What to Do When Your WordPress Site Shows a White Screen (WSOD)

Introduction

You open your WordPress site…
No error message.
No warning.
Just a blank white screen 😐

This is called the White Screen of Death (WSOD), and yes — it’s one of the most frustrating WordPress problems. But don’t panic. In most cases, your site is not broken forever.

This guide will walk you through simple, safe fixes in plain language.

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What Is the White Screen of Death?

The White Screen of Death happens when WordPress fails silently.

That means:

• Something goes wrong

• WordPress crashes

• Instead of showing an error, it shows nothing

Your content is usually still there — it just can’t load properly.

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Why Does WSOD Happen?

Here are the most common reasons:

• A faulty plugin

• A broken or incompatible theme

• PHP memory limit exhausted

• Corrupted WordPress files

• Server or PHP version issues

Let’s fix them one by one 👇

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Step 1: Clear Cache First (Quick Win)

Sometimes it’s just a caching issue.

Try this first:

• Clear your browser cache

• Clear site cache (hosting cache / CDN)

• If you use a caching plugin, clear its cache

If the screen is still white → move on.

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Step 2: Disable All Plugins (Most Common Fix)

Plugins cause WSOD more than anything else.

How to do it (without dashboard access):

1. Open your site using FTP or File Manager

2. Go to wp-content

3. Rename the plugins folder to:

   plugins-disabled


Now reload your website.

✅ If the site loads → a plugin caused the issue.

Find the bad plugin:

• Rename the folder back to plugins

• Activate plugins one by one

• The plugin that breaks the site is the culprit

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Step 3: Switch to a Default Theme

If plugins aren’t the issue, your theme might be.

How to test:

1. Go to wp-content/themes

2. Rename your active theme folder

3. WordPress will automatically switch to a default theme

If your site loads again, your theme needs:

• Updating

• Fixing

• Or replacing

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Step 4: Increase PHP Memory Limit

WSOD often happens when WordPress runs out of memory.

Easy fix:

Edit wp-config.php and add:

Save and refresh the site.

This alone fixes WSOD on many sites.

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Step 5: Enable Debug Mode to See the Real Error

Let WordPress tell you what’s wrong.

Add this to wp-config.php:

Reload your site.

Now you’ll see:

• Which file is broken

• Which plugin or theme caused it

⚠️ Turn debug off again once fixed.

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Step 6: Re-Upload WordPress Core Files

Corrupted WordPress files can cause WSOD.

Safe method:

1. Download fresh WordPress

2. Upload only:

   • wp-admin

   • wp-includes

3. Do NOT overwrite:

   • wp-content

   • wp-config.php

This refreshes the engine without touching your data.

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Step 7: Check PHP Version

Some plugins and themes don’t support newer PHP versions.

What to do:

• Open hosting control panel

• Switch PHP version (try 8.0 → 7.4 or vice versa)

• Reload the site

This step fixes many sudden WSOD cases after hosting updates.

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Bonus: Admin Panel White Screen Only?

If:

• Frontend works

• Admin area is white

Try these first:

• Disable plugins

• Increase memory

• Clear admin cache

• Check user role permissions

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How to Prevent WSOD in the Future

• Update plugins and themes regularly

• Avoid using outdated plugins

• Don’t install too many plugins

• Take backups before updates

• Use quality hosting

Prevention saves hours of stress.

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Final Thoughts

The White Screen of Death looks terrifying — but it’s usually caused by small, fixable issues.

Take it step by step.
Your site is almost always recoverable.