One of the most common errors on WordPress sites is the 500 error, also known as the Internal Server Error 500.
If you’re managing a website, you know how frustrating it can be when your visitors cannot access your site. When a website is not accessible, it usually displays an error message, such as 404, 500, etc. In this article, we’ll first explain why the 500 error appears, its causes, and then provide some tips to fix it.
Generally, this error can be caused by several factors, making it tricky to resolve.
Table of Contents
What is the 500 Error (Internal Server Error 500)?
When there’s a problem responding to a request between your browser and the server, meaning the server cannot find a specific URL, a 500 error message is displayed to indicate there’s an issue inside the server. This is not the responsibility of your web host but rather an issue within a file or directory on your website.
What are the causes of the 500 error?
Here are the most common factors that could cause the 500 error message:
1. Your themes and plugins.
Some of your plugins or themes may not be compatible with each other, which can trigger the 500 error. To resolve the issue, it’s always a good idea to check the compatibility of your theme with your plugins before installing them.
- If you have access to the back-end, simply disable the plugins one by one while refreshing your website to identify the source of the error.
- If you don’t have back-end access, log in to your FTP account and rename your plugins folder. This will deactivate all plugins on your site (you can check your website again). You will then be able to access the back-end of your WordPress site. From there, reactivate each plugin and theme individually, refreshing the site each time.
Once you’ve found the plugin or theme causing the error, you can either delete it or contact your developer for a solution.
2. Incorrect file permissions.
Another common cause of the 500 internal server error is incorrect file permissions. To resolve this, check the permissions of your files using an FTP client or the file manager in your hosting account.
3. Memory limit reached.
Most scripts and plugins on your site require a certain amount of memory to function. When the memory limit is reached, it can cause your website to malfunction, resulting in the 500 error. In this case, simply increase the PHP options size on your cPanel account, specifically the memory limit option.
4. Issues with your .htaccess file.
The way this file is used can affect the performance of your website. It’s possible that your .htaccess file has an issue or is corrupted. As a solution, we recommend renaming the .htaccess file in your hosting account using FTP or the file manager. Check your website again; if the error is gone, you can either repair the file or create a new one.
If none of the above solutions apply to your case and you’re still unable to resolve the error, please contact our support, and our technical team will be happy to assist you.