Similar to the notorious Windows "blue screen of death," WordPress users may encounter a blank white screen when attempting to access their website. This is often caused by PHP or database errors. It is particularly frustrating because the white screen usually affects the admin area as well, preventing access to the WordPress control panel. Fortunately, there are several troubleshooting measures you can take:
Check the WordPress log file
The first step is to figure out what error may be causing the issue. Navigate to your website's public_html folder either by using FTP access or logging into cPanel and using File Manager. View the error_log file and see if there are any recurring errors over the last several days. Common issues are addressed below:
Resource Limit Exceeded
Sometimes WordPress plug-ins or updates can use an excessive amount of server resources (mainly memory) or exceed the PHP memory limit. For more information, view the article I'm getting a 508 error "Resource Limit Is Reached" when I try to access my Wordpress website.
Plug-in Issues
If you recently added a new plug-in or updated an existing one, there is a good chance the issue is a result of compatibility issues. If you do have access to the WordPress administration area, you can try deactivating all your plug-ins and then reactivating them one-by-one. If you cannot access the WordPress administration, you can use FTP access or cPanel File Manager to rename the plugins folder (located in the wp-content directory). By renaming it to something like plugins_old, you have essentially deactived all plug-ins. If your site loads now, you know the issue is related to a plug-in and you can begin investigating which particular plugin may be causing the issue.
Theme Issues
If you recently changed or updated your WordPress theme, there is a good chance it is causing the white screen issue. If you do have access to the WordPress administration area, you can try reverting to the theme you were previously using, or the default WordPress theme. If you cannot access the WordPress administration, you can use FTP access or cPanel File Manager to rename the folder for the active theme (located in the wp-content/themes/ directory). By renaming it to something like themename_old, you have essentially deactived the theme and WordPress will automatically use the default theme. If your site loads now, you know the issue is related to the theme and you can begin investigating further.
Reinstall WordPress
If you are sure the issue is not related to one of the above issues, you could try reinstalling the WordPress version. Sometimes the core WordPress files can become corrupted and reinstalling will restore them to the original (uncorrupted) version.
Further Reading
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