Knowledge Base

Troubleshooting Blank WordPress Pages

The "White Screen of Death" (WSOD) shows a blank page instead of your site.

Common Causes

• Plugin conflict
• Theme issue
• PHP memory limit
• PHP errors
• Corrupted core files

Step 1: Enable Debug Mode

Edit wp-config.php and change:

define('WP_DEBUG', false);

to:

define('WP_DEBUG', true);

Refresh and check for error messages.

Step 2: Deactivate All Plugins

Via FTP/File Manager:

1. Navigate to /wp-content/
2. Rename "plugins" folder to "plugins_old"
3. Check if site loads
4. If yes, rename back and activate plugins one by one

Step 3: Switch to Default Theme

Rename your active theme folder to force WordPress to use a default theme.

Step 4: Increase PHP Memory

Add to wp-config.php:

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

Step 5: Check Error Logs

Check DirectAdmin error logs for specific PHP errors.

Step 6: Restore from Backup

If nothing works, restore from your last good backup using JetBackup.

Prevention

• Always backup before changes
• Test updates on staging first
• Don't edit theme files directly