating .htaccess or php.ini if your hosting allows it.

4. Restore from backup (if needed)

If none of the above works and you recently made changes, restore your site from a backup before the issue started.

Error 2: Internal server error (HTTP 500)

This is one of the most common—and most frustrating—WordPress errors.

A 500 Internal Server Error doesn’t tell you what went wrong. It just means that the server tried to load your page… and failed.

No clues. No hints. Just a blank, generic error screen. But here’s what’s really happening:

Something in your site’s core files, plugins, theme, or server configuration is breaking the execution process. The good news? You can fix it.

What are the most common causes of HTTP 500 errors in WordPress?

Most of the time, this error is triggered by one of the following:

• Corrupted .htaccess file (especially after permalinks or plugin updates)
• Incompatible PHP version (like PHP 8.x breaking old code)
• Plugin or theme conflict (bad update or deprecated function)
• File or folder permission issues
• Exhausted PHP memory or execution limits. Learn how to optimize your WordPress site performance
• Server misconfiguration (mod_security, timeouts, etc.)

Let’s walk through how to troubleshoot and fix it.

Error 3: Error establishing database connection

You try to open your WordPress site, and instead of your homepage, you see this:

“Error establishing a database connection”

It’s a full-site crash — no posts, no pages, not even the admin panel loads.

This means WordPress is unable to connect to your MySQL database — the place where your site’s content, users, settings, and metadata are stored. Without a database connection, your site is like a car without fuel — everything’s there, but it won’t run.

What are the common reasons for “error establishing a database connection”

This problem usually comes down to one of the following:

• Wrong database credentials in wp-config.php
• The database server is down or unresponsive
• Too many open connections (especially on shared hosting)
• A plugin or code conflict that overloads the DB
• Corrupted database tables
• Site migration or restore error (DB name/prefix mismatch)

Suppose…

One user migrated their site from localhost to a live server using a backup plugin, but forgot to update the database user password in wp-config.php.

Result? A full-site crash with the dreaded error. Fixing the password (to match the one set in cPanel) instantly restored the site.

Error 4: Syntax/parse error

If you’ve ever copied code into your WordPress theme and suddenly the whole site went blank, you’ve likely seen something like this:

Parse error: syntax error, unexpected '}' in /home/your-site/public_html/wp-content/themes/yourtheme/functions.php on line 72

Or maybe:

Fatal error: unexpected T_STRING in /public_html/wp-content/plugins/myplugin/index.php on line 19

This is a syntax error, also known as a parse error. In short:

WordPress tried to read your PHP code… and it hit something that doesn’t make sense.

Reasons for this issue occurring

• You add code to your theme (especially functions.php)
• You paste a snippet with formatting issues
• You miss a semicolon, bracket, or quote
• A plugin/theme update contains harmful code (less common)

Even one wrong character — like a curly quote instead of a straight one — can break the site.

In most cases, users copy and paste a custom code snippet into their functions.php. But the last line was missing a semicolon (;). And then the entire site went down with a parse error.

After logging in via cPanel and removing the last few lines, the site was back up — no developer needed. For instance, you can minimize the issues by following these.

Error 5: Memory exhausted/allowed memory size

Suppose a user tried importing a full demo site with 20+ images, sliders, and Elementor templates. Their site crashed halfway with a memory exhausted error. By bumping the memory limit from 128M to 256M in wp-config.php, everything worked perfectly.

They got something like this:

Fatal error: Allowed memory size of 134217728 bytes exhausted (tried to allocate 123456 bytes) in /wp-includes/plugin.php on line 123

What does it mean? It means your site ran out of available PHP memory during execution. It’s like trying to run a video editing app on a phone with only 1 GB of RAM. WordPress crashes, and the process is killed.

So, what should you do if you encounter the issue?

Additional tips to prevent these memory exhaustion issues in the future:

• Don’t run resource-heavy processes on shared hosting (e.g., XML imports, backups, AI tools)
• Use optimized plugins — avoid bloated page builders or sliders unless necessary
• Enable caching (e.g., WP Rocket, Litespeed Cache) to reduce memory demand
• Keep your PHP version updated — newer versions handle memory better

Error 6: 404/Permalink/“Page Not Found” Issues

You’ve just launched your site. The homepage works perfectly. But when you click on a blog post or product page? And then you get “404 – Page Not Found”

You usually panic. You’re sure the page exists. You just created it. But it’s not there.

