WordPress error

Also searched as: wordpress not loading

Updated 11 October 2026

Short answer

WordPress errors look alike but have different causes, so start with the exact message. "There has been a critical error on this website": a plugin, theme or PHP error stopped WordPress; check the admin email for details. "Error establishing a database connection": WordPress can't reach its database. "Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance": an update didn't finish. A white page: a hidden PHP error. 500 Internal Server Error: often a broken .htaccess file or a plugin.

What's the problem

Your WordPress site won't load, or shows an error message instead of your pages. The admin area may be affected too.

Why it happens

  • Plugin or theme problems, usually after an update or a new install. The most common cause.
  • Database connection problems. See error establishing a database connection.
  • An update that didn't finish, leaving the site in maintenance mode.
  • PHP memory or version problems after a host change or upgrade.
  • Hosting problems: the server is down, overloaded or out of disk.
  • The domain or DNS stopped pointing at your hosting.

How to fix it

  1. Note the exact message, and whether the admin area (/wp-admin) works.
  2. "Critical error": check the site admin's email inbox to see if WordPress has sent details of the error. Then turn on WP_DEBUG to find the plugin or theme at fault.
  3. "Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance": delete the .maintenance file