Fixing the WordPress White Screen of Death

Fixing the WordPress White Screen of Death

The "white screen of death" is when your WordPress site displays a blank white page with no error message. It is one of the more frustrating WordPress issues because it gives no visible clue about the cause. This guide walks through the most common causes and how to fix each one.

Step 1: Check the Error Log

The first thing to do is check your PHP error log, which usually reveals the exact cause:

1. Log in to KPanel at kpanel.kapsulecloud.com
2. Go to Websites, select your site, and click Logs
3. Open the PHP Error Log
4. Look for Fatal error entries near the time the white screen started

See Accessing Your Website Error Logs for more detail.

Step 2: Enable WordPress Debug Mode

If the error log is not showing enough detail, enable WordPress debug mode:

1. Connect via SFTP or the KPanel File Manager
2. Open wp-config.php
3. Set the following:

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

1. Reload the page and check wp-content/debug.log for the error message

Step 3: Deactivate All Plugins

A faulty or incompatible plugin is the most common cause of a white screen after an update.

If you can access WordPress admin: go to Plugins > Installed Plugins, select all, and choose Deactivate from the bulk actions menu.

If you cannot access WordPress admin:

1. Connect to your site via SFTP
2. Navigate to wp-content/plugins/
3. Rename the plugins folder to plugins-disabled
4. Try loading the site

If the white screen clears, a plugin is the culprit. Rename the folder back to plugins, then deactivate plugins one at a time until you identify the offending plugin.

Step 4: Switch to a Default Theme

A broken theme can also cause a white screen:

1. Via SFTP, go to wp-content/themes/
2. Rename your active theme's folder to something like mytheme-disabled
3. WordPress will fall back to a default theme

Step 5: Increase PHP Memory Limit

A white screen can occur when WordPress runs out of memory. To increase the limit:

1. Open wp-config.php in the File Manager or via SFTP
2. Add this line before the /* That's all, stop editing! */ line:

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

1. Save the file and reload the site

You can also increase the PHP memory limit in KPanel under Websites > [your site] > PHP Settings.

Step 6: Restore From Backup

If none of the above steps resolve the issue, restoring from a backup taken before the problem began is the fastest path to resolution. See Restoring From Backup.

Still Not Resolved?

If the white screen persists after working through these steps, open a support ticket in KPanel under Support. Include the most recent PHP error log entries and a description of what changed on the site before the issue appeared.