Encountering the WordPress White Screen of Death (WSoD) can be terrifying, as it completely locks you out of your site without displaying an error message. But don't worry—this is one of the most common WordPress errors, and here at Hosticky, we see it all the time. It’s almost always fixable in a few minutes.
What Causes the White Screen of Death?
The WSoD is usually caused by a PHP code error or memory limit exhaustion. When a script exhausts the memory or encounters a fatal error, WordPress abruptly stops processing, leaving you with a blank screen.
Step-by-Step Fixes
1. Increase PHP Memory Limit
The most common culprit is a script running out of memory. If you are hosted on a Hosticky Managed WordPress plan, you have plenty of resources, but WordPress itself might be artificially limiting it.
Open your wp-config.php file and add this line before the "That's all, stop editing!" line:
define( 'WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M' );2. Disable All Plugins (The "Process of Elimination" Method)
A poorly coded or incompatible plugin is the #2 reason for the WSoD. If you can't access your wp-admin dashboard, use the Hosticky File Manager (or FTP) to navigate to wp-content. Rename the plugins folder to plugins_disabled. Check your site. If it works, rename the folder back, and disable plugins one by one until you find the culprit.
3. Enable WordPress Debugging
Still stuck? Let's see the actual error instead of a white screen. Open wp-config.php and change:
define( 'WP_DEBUG', false );to
define( 'WP_DEBUG', true );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_LOG', true );Now, reload your blank page, and you should see a specific error pointing to the exact file causing the crash.
Need more help? Our Hosticky Support Team is available 24/7 to get your site back online! For official documentation, see the WordPress.org Codex.
