WEB HOSTING

It can be alarming to see the “Critical Error” message in your WordPress site.

Firstly, this message prevents any visitor from accessing your site. However, there is no need to worry. This guide will help you identify the cause and walk you through practical steps to fix it, using simple, easy-to-follow instructions.

We’ll focus on what you can do even without technical skills, and we’ll point you to other detailed articles when more advanced steps are needed.

Check Your Email for a Recovery Link

When WordPress runs into a critical error, it usually sends an automatic email to the site administrator. This message includes a special link that allows you to access your site in Recovery Mode.

• Look for a subject like: “Your Site is Experiencing a Technical Issue”
• Click the link to log in
• WordPress will then highlight the problematic plugin or theme so you can deactivate it

Didn’t get the email? Try entering this URL manually: https://yourdomain.com/wp-login.php?action=entered_recovery_mode (Replace yourdomain.com with your actual domain name.)

Enable Debug Mode to Identify the Error

If the recovery link doesn’t help, you can turn on WordPress debug mode to see more information about what’s going wrong.

Here’s how to do that:

• Access your site files using an FTP client or directly via File Manager in your cPanel account

• Open the wp-config.php file in the public_html directory

 

• Find the line define ( ‘WP_DEBUG’, false ); and change it to define( ‘WP_DEBUG’, true );

• Save the file and reload your site

This creates a debug.log file inside /wp-content/ where you can find more specific error messages. These details help pinpoint which plugin, theme, or setting is causing the issue.

Deactivate All Plugins

One of the most common causes of critical errors is a plugin conflict. You can quickly check this by disabling all plugins at once:

• Go to the /wp-content/ directory

• Rename the plugins folder to something like plugins_old

• Reload your website

If the site loads properly, the issue was with one of your plugins. Rename the folder back to plugins, then reactivate each plugin one by one from the WordPress dashboard until the error returns. The last plugin you activated is the one causing the problem.

Switch to a Default Theme

If deactivating plugins didn’t help, the issue might be your active theme.
To test this:

• Log in to the dashboard (if possible), go to Appearance > Themes, and activate a default theme like Twenty Twenty‑Four
• If you can’t access the dashboard, go to /wp-content/themes/ and rename the folder of your active theme following the same steps of renaming the plugin folder.

This will force WordPress to switch to a default theme automatically. If the site works again, your original theme is the issue.

Increase the PHP Memory Limit

If your site runs out of server memory, it may crash and show a critical error.
You can follow detailed steps to increase the PHP memory limit in our dedicated guide:
How to modify PHP options values

Reinstall WordPress Core Files

Sometimes, core WordPress files can become corrupted during updates or transfers.
For step-by-step instructions on how to safely reinstall WordPress without losing content, go to:
Reinstalling core files using WP Toolkit

Restore a Site Backup

If you’re using one of our shared hosting plans, JetBackup automatically creates daily backups of your website. This means you can easily restore a recent working version of your site if something goes wrong. We explain how to do that safely in our complete backup restoration guide: How do I back up and restore my hosting?

Additional Things to Check

Still seeing the error? Here are a few final tips:

• Clear your site and browser cache: Sometimes, an old cached version of the error persists.

• Check your PHP version: make sure you’re using PHP 7.4 or higher. Refer to this guide to learn how to change the PHP version from your cPanel account.

• Review server logs: You can check the error log within your cPanel account by navigating to File Manager > public_html > error_log.

Best Practices to Prevent Future Errors

Once you’ve fixed the issue, consider taking a few simple steps to avoid critical errors in the future:

• Update safely : Use a staging site to test themes/plugins before applying changes
• Install from trusted sources : Stick to well-reviewed plugins and themes
• Monitor your error log : Keep debug mode enabled in a safe environment

The “critical error” message may look dramatic, but it’s usually caused by something minor, a plugin conflict, a bad update, or a simple setting. With the steps above, you can confidently find the cause and fix it, or quickly narrow it down before getting help.

Still stuck? Contact our support team for further assistance.