Common WordPress Errors and How to Fix Them

WordPress supports a heap of self-hosted sites online. While it’s user-friendly, there are other reasons why many prefer WordPress over other CMS (Content Management System) tools. One particular reason is its errors. Most WordPress errors are already reported and resolved by someone else – making help easily accessible.

However, some errors are common among WordPress users. More often than not, most beginners encounter these errors before long. For your reference, five common errors are compiled in this article. They are as follows:

• Internal Server Error
• Memory Exhausted Error
• Database Connection Error
• Blank Page
• Reset Link for Lost Email and Password Not Working

Important: The solutions given below require changes in your website files. We highly recommend you to back up your files before you proceed.

Internal Server Error or 500 Internal Server Error

Every WordPress site encounters Internal Server Error at least once. Though it does not require excellent technical skills, this error can be confusing especially for beginners. This error displays as is – Internal Server Error or 500 Internal Server Error. The server will not explicitly state its cause.

Most of the time, this is only caused by a corrupted .htaccess file or an exhausted PHP memory limit. Some other causes include faulty plugins, corrupted core files, and incorrect file permissions. Since no cause is certain until confirmed, this error requires a lot of troubleshooting from your end.

Read our thorough guide to learn How to Fix an Internal Server Error.

Memory Exhausted Error

WordPress scripts and plugins have allotted memory limit. Once used up, Memory Exhausted Error displays. You can fix this by increasing the PHP memory limit by following the steps in this linked guide.

Database Connection Error

This error clearly shows that the database connection is interrupted. Usually, it is caused by wrong login credentials, corrupted data, inactive MySQL and server issues. Please visit our guide to fix database connection error with WordPress.

Blank Page

A blank page, or commonly known as White Screen of Death, is popular among avid WordPress users. It could appear on the admin section while everything else is running. In some cases, it appears on specific pages of your website with everything else working just fine.

The lack of error message can be confusing, but like Internal Server Error this hardly requires technical skills. It is often caused by memory limit exhaustion, a dysfunctional plugin, a poorly coded theme, or an issue with the server.

If this the case for you, check our article about why your WordPress site is displaying a blank page and how to fix this issue.

Reset Link for Lost Email and Password Not Working

Lost email and password are easily resolved through a reset link sent to your inbox. However, there are cases that the link won’t work. The reason behind this remains a mystery, but the solution is known. You can easily fix this by changing your login credentials in phpMyAdmin.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to reset your email and password via phpMyAdmin.

1. Access your Hosting Manager.
2. On the Home page, click the Databases. Then, select the phpMyAdmin option.
3. On phpMyAdmin interface, select necessary WordPress database.
4. Under the Table column, select wp_users from the list.
5. Under user_login column, look for the user whose login credentials you need to change, and then click Edit on its far left corner.

To reset your password, follow these steps:

1. On user_pass row, delete characters under Value, and enter your new password.
2. On the same row, select MD5 on the Function drop-down menu.

To reset your email address, follow these steps:

1. Go to user_email row, delete characters under Value column.
2. Enter new email address on the same field.

Click Go at the bottom of the page.

If you’re still experiencing the WordPress errors on your site even after trying the options mentioned above on this guide. Please contact us for further assistance, we’d love to help!