Common WordPress error messages explained and fixed!

Arrggh It’s broke! – Don’t panic – we got you!
Common WordPress errors explained and fixed – Lets begin.

Error establishing a database connection

It is one of the most common WordPress errors that users face. It is clear that there is a problem with the database that you have created. You can resolve this problem by going through a couple of easy steps. The error will be displayed on your screen like this:

Error establishing database connection

To resolve this error, you need to access your WordPress files that are placed in the root directory on your server. You can use an FTP program or cPanel to access your files. The file that you are looking for is wp-config.php.

Error establishing database connection

You need to right-click on the file and click view/edit. You need to check a couple of things before moving to the next step. Make sure that database credentials are correct. To do so, you can access phpMyAdmin from your cPanel to see the credentials including the database name, username, and password. If the credentials are correct and you are still facing database connection error, then you need to move to the next step.

You need to add a small code snippet at the end of the wp-config.php file and save changes.

Add the following code

define( 'WP_ALLOW_REPAIR', true );

Just before the line that says, ‘That’s all, stop editing! Happy publishing.’

Error establishing database connection

After adding this line, save changes and visit https://yoursiteurl/wp-admin/maint/repair.php

Here, you will see a window that will ask you to repair your database.

Error establishing database connection

You can click any of the options and it will start repairing and optimizing your database. After optimizing and fixing database tables, your site will come back to normal.

Error establishing database connection

Make sure to remove the line that you added in the wp-config.php file once you are done with the process.

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How to fix Internal Server Error (.htaccess Error)

Another common WordPress error that you can encounter is Internal Server Error. If you are encountering this error, then it has to do something with the .htaccess file which is placed in the root directory. The error screen will look like this:

Internal Server Error

You should know that .htaccess file on your root directory is the file that communicates with the server. To remove this error, you need to disable this file and create a new one. It is a simple process and you don’t need to do much to resolve this error.

You will require access to either the cPanel or FTP program to disable this file. Go to ‘public_html’ and here you will find .htaccess file.

Internal Server Error

Click on the file and rename it to ‘.htaccess-disabled’. Once you have disabled the file, you can now go to the WordPress dashboard to create a new file.

Go to WordPress dashboard > Settings > Permalinks. Here, you don’t need to edit anything at all. Just click save changes and it will create a new .htaccess file.

Internal Server Error

After saving changes and creating a new .htaccess file, the Internal Server Error will disappear. If the issue is persisting, you can contact your hosting service provider to get further instruction and solution for the issue.

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WordPress White Screen of Death

White Screen of Death (WSoD) is one of the most common WordPress errors and a fatal one. One of the worst things about this error is that it won’t let you login to your WordPress dashboard and you will have to access the cPanel or FTP program to resolve this specific error.

Image white screen of death

White Screen of Death

It does not display any text on your screen and or does not share the path where you can go to fix the error. To fix this error, you will have to check things manually.

This error usually appears when you are editing your website and adding plugins or themes to your WordPress website. If that is the case, then you need to perform manual diagnostics by visiting the cPanel > public_html folder. Here are a couple of things that you can do to resolve this error.

Disable WordPres plugins

You can start by disabling the plugins that you have installed on your WordPress website. In most cases, the error will disappear after disabling the plugins that you are using. If you have recently added a plugin just before the (WSoD), then it will surely resolve the issue.

Disable WordPress theme

If you have recently installed a new theme and you have experienced (WSoD) right after it, then you need to disable the theme to see if things are back to normal. Disable the theme you are using and the error will disappear for sure.

Clearing cache

If you are still facing the error after disabling theme and plugins, then you need to clear the site's cache. Your site’s cache could be displaying outdated files and by clearing it, you will be able to resolve the problem.

Raising the memory limit

In case your site ran out of memory, you need to increase the memory by editing the php.ini file. In this file, you can search for ‘memory_limit’ and increase it. It will resolve the error.

Activate WordPress debug mode

If the (WSoD) is still there, then you need to turn on WordPress debug mode and it will help you pinpoint the origin of the error. To turn on debug mode, you need to visit the wp-config.php file in the root directory. Here, you will be able to see a code snippet: define ( 'WP_DEBUG', false ); you can replace ‘false’ with the word ‘true’ to turn on WordPress debug mode.

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WordPress Parse or Syntax Error

If you are a developer, then you must have seen this error many times on your screen. This error usually arises from the faulty or misplaced code. One of the great things about this error is that it pinpoints the origin of the error so you can go to that path and fix the error.

Parse or Syntax

Most commonly, this error arises due to the wrong code in the functions.php file. To get rid of this problem, you will have to access the cPanel or FTP program to access the website files. You need to go to pubic_html > wp-content > themes > functions.php.

Parse or Syntax

Here, you need to edit the file and check the line number stated in the error. If there is an issue with the code on that specific line number, then you need to resolve that issue.

Parse or Syntax

After resolving the code problem, you need to save the file and refresh the webpage. It will start working normally.

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WordPress Memory Exhausted Error

Most of the users face this specific error. If you are also facing WordPress memory exhausted error, then there is a simple way to fix this issue as well. If you are facing this error, then your screen will look like this:

Memory Exhausted

It can be frustrating for the beginners but you need to take small steps to resolve this specific issue. Moreover, it can save you from plenty of other errors if you increase the WordPress memory.

To do so, you will again require access to cPanel or FTP program to access your website files. You should know that by default WordPress will increase the PHP memory to 64MB. If your files are above 64MB, then you will have to increase the memory manually.

Memory Exhausted

You need to right-click the file named, ‘wp-config.php and edit the file. Here, you will have to add the following code line just before the line that says, ‘That's all, stop editing! Happy publishing’.

define ( 'WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '264M' );

Memory Exhausted

After adding the code, save the file and refresh the page. Now, you will be able to add new data to your website. It will resolve the issue and you will be able to save yourself from many other errors that usually arise due to WordPress memory exhaustion.

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How to fix 404 error – page not found WordPress

404 error means the page cannot be found, so you've ether entered an incorrect link (check this first) or the page your accessing has some redirection issues.

75% of the time this can be fixed quickly by visiting your permalinks page within your WordPress admin.

Simply view the page and save the permalink settings again to refresh your WordPress setup then try the link again.

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How to fix a WordPress login error

If you've forgotten your password and then unfortunately we cannot help you. You'll have to use the reset password tools for this error.

If you cannot find your login page, the usual link is;

http:// (mywebsite.com) /wp-login.php

Try entering that link into your browser directly ensuring you replace (mywebsite.com) with your own website.

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There Has Been A Critical Error On Your Website

There Has Been A Critical Error On Your Website

Learn how to fix this common WordPress error with this quick video tutorial.
View Tutorial
How to Fix the 500 Internal Server Error on WordPress

How to Fix the 500 Internal Server Error on WordPress

Watch and learn in this easy to follow video on How to Fix the 500 Internal Server Error on WordPress.
View Tutorial

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