Your website is down. You see a scary error message. Panic sets in.
Is my data lost? Did I get hacked?
Relax. WordPress is software, and software breaks. The good news is that millions of people use WordPress, which means every error you see has happened before—and has a fix.
In this master guide, we have compiled the 16 most common WordPress errors in 2026. We don’t just list them; we show you exactly how to fix them.
🛠️ The "First Responders" (Do This First)
Before you try specific fixes, try these “Universal Repairs.” They fix 90% of issues.
Clear Cache: Clear your browser cache and your caching plugin (WP Rocket/W3 Total Cache).
Disable Plugins: Rename your
pluginsfolder toplugins_offvia FTP to see if a bad plugin is the cause.Enable Debugging: Add
define( 'WP_DEBUG', true );to yourwp-config.phpfile to see the real error message.
The "Site is Dead" Errors
These are the scariest errors where your site won’t load at all.
1. White Screen of Death (WSOD)
The Symptom: A completely blank white screen. No errors, no text. The Cause: Usually a PHP error or memory exhaustion. The Fix:
Check Email: Look for a “Critical Error” email from WordPress.
Enable Debugging: Turn on
WP_DEBUG(see above) to see the error line.Increase Memory: Add
define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M');to your config file.
2. Error Establishing a Database Connection
The Symptom: A white page with just this text. The Cause: WordPress cannot talk to your database. The Fix:
Check Credentials: Open
wp-config.php. Are theDB_NAME,DB_USER, andDB_PASSWORDcorrect? (Did you change your hosting password recently?).Repair Database: Add
define('WP_ALLOW_REPAIR', true);to your config file, then visityoursite.com/wp-admin/maint/repair.php.
3. 500 Internal Server Error
The Symptom: A generic server error page. The Cause: The server is confused. Usually a corrupted .htaccess file. The Fix:
Rename .htaccess: Go to your file manager, find
.htaccess, and rename it to.htaccess_old. Reload your site. If it works, go to Settings > Permalinks and click “Save” to generate a new one.
Security & Permission Errors
4. 403 Forbidden Error
The Symptom: “You don’t have permission to access / on this server.” The Cause: Your security plugin is blocking you, or file permissions are wrong. The Fix:
Disable Wordfence/Sucuri: Rename the plugin folder.
Fix Permissions: Set Folders to 755 and Files to 644 using FileZilla.
5. Mixed Content Error (Not Secure)
The Symptom: The “Padlock” in the browser bar is broken or missing. The Cause: You are using SSL (HTTPS), but images are loading over HTTP. The Fix:
Install “Really Simple SSL”: This plugin forces all links to HTTPS.
Elementor Users: Go to Elementor > Tools > Replace URL to update http links to https.
6. The “Japanese Keyword” Hack
The Symptom: Google search results show Japanese characters for your site. The Cause: SEO Spam malware. The Fix:
You are hacked. You need to replace core files and use the “Removals” tool in Google Search Console immediately.
Visual & Content Errors
7. Sidebar Below Content
The Symptom: Your sidebar has fallen to the bottom of the page. The Cause: An unclosed <div> tag in your content or a CSS width issue. The Fix:
Check HTML: Did you copy-paste code into a widget? Remove it.
Validation: Use an HTML validator to find unclosed tags. (Do not use “floats” to fix this in 2026; fix the width percentages in your CSS).
8. 404 Not Found (on Posts)
The Symptom: Homepage works, but clicking any blog post gives a 404. The Cause: Corrupted Permalinks. The Fix:
Go to Settings > Permalinks.
Click “Save Changes.” (You don’t need to change anything; saving flushes the rules).
9. Images Not Uploading
The Symptom: “An error occurred in the upload” or broken image icons. The Cause: Wrong folder permissions or file size limits. The Fix:
Check Permissions: Ensure
/wp-content/uploads/is set to 755.Resize: Make sure you aren’t uploading a 10MB image. Keep it under 2MB.
Functionality Errors
10. WordPress Not Sending Email
The Symptom: Contact forms don’t arrive. Password resets don’t work. The Cause: PHP Mail is blocked. The Fix:
Stop using default mail. Install an SMTP Plugin (like WP Mail SMTP) and connect it to Gmail or SendGrid.
11. Stuck in Maintenance Mode
The Symptom: “Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance.” The Cause: An update was interrupted. The Fix:
Login via FTP. Delete the file named
.maintenancein your root folder.
12. RSS Feed Errors
The Symptom: Your podcast or newsletter stops working. “XML Parsing Error.” The Cause: A blank space/line in your functions.php file. The Fix:
Check your theme files for empty lines at the bottom. Or use a “Fix RSS Feed” plugin.
13. Login Page Refreshing
The Symptom: You type the correct password, the page reloads, and nothing happens. The Cause: Cookie domain error or caching. The Fix:
Clear browser cookies.
Add these lines to
wp-config.php:PHPdefine('WP_HOME', 'https://yoursite.com'); define('WP_SITEURL', 'https://yoursite.com');
Conclusion
Most WordPress errors look worse than they are. They are usually caused by a single file permission or a plugin conflict.
Pro Tip: Bookmark this page. You might not need it today, but the next time your screen goes white, you will be glad you have this checklist.
Can’t Fix It? If you have tried everything on this list and your site is still broken, you might have a deeper server issue or malware. Don’t waste days stressing over code.
Contact Our WordPress Support Team. We fix these errors every single day. We can get your business back online fast.
