500

Quick Fix

Check the .htaccess file for syntax errors, clear site cache, and disable recently added plugins or themes. Then refresh the page to see if the error disappears.

What it Means

The 500 Internal Server Error is a generic server‑side problem that tells WordPress can’t process a request. It usually appears as a blank page or a red error banner and indicates that something on the server or in your WordPress installation is failing before the page can be rendered.

Possible Causes

• 1
  Plugin or theme conflict
• 2
  Corrupted .htaccess file
• 3
  Insufficient PHP memory limit
• 4
  Faulty server configuration
• 5
  Database corruption
• 6
  Excessive PHP errors or syntax mistakes

Step-by-Step Solutions

1. Disable all plugins

   Use the WordPress dashboard or WP‑CLI to turn off every plugin. If the error disappears, enable them one by one to find the culprit.

   wp plugin deactivate --all
2. Reset .htaccess

   Rename the current .htaccess to .htaccess‑old and let WordPress generate a fresh one by saving permalinks again.

   mv .htaccess .htaccess-old && wp rewrite structure "/%postname%/" && wp rewrite flush
3. Increase PHP memory

   Add or update the memory_limit in wp-config.php or your hosting control panel to at least 256M.

   define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M');
4. Check server logs

   Look at Apache/Nginx error.log or PHP error.log to find the exact line causing the crash.

   tail -n 100 /var/log/apache2/error.log
5. Repair database

   Run the built‑in repair tool or use WP‑CLI to fix corrupt tables.

   wp db repair
6. Reinstall core

   Download a fresh copy of WordPress and replace wp-includes and wp-admin folders, keeping wp-content intact.

   wp core download --force

Commands You Can Try