How to Fix a 500 Internal Server Error in WordPress

You try to open your WordPress site and instead see:

“500 Internal Server Error”
or
“This page isn’t working”

No explanation. No clues. Just frustration 😤

Don’t worry — this error is very common, and in most cases, it can be fixed in under 30 minutes.

Let’s break it down in plain English and fix it step by step.

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What Is a 500 Internal Server Error?

A 500 error means:

The server tried to load your site but failed due to an internal problem.

Unlike other errors, it doesn’t tell you what went wrong — so we fix it by checking the most common causes one by one.

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Common Reasons This Error Happens

• Corrupted .htaccess file

• Plugin or theme conflict

• PHP memory limit exhausted

• Corrupted WordPress core files

• Hosting or server configuration issues

Let’s fix each one 👇

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Step 1: Refresh & Clear Cache (Quick Check)

Before deep fixes, try:

• Refresh the page

• Clear browser cache

• Clear hosting or CDN cache

If the error stays → continue.

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Step 2: Fix the .htaccess File (Very Common Fix)

A broken .htaccess file causes many 500 errors.

How to fix:

1. Open File Manager or FTP

2. Find .htaccess in the root folder

3. Rename it to:

   .htaccess-old

4. Reload your site

✅ If your site loads, the file was corrupted.

Create a new .htaccess:

• Go to WordPress admin

• Settings → Permalinks

• Click Save Changes (no edits needed)

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Step 3: Disable All Plugins

Plugins are another major cause.

Without dashboard access:

1. Go to wp-content

2. Rename the plugins folder to:

   plugins-disabled

Reload the site.

✅ If it works → a plugin caused the issue.

Find the bad plugin:

• Rename folder back to plugins

• Activate plugins one by one

• Stop when the error returns

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Step 4: Switch to a Default Theme

A broken theme can trigger 500 errors.

How:

1. Open wp-content/themes

2. Rename your active theme folder

3. WordPress will switch to a default theme

If the site loads now, update or replace the theme.

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Step 5: Increase PHP Memory Limit

Sometimes WordPress runs out of memory.

Add this to wp-config.php:

Save and refresh.

This fix alone solves many 500 errors.

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Step 6: Re-Upload WordPress Core Files

Corrupted core files = server errors.

Safe fix:

1. Download fresh WordPress

2. Upload:

   • wp-admin

   • wp-includes

3. Do NOT upload:

   • wp-content

   • wp-config.php

This refreshes WordPress without touching your data.

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Step 7: Check PHP Version

Hosting updates can silently break sites.

Try this:

• Open hosting panel

• Change PHP version (example: 8.1 → 7.4)

• Reload your site

Many plugins don’t support the latest PHP versions yet.

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Step 8: Check Server Error Logs

If nothing works, logs will tell you the truth.

Where to find them:

• Hosting panel → Error Logs

• Or enable debug mode:

Check /wp-content/debug.log

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When to Contact Hosting Support

Contact hosting support if:

• Error logs show server config issues

• Multiple sites on the server are failing

• MySQL or PHP services are down

Tell them:

“My WordPress site shows a 500 Internal Server Error. Please check server logs.”

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How to Prevent 500 Errors in the Future

• Take backups before updates

• Avoid outdated plugins

• Use reliable hosting

• Don’t overload your site with plugins

• Test updates on staging sites

Prevention saves downtime and money.

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Final Thoughts

A 500 Internal Server Error looks scary — but it’s usually caused by:

• A plugin

• A theme

• A small configuration issue

Follow the steps calmly, one by one.
Your site is almost always recoverable.