WordPress 500 error

Updated 11 October 2026

Short answer

WordPress's own documentation names a corrupted .htaccess file as the most likely cause of a 500 Internal Server Error. Rename it to .htaccess_old using your host's file manager or FTP and reload the site. If that fixes it, WordPress can create a fresh one. If not, the next suspects are a plugin, the theme, or PHP running out of memory, in that order.

What's the problem

Your WordPress site shows "500 Internal Server Error" or "HTTP ERROR 500", on the front end, the admin area, or both.

Why it happens

  • A corrupted .htaccess file, often after a plugin, a migration or a manual edit changed it.
  • A plugin error, especially after an update.
  • A theme error.
  • PHP memory exhausted. See WordPress memory limit.
  • Wrong file permissions after uploading or moving files.
  • A PHP version your plugins don't support.

How to fix it

  1. Rename .htaccess in your site's root folder to .htaccess_old and reload the site.
  2. If that fixed it, log in to the admin area and go to Settings → Permalinks, then save, so WordPress rewrites its rules.
  3. If not, disable plugins: from the admin area, or by renaming wp-content/plugins to plugins_old if you can't log in.
  4. Rule out the theme by renaming your active theme's folder.
  5. Turn on debug logging (WP_DEBUG_LOG) and read wp-content/debug.log for the exact error.
  6. Check your host's error log too. Server-level errors appear there rather than in WordPress's log.

What Preventionlabs checks

One click runs the full report on your domain. For this problem it shows your WordPress version and plugins against the latest releases; whether your site loads, how fast, and where its redirects go; up to 50 pages from your sitemap, listing any that fail or are slow, plus broken links on them; files that should never be public, such as .env and .git. With Cloudflare connected, it also shows which pages returned server errors (5xx) to visitors, and when. It can't log in to WordPress, so the exact error is in your host's error log or WordPress debug log.

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Sources

  1. WordPress: Common WordPress errorsofficial docsThe most likely issue is a corrupted .htaccess file.
  2. WordPress: Common WordPress errorsofficial docsLog in to your site root using FTP and rename your .htaccess file to .htaccess_old .
  3. WordPress: Common WordPress errorsofficial docsIf you can access the Administration Screens try deactivating all of your Plugins and then reactivating them one by one.
  4. WordPress: Common WordPress errorsofficial docsThis will flush the rewrite rules and should solve your problem.
  5. WordPress: Common WordPress errorsofficial docsRename the folder for the active Theme.

Related

500 Internal Server Error Your server hit an error it didn't handle. The cause is in the server's error log: usually a code bug, a bad config change, a failed plugin or a lost database. WordPress white screen of death A blank white page means a PHP or database error WordPress didn't show. Turn on debug logging to see it, then disable plugins or the theme to find the cause. WordPress memory limit "Allowed memory size exhausted" means PHP hit its memory cap. Raise WP_MEMORY_LIMIT in wp-config.php; on shared hosting your host may need to raise it. WordPress plugin error Find the plugin, then deactivate it. If you can't log in, rename its folder in wp-content/plugins. Then update, replace or report it.

Preventionlabs is independent and not affiliated with WordPress. Product names are used only to describe the problem.

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