You open your WordPress website and instead of your homepage, you see a white screen with the message “The site is experiencing technical difficulties.”
This error can be frustrating, especially if you do not know what caused it. The good news is that it usually means there is a small issue with a plugin, theme, or PHP setting that WordPress cannot process correctly.
In this guide, we will show you how to fix “The site is experiencing technical difficulties” step by step. By the end, you will know how to identify the cause, restore access to your site, and prevent it from happening again.
What Does “The Site Is Experiencing Technical Difficulties” Mean
This message is a general WordPress error that appears when something prevents the site from loading properly. It is part of WordPress’s built in recovery mode system introduced in version 5.2.
Instead of showing a blank white screen, WordPress now displays this message to let you know there is a problem in your site’s code.
Common causes include:
- A plugin or theme conflict
- PHP version incompatibility
- Corrupted files
- Memory or server limit errors
- Incorrect file permissions
Step by Step: How to Fix “The Site Is Experiencing Technical Difficulties”
Follow these steps carefully to get your WordPress site back online.
Step 1: Check Your Email for the Recovery Link
When this error appears, WordPress automatically sends an email to the administrator address. The subject usually says “Your Site is Experiencing a Technical Issue.”
Open that email and click the Recovery Mode Link.
This link allows you to access your WordPress dashboard temporarily so you can disable the plugin or theme causing the issue.
If you did not receive the email, move to the next step.
Step 2: Disable Plugins Manually
Most of the time, the error is caused by a faulty or recently updated plugin. If you cannot log in through recovery mode, you can disable plugins manually using your hosting file manager or an FTP client such as FileZilla.
- Connect to your website through FTP or your hosting cPanel.
- Go to /wp-content/ and find the plugins folder.
- Rename it to plugins_old or any other name.
This action will deactivate all plugins on your site.
Now refresh your website.
If the site loads normally, one of your plugins was the problem.
To find which one caused it:
- Rename the folder back to plugins.
- Inside it, rename each plugin folder one by one and test your site after each change.
Once you find the faulty plugin, delete or replace it with a stable version.
Step 3: Switch to a Default Theme
If disabling plugins does not fix the issue, the next suspect is your theme.
You can switch to a default WordPress theme like Twenty Twenty Four manually.
- Go to /wp-content/themes/ using your file manager or FTP.
- Rename your active theme folder (for example, mytheme_old).
- WordPress will automatically activate a default theme if one is available.
If your site loads, the problem was in your theme. You can reinstall or update it later.
Step 4: Enable Debug Mode
If you still see the error, you need to find out what exactly is causing it. WordPress has a built in debug feature that helps display PHP errors.
- In your website’s root directory, locate the wp-config.php file.
- Open it and find the line that says:
define('WP_DEBUG', false);
- Change false to true and add this line below it:
define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true);
- Save the file and reload your website.
This will create a debug log file inside /wp-content/ named debug.log.
Open that file to see the exact error message and which file or plugin is causing it.
Once you finish troubleshooting, set WP_DEBUG back to false for security.
Step 5: Check PHP Version Compatibility
Some plugins and themes need a specific PHP version to work properly.
You can check your PHP version from your hosting control panel or by creating a phpinfo.php file in your website’s root folder with this line:
<?php phpinfo(); ?>
If your PHP version is outdated, update it to at least PHP 8.0 or higher from your hosting settings.
Step 6: Increase PHP Memory Limit
Sometimes this error appears because your website has reached the maximum memory limit.
You can increase it by editing your wp-config.php file and adding this line:
define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M');
Save the file and refresh your site.
Step 7: Check File Permissions
Incorrect file permissions can prevent WordPress from running properly.
Recommended settings are:
- Folders: 755
- Files: 644
You can change these using your hosting file manager or FTP client.
Step 8: Reinstall WordPress Core Files
If nothing else works, your WordPress installation may have corrupted files.
- Download the latest version of WordPress from wordpress.org.
- Unzip it on your computer.
- Upload all files except the wp-content folder and wp-config.php file to your website root directory.
- Choose to overwrite the existing files.
This will replace the core WordPress files without affecting your content.
How to Prevent This Error in the Future
Once your site is working again, take these steps to prevent future issues.
- Update plugins, themes, and WordPress regularly
- Backup your website weekly
- Test new plugins on a staging site before installing them on your live site
- Use reliable hosting with enough resources
- Avoid editing theme or plugin files directly
These small habits can save you hours of troubleshooting later.
Conclusion
“The site is experiencing technical difficulties” may look serious, but it usually points to a small issue that can be fixed easily.
By following the steps above, you can identify the problem, restore your site, and protect it from future breakdowns.
If you continue to face this error even after checking plugins, themes, and PHP settings, your best option is to contact your hosting support or a WordPress developer for help.
Now that you know how to fix “The site is experiencing technical difficulties”, you can bring your website back online with confidence and keep it running smoothly for your visitors.
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