If you’ve ever encountered the ominous message—“There has been a critical error on this website”—while working on your WordPress site, you’re not alone. This error can be both alarming and frustrating, especially if it prevents access to the dashboard or takes your entire site offline. Fortunately, it’s a common issue in WordPress development and can be addressed effectively if approached methodically.

In this article, we’ll provide a comprehensive, step-by-step guide to debugging and fixing the critical error message in WordPress. Whether you’re a site owner, developer, or administrator, these strategies will help you bring your site back online while maintaining stability and security.

Understanding the Critical Error in WordPress

The message “There has been a critical error on this website,” often followed by instructions to check your site admin email inbox for more details, is WordPress’s way of informing you that a fatal PHP error has occurred. This can be triggered by:

• A faulty theme or plugin
• Conflicts between plugins or themes
• Exhausted memory limits
• Corrupt core files
• Issues introduced during a recent update

Before the release of WordPress 5.2, such issues would simply result in the “White Screen of Death.” Now, the platform attempts to be more informative by alerting you to a critical error and directing you to debug it.

Step 1: Enable Debug Mode in WordPress

The first step in resolving this error is to gather more information using WordPress’s built-in debugging tools.

1. Access your site files via FTP or through your hosting panel’s File Manager.
2. Open the wp-config.php file in the root directory of your WordPress installation.
3. Locate the line that says:

define( 'WP_DEBUG', false );

Change it to:

define( 'WP_DEBUG', true );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_LOG', true );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false );

This configuration enables debugging, logs errors to the wp-content/debug.log file, and prevents sensitive information from being displayed directly on your site.

Step 2: Check the Debug Log for Errors

Once debug mode is enabled, attempt to reload your website. Then, navigate to wp-content/debug.log and open it to identify what’s causing the issue. Look for error messages such as:

PHP Fatal error:  Uncaught Error: Call to undefined function...

These logs will help you pinpoint whether the error is due to a specific plugin, a theme, or a server configuration issue.

Step 3: Access Recovery Mode

If the error affects the front-end but not the admin panel, WordPress’s Recovery Mode may be available. This feature sends a link to the admin email address. By clicking that link, you can access your dashboard in a sandbox environment where the problematic plugin or theme is deactivated.

If you don’t see the recovery email, check your spam folder or make sure your WordPress installation can send emails correctly using a tool like WP Mail SMTP.

Step 4: Deactivate All Plugins

If you’re unable to access your site through Recovery Mode or the dashboard, try deactivating your plugins manually:

1. Access your site via FTP.
2. Navigate to wp-content and rename the plugins folder to plugins_old.
3. Check your site. If it loads, you’ve confirmed that a plugin is causing the issue.
4. Rename the folder back to plugins, then activate plugins one-by-one via the dashboard to identify the culprit.

Step 5: Revert Recent Changes

Sometimes, a recent update to a plugin, theme, or even WordPress core can trigger the critical error. If you updated anything shortly before the issue began, consider rolling back the change:

• Restore from a recent backup using your hosting provider or a plugin like UpdraftPlus.
• Download earlier versions of a plugin or theme from the official WordPress repository.

When rolling back, be cautious not to overwrite your content or database accidentally.

Step 6: Switch to a Default Theme

If plugins aren’t the issue, themes might be. Try switching to a default WordPress theme like Twenty Twenty-One or Twenty Twenty-Three:

1. Use FTP to navigate to wp-content/themes.
2. Rename your active theme’s folder to something else (e.g., theme-name_old).
3. WordPress will default to the latest installed default theme, allowing you to regain access.

Step 7: Increase PHP Memory Limit

Sometimes, the server runs out of allocatable memory due to intensive plugins or large queries. You can increase the allotted PHP memory limit by adding the following line to wp-config.php:

define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M');

If your hosting provider has capped memory allocation, this may not be effective. In that case, you’ll need to contact your provider for assistance.

Step 8: Reinstall Core WordPress Files

Corrupt or incomplete WordPress core files can also trigger a critical error. To resolve this:

1. Download the latest version of WordPress from wordpress.org.
2. Extract the package locally and upload the wp-admin and wp-includes folders via FTP, overwriting the existing ones.

Be careful not to overwrite the wp-content folder or the wp-config.php file, as these contain your data and settings.

Step 9: Check Server Error Logs

Beyond WordPress logs, your hosting provider often maintains error logs as well. These can provide more context if you’re unable to determine the source of the issue through WordPress’s own logging tools. Contact support or check your hosting control panel for access to:

• Apache/Nginx error logs
• PHP error logs
• MySQL error logs

Step 10: Contact Your Hosting Provider

If all else fails, your hosting provider can be your best ally in resolving a critical error. Many hosts offer 24/7 support and can:

• Roll back your site to a working backup
• Identify server-level issues
• Increase memory limits if applicable

Make sure to provide as much information as possible, including the error logs and steps you’ve already taken.

Preventing Future Critical Errors

Once your site is back online, consider implementing preventive measures:

• Regular Backups: Keep daily or weekly backups using tools like BlogVault or BackupBuddy.
• Staging Environment: Test all updates in a staging environment before implementing them on your live site.
• Quality Plugins & Themes: Always install plugins and themes from trusted developers or the official WordPress repository.
• Stay Updated: Keep everything updated to the latest stable version, including PHP and MySQL.

Conclusion

The “There has been a critical error on this website” message is unsettling, but it is rarely without a solution. By systematically enabling debug mode, checking logs, deactivating plugins, and reverting recent changes, most WordPress administrators can resolve the issue quickly and safely. Always maintain backups and a proper staging workflow to minimize downtime in the future.

With a bit of patience, a cautious approach, and the help of this guide, you can restore your WordPress site’s functionality promptly and prevent critical errors from disrupting your work again.