So… why is it missing? Your content is acceptable, but WordPress can’t find the right path to it. WordPress uses a system called “rewrite rules” to turn URLs like:

yourdomain.com/my-awesome-post

Into something it can understand internally:

index.php?post_name=my-awesome-post

If those rules get lost, corrupted, or not refreshed (especially after:

• Changing permalink settings
• Updating a plugin that registers routes
• Moving your site from localhost to a live server

Now? You get 404 errors everywhere.

# BEGIN WordPress
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /
RewriteRule ^index\.php$ - [L]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule . /index.php [L]
</IfModule>
# END WordPress

Saving permalinks flushes rewrite rules internally — this solves 90% of 404 issues.

If .htaccess is corrupted or missing (common on Apache servers), WordPress can’t apply those rewrite rules. Clearing the cache ensures you’re not seeing an outdated version of the error.

💡 However

If you’re using a plugin that creates custom post types (like Eventin, WooCommerce, or custom portfolio items), and only those post types return 404:

• Try deactivating and reactivating the plugin
• Or manually call this function in your theme/plugin:

flush_rewrite_rules();

• After installing plugins that register new routes or CPTs, always save permalinks once
• Don’t delete .htaccess unless you have a backup or you’re on NGINX
• After site migrations or domain changes, update your site URLs in the database (with plugins like Better Search Replace or WP Migrate)

Error 7: Maintenance Mode Stuck (“Briefly unavailable …”)

You updated a plugin or theme and made a reload. And then you got this message on your screen:

Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance. Check back in a minute.

Why? Because WordPress didn’t finish updating something properly.

When you update a plugin, theme, or the WordPress core, the system creates a temporary file called .maintenance in your root directory. This file tells WordPress to show a maintenance screen during the update.

But here’s the catch: If the update process is interrupted — by a timeout, a closed tab, a server hiccup — the .maintenance file doesn’t get deleted. As a result, your site stays locked in maintenance mode until you manually remove or manage the file in the WordPress database.

Apart from the unfinished updates or themes/plugins, there are some other reasons. Such as:

• The server timed out mid-update
• You ran multiple updates at once
• A plugin or theme update failed unexpectedly
• Your host has low memory or a slow response time

So here are some points that you should keep in mind to stay away from the maintainance mode issue:

• Don’t close your browser during updates
• Avoid updating too many plugins/themes at once
• Use a staging site for major updates
• Make sure your hosting is reliable and has decent memory allocation
• Back up before every update — just in case

Error 8: Image Upload / Media Errors

You try uploading an image to your WordPress site — maybe for a blog post or a hero banner — but instead of success, you see something like:

• “HTTP Error”
• “This file exceeds the maximum upload size for this site”
• Or worse, nothing happens at all.

It’s one of those errors that appears randomly… and disappears just as mysteriously. But when it doesn’t go away, it can stop your entire content flow.

You’re most likely to face media upload errors in WordPress when:

• Uploading large images or files (more than 2MB or 10MB)
• Moving to a new host (where server limits are stricter)
• Updating to a new plugin or PHP version
• Switching from HTTP to HTTPS
• Using image compression plugins like Smush or EWWW Image Optimizer
• Your hosting account has low memory or strict file/folder permissions

@ini_set( 'upload_max_size' , '64M' );
@ini_set( 'post_max_size', '64M');
@ini_set( 'max_execution_time', '300' );

SetEnv MAGICK_THREAD_LIMIT 1

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

How to avoid image/media upload issues in WordPress?

• Don’t upload unoptimized images (use TinyPNG or ShortPixel before upload)
• Keep your PHP version up to date (PHP 8.1+ recommended)
• Use a reliable image handling plugin (e.g., Enable Media Replace, Regenerate Thumbnails)
• Avoid uploading massive videos directly — use YouTube/Vimeo embeds instead
• If you’re managing a media-heavy site, consider hosting on providers that offer higher memory (e.g., Cloudways, Kinsta, Rocket.net)

Error 9: “This Site Is Experiencing Technical Difficulties” / Fatal Error

You visit your WordPress site and instead of seeing your homepage, you get this cold message:

https://yourdomain.com

There has been a critical error on this website.

Please check your site admin email inbox for instructions.

Sometimes, it redirects you to Recovery Mode, and sometimes… nothing. This error means something inside your site broke WordPress entirely — usually a plugin or theme.

You’re likely to see this after:

• Updating or activating a plugin or theme
• Editing functions.php or adding custom code
• Changing your PHP version (especially to PHP 8.x+)
• Moving to a new host without proper compatibility
• Installing a plugin that conflicts with another one

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

Once you have followed the test, we assume you have solved the issue. Then better to follow these tips below so you should not face the problem in the future again.

• Don’t install random plugins — check compatibility and reviews first
• Constantly update plugins/themes one at a time (not all at once)
• Keep PHP and WordPress versions compatible
• Use a staging site to test updates before applying them live
• Set up automatic daily backups — plugins like UpdraftPlus, BlogVault, or hosting backups work great

Error 10: REST API / AJAX / wp-admin Errors (e.g., 403, 500, 401)

This one is common — and quietly breaks things without warning. You try editing a page with the block editor (Gutenberg) or saving customizer settings, but nothing works.

Or you see a pop-up like:

You might also notice:

• WooCommerce checkout buttons are not working
• Your theme’s live preview is not loading
• The “Update” or “Publish” button in Gutenberg is spinning endlessly

These are signs that the REST API or AJAX (the behind-the-scenes communication between browser and server) is failing. It means your site can’t properly communicate between the front end (what users see) and the back end (server-side processing).

Apart from that, there are a lot more reasons for the errors. Let’s check them out one by one:

• Broken permalinks or .htaccess rules can cause /wp-json/ or /admin-ajax.php to return 404 errors
• Mixed content / SSL issues block requests when some assets load over HTTP instead of HTTPS
• Theme or plugin conflicts break core scripts or enqueue functions improperly
• Server misconfiguration on NGINX or Apache blocks essential HTTP methods (like OPTIONS or PATCH)

Error 11: “Are You Sure You Want to Do This?” / Nonce Issues

You try to update a plugin, change settings, or submit a form — and instead of success, WordPress throws this confusing message:

But you didn’t do anything wrong… right?

WordPress uses nonces (security tokens) to protect your site from unauthorized actions. Every time you update, save, or submit something in the admin panel, a temporary token is generated in the background.

If the nonce is missing, invalid, or expired, WordPress doesn’t trust the action and shows this error. Here are some common reasons behind the mistakes:

• Nonce expired – you left a tab open too long before submitting
• Wrong URL or tab – you copied an action link from another session
• Over-caching – your cache plugin stored an old nonce value
• Security plugins interfere – some may block or strip nonces by mistake

Error 12: Too Many Redirects / Redirect Loop

You visit your site and it just… keeps reloading. Eventually, your browser gives up and shows this:

This happens when your site enters an infinite redirect loop, bouncing back and forth between two or more URLs without resolution. There are the common triggers of “Redirect Loops“

• Incorrect WordPress Site URL or Home URL settings
• Forcing HTTPS in multiple places (plugin + server + .htaccess)
• SEO, redirection, or cache plugins (Yoast, Redirection, WP Rocket) misconfigured
• Hosting-level redirects overlapping with plugin rules
• Faulty rewrite rules in .htaccess or wp-config.php

Error 13: Failed Auto Upgrade / Update Errors

You hit “Update Plugin” or “Update Now” and something goes wrong. Instead of a success message, the update hangs, your screen goes blank, or you see something like:

These failed auto-updates typically affect plugins, themes, or WordPress core — and often happen silently if automatic updates are enabled. Here are the most common reasons for update failures:

• Insufficient file or folder permissions
• Disk space is full on your hosting plan
• Server security settings block auto-update processes
• Incorrect ownership or restrictive file paths (common on shared hosting)
• Update files already exist (e.g., destination folder already exists)
• Server timeout during large update processes
• Corrupted ZIP or incomplete download from the update server

Error 14: Cron/Scheduled Tasks Not Running/Missed Schedule

WordPress doesn’t use a real system-level cron like Linux servers do. Instead, it uses something called WP-Cron, which only runs when someone visits your site. That means if your site has low traffic or caching blocks the trigger, scheduled tasks may never run.

