The error message “This site is experiencing technical difficulties” can put a WordPress user to the test considerably. This message usually means that a serious error has occurred on the website, often related to themes, plugins or corrupt files. Below we discuss in detail steps to address this error and get your website working again.

Activate the Debug mode

The first step in resolving this error is to activate debug mode in WordPress. This will help you identify the specific error causing the problems.

1. Access the wp-config.php file: This file is located in the root folder of your WordPress installation. You can edit the file using an FTP client or the file manager in your hosting control panel.
2. Change the debug settings: Look for the line that says define(‘WP_DEBUG’, false);. Change false to true. Add these lines if they are not already there: define(‘WP_DEBUG_LOG’, true); and define(‘WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY’, false);

This causes errors to be logged to a file called debug.log within the wp-content folder, but are not displayed on the website.

Check the Error Log

Many problems are related to conflicts between themes or plugins.

1. Deactivate all plugins: Rename the plugins folder in the wp-content folder to something else, such as plugins_deactivated, via FTP or the file manager. This will deactivate all plugins.
2. Switch to a default theme: If the site still doesn’t work, try deactivating your current theme by renaming the theme’s folder. WordPress will automatically switch to one of the default themes such as Twenty Twenty-One.

Recover Corrupt Files

Sometimes corrupted WordPress core files can be the cause of the error.

1. Download a fresh copy of WordPress: Go to the official WordPress website and download the latest version.
2. Replace the core files: Upload the new WordPress files via FTP, overwriting the old files. Make sure not to overwrite the wp-content folder, as it contains your themes, plugins and uploads.

Increase Memory Limit

Step 5: Increase the Memory Limit

Insufficient memory can also lead to technical problems.

1. Change the memory limit in wp-config.php: define(‘WP_MEMORY_LIMIT’, ‘256M’);

This increases the memory available to PHP and may help to fix the error.

Check for Server Problems

If none of the above steps work, the problem may lie with your hosting provider.

1. Contact your hosting provider: Ask if there are any server-related problems and if they can check log files or provide other support.

Still have questions or can’t figure it out? Then please contact us.

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