Wordpress is one of the most popular content management systems, but like any sophisticated platform, it can sometimes present certain issues or errors. In this article, we'll look at several common errors WordPress users may encounter and offer solutions on how to resolve these issues.
White Screen of Death
The White Screen of Death (WSOD) is one of the most frustrating errors, where only a white blank space appears on the screen without any error information. This problem can be caused by an incompatible plugin or theme with your version of WordPress, or an error in the PHP code.
Solution:
- Deactivate plugins: Through FTP or your hosting file manager, rename the plugins folder in wp-content, which deactivates all plugins. If the website recovers, gradually activate the plugins to identify which one causes the problem.
- Switch themes: If deactivating plugins doesn't help, try changing the name of your current theme's folder via FTP. WordPress will revert to the default theme.
Error Establishing a Database Connection
This error occurs when WordPress cannot establish a connection to the database. It can be caused by incorrect database login credentials, an issue with the database server, or a corrupted database.
Solution:
- Check wp-config.php: Ensure that the database login credentials (DB_NAME, DB_USER, DB_PASSWORD, DB_HOST) are correct.
- Contact your hosting provider: If the credentials are correct, the problem might be on the server side. Contact your hosting provider.
404 Errors on Pages or Posts
If you're getting a 404 error when accessing pages or posts, there's likely a problem with the permalink settings.
Solution:
- Reset permalinks: In the WordPress admin, go to Settings > Permalinks and simply save the settings again without making any changes. This refreshes the permalink rules.
Maximum Upload Size Exceeded
This error occurs when you try to upload a file that exceeds the maximum allowed upload size.
Solution:
- Modify the .htaccess file: Add the following code to the .htaccess file in your website's root directory:
php_value upload_max_filesize 64M php_value post_max_size 64M php_value max_execution_time 300 php_value max_input_time 300
- Contact your hosting provider: If modifying the .htaccess file doesn't help, ask your host to increase the limits.
While encountering errors in WordPress can be unsettling, most have straightforward solutions. The key is to remain calm and systematically go through possible fixes. If problems persist or you're unable to resolve them yourself, don't hesitate to contact a WordPress expert or your hosting provider.