WordPress White Screen of Death

Fixing the White Screen of Death (WSOD)

The White Screen of Death shows a blank white page with no error message. This is typically caused by a PHP fatal error with error display disabled. Here is how to diagnose and fix it on BlitzPress.

Step 1: Enable Debug Mode

Edit wp-config.php to show errors:

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

Reload the page. The error should now be visible. Also check:

tail -50 /home/YOUR_DOMAIN/public_html/wp-content/debug.log

Step 2: Increase Memory Limit

A common WSOD cause is exhausted memory:

define( 'WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '512M' );
define( 'WP_MAX_MEMORY_LIMIT', '512M' );

Also check PHP’s memory_limit in your site’s PHP config via the BlitzPress panel.

Step 3: Disable All Plugins

If you cannot access wp-admin, rename the plugins directory:

cd /home/YOUR_DOMAIN/public_html/wp-content
mv plugins plugins.bak

If the site loads, a plugin is the culprit. Restore and deactivate one by one:

mv plugins.bak plugins
sudo wp plugin deactivate --all --path=/home/YOUR_DOMAIN/public_html --allow-root
sudo wp plugin activate PLUGIN --path=/home/YOUR_DOMAIN/public_html --allow-root

Step 4: Switch to Default Theme

If plugins are not the issue, the theme might be broken:

sudo wp theme activate twentytwentyfour --path=/home/YOUR_DOMAIN/public_html --allow-root

If the site loads with the default theme, your custom theme has an error.

Step 5: Check for Corrupted Core Files

Verify WordPress core integrity:

sudo wp core verify-checksums --path=/home/YOUR_DOMAIN/public_html --allow-root

If files are corrupted, reinstall core:

sudo wp core download --force --path=/home/YOUR_DOMAIN/public_html --allow-root

Still Stuck?

• Check the OLS error log: /home/YOUR_DOMAIN/logs/error.log
• Check system-level PHP errors: /usr/local/lsws/logs/error.log
• Ensure the wp-config.php file has no syntax errors