Sometimes, WordPress users see a 500 Internal Server Error on their website. This error means something went wrong on the server side. Don’t worry, you can fix this error by following these steps.
What is the 500 Internal Server Error?
A 500 Internal Server Error means something went wrong on the server side when your website tried to load. This error can happen because of many reasons, such as wrong server settings, bad plugin or theme, or not enough memory on the server.
How to Fix the 500 Internal Server Error in WordPress
You can try different ways to fix the 500 Internal Server Error in WordPress. In this part, we will talk about the usual ways.
Check the .htaccess file
The .htaccess file is a file that tells your server what to do. Sometimes, the 500 Internal Server Error happens because of a problem with the .htaccess file. To see if this is true, you need to change the file name for a while.
To do this, go to your website files using FTP or the File Manager in your hosting account. Find the .htaccess file in the main folder of your website, right-click on it, and choose Rename. Change the name to something like .htaccess_old.
Now try to visit your website again. If the error is not there, it means the .htaccess file was the problem. You can make a new .htaccess file by going to Settings > Permalinks in your WordPress dashboard and clicking the Save Changes button.
Deactivate all plugins
A bad plugin can make the 500 Internal Server Error happen in WordPress. To see if a plugin is the problem, you need to turn off all plugins on your website.
To do this, go to your WordPress dashboard and go to Plugins > Installed Plugins. Pick all plugins, choose Deactivate from the Bulk Actions menu, and click Apply.
Now try to visit your website again. If the error is not there, it means a plugin was the problem. You can turn on the plugins one by one until you find the bad one.
Switch to a default theme
If the problem is still there after turning off all plugins, the problem may be with your theme. To see if this is true, you need to change to a default theme, like Twenty Twenty-Three.
To change to a default theme, go to your WordPress dashboard and go to Appearance > Themes. Put your mouse on the default theme and click Activate.
Now try to visit your website again. If the error is not there, it means your theme was the problem. You can ask the theme maker for help or change to a different theme.
Increase PHP memory limit
Not enough memory on the server can make the 500 Internal Server Error happen in WordPress. To fix this problem, you need to make the PHP memory limit bigger.
To do this, go to your website files using FTP or the File Manager in your hosting account. Find the wp-config.php file in the main folder of your website and right-click on it. Choose View/Edit. Add this code at the end of the file:
define( 'WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M' );Save the changes and put the file back to your server.
If the problem was because of low memory, this should fix the problem
Check Your Plugins and Themes
A 500 internal server error can happen because of a bad plugin or theme. To fix this, you need to turn off all your plugins and turn them on one by one to find the bad one.
Here’s how:
- Go to your WordPress dashboard.
- Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins.
- Pick all plugins and choose Deactivate from the Bulk Actions menu.
- Visit your website and see if the error is gone. If it is, it means a plugin was the problem.
- Turn on each plugin one by one and visit your website after each one to find the bad one.
When you find the bad plugin, turn it off and look for another one or ask the plugin’s help team for help.
If the problem is because of a theme, you can change to a default WordPress theme to see if the error is not there. If it is not, you need to ask the theme’s help team for help.
Contact Your Hosting Provider
If the problem is still there after trying everything above, the problem may be because of a wrong server setting. In this case, you need to ask your hosting provider for help and tell them the problem. They should be able to find the problem and fix it for you.
Final Thoughts
A 500 internal server error can be annoying, but you can usually fix it. In this article, we have talked about some of the usual reasons for the error and given solutions to fix it. By doing these steps, you should be able to fix the problem and make your WordPress website work again quickly.
Remember, it’s always a good idea to back up your website before changing anything to avoid losing data. If you are not sure how to change things yourself, think about hiring a professional to do it for you.