Why scheduled posts and tasks miss:

• Your site has low or no traffic — wp-cron.php isn’t triggered automatically
• Caching plugins or server cache prevent wp-cron.php from executing
• The DISABLE_WP_CRON constant is set to true without setting up a system cron job
• Hosts like Cloudflare or security plugins might block scheduled HTTP requests
• WP-Cron jobs are broken, conflicting, or stuck

Side note: If you’re running a WooCommerce store, LMS, or automation-heavy site — rely on a system-level cron instead of WordPress’s default. It’s faster, more reliable, and works even if no one visits your site.

Error 15: Memory/Execution Timeouts/“Maximum Execution Time Exceeded”

You’re trying to import demo content, update a plugin, or run a backup — but WordPress freezes and throws:

Fatal error: Maximum execution time of 30 seconds exceeded

This error happens when a script takes too long to complete and your server cuts it off. It’s a common issue on shared hosting or resource-constrained environments.

What are the most common reasons for this error?

• Low max_execution_time or max_input_time settings in server PHP config
• Large file imports or database migrations
• Plugin/theme processes running too long (e.g., Elementor, WooCommerce imports)
• Shared hosting with strict resource limits
• Unoptimized tasks running in a single request

We’ve just walked through the most frequent (and frustrating) WordPress issues site owners face — from white screens and broken updates to critical errors and REST API failures. Each one might look problematic at first, but with the right tools and a bit of know-how, they’re all fixable.

You might be thinking is there any other errors?

Yes, here are some common (but less frequent) WordPress errors

• 403 Forbidden: You don’t have permission to access the page — often caused by security plugins, file permissions, or .htaccess rules.
• 502 / 503 Gateway Errors: Your server is overloaded or temporarily down — typically a hosting-side issue or plugin conflict.
• “Failed to Write File to Disk”: WordPress can’t save uploads due to incorrect folder permissions or low disk space on the server.
• Mixed Content / HTTPS / SSL Issues: Your site loads over HTTPS, but some resources still use HTTP — causing browser security blocks and broken padlocks. Check out how to Fix “Not Secure” Website in Chrome (for WordPress Sites.
• WP-Admin Login Redirect Loop: You try logging in but get redirected endlessly — usually caused by wrong site URLs, cookies, or caching issues.

Frequently asked questions regarding the WordPress errors

1. Why do I only see errors on mobile or one browser, but not others?

   Sometimes caching layers (server cache, CDN, browser cache) serve stale content or block dynamic scripts. Clear caches, test in incognito mode, and disable caching plugins temporarily.

2. Can I safely disable all plugins at once to troubleshoot errors?

   Yes — for debugging it’s common to rename the plugins folder via FTP or File Manager, which deactivates all plugins. Then reactivate them one by one to isolate the cause.

3. Should I always enable WP_DEBUG in wp-config.php when errors appear?

   Yes, but only in a staging or development environment. Leave WP_DEBUG off on live production sites to avoid revealing sensitive information to users.

4. How can I roll back a failed update if my site is broken?

   Use your backup system (host backup, plugin backup) to restore the previous working version. Many managed hosts offer automatic rollback features.

5. Why do scheduled tasks sometimes skip days even on a high‑traffic site?

   WP‑Cron runs on page loads; heavy traffic doesn’t guarantee timely execution. If DISABLE_WP_CRON is set or caching blocks wp-cron.php, tasks may get missed.

6. Is “maximum execution time exceeded” always due to server limits?

   Not always — it can also be caused by inefficient or infinite loops in plugin/theme code, large import batches, or a mismatch of PHP versions. Optimize processes first before raising limits.

Conclusion: Mastering WordPress Errors, One Fix at a Time

No WordPress site is immune to errors. Whether you’re managing a personal blog or running a full-blown eCommerce store, things will break.

But here’s the truth: Every WordPress error is fixable — and most follow predictable patterns.

The key isn’t to memorize every code or warning message. It’s about knowing where to look, how to test safely, and what steps to take when something goes wrong.

With this guide, you’ve not only seen the most common problems, but also learned:

• Why they happen
• How to fix them (step-by-step)
• How to prevent them from coming back

Now it’s your turn to bookmark this page, stay calm the next time your screen goes blank, and troubleshoot like a pro.