Before you start
- The exact message, affected URL and error time.
- Access to logs or someone who can inspect them.
Record the symptom before making changes
Identify what stopped working: the whole website, the dashboard, one page or a specific action. HTTP 500 indicates a server-side failure, but does not prove hosting is the cause. The message and surrounding circumstances help you choose a meaningful check.
- Record the URL, time with time zone, exact message and most recent known change.
- Try a private window to distinguish a local session or cache issue from the actual failure.
- Preserve a backup of the current state before changing files.
Use Recovery Mode for a critical error
WordPress may email the administrator a recovery link when it detects a fatal error. Check the spam folder too. This mode helps you access the dashboard; it does not automatically repair the failing component or activate for every error.
- Open the received link only when its domain and circumstances match your website.
- Record the named plugin or theme and deactivate that component when appropriate.
- After correcting the cause, exit Recovery Mode and test outside your administrator session.
Investigate a blank page or HTTP 500
These symptoms may come from a PHP error, a resource limit or an invalid server rule. Look for a matching entry at the recorded time in the logs available through your hosting account. Avoid displaying debug errors publicly because they can reveal private paths and information.
- For “Allowed memory size exhausted”, follow our PHP memory guide.
- If failure follows activation or an update, test the component on a copy.
- If the dashboard is inaccessible, request a targeted intervention rather than randomly renaming all folders.
Identify a database connection error
A database connection error differs from a permalink problem. Check whether a migration, MySQL password change or restoration just occurred. Your data may remain intact even when WordPress cannot connect to it.
- Compare wp-config.php connection settings with the account's actual settings without sharing credentials publicly.
- Do not replace the existing database with a newly created empty one.
- Contact support if settings appear correct or several sites on the account are affected.
Check a 404 response
If the homepage works but several existing pages return 404, open Settings → Permalinks and save the current structure. Retest a known page. A removed or mistyped URL is genuinely missing and needs a different correction.
- Do not change an established site's URL structure as an experiment.
- If rewriting still fails, have the server configuration checked.
- Avoid replacing the entire .htaccess file without preserving its existing rules.
Validate the fix and prepare a support request
After correction, check public pages, dashboard access, forms and store checkout. Remove temporary diagnostics and protect logs containing private information. A fix that works only within your own session is incomplete.
- Change one thing at a time and record results so the cause remains visible.
- Provide symptoms, versions and tests to support; never put passwords in a public contact form.
- For unknown redirects or suspicious files, follow the hacked-site procedure instead.
Frequently asked questions
Does HTTP 500 mean the server is down?
No. PHP errors, plugins, limits or server rules can produce that response. Logs and context help distinguish the causes.
Official documentation
Labels and options vary with versions, plugins and your account. Refer to publisher documentation for your configuration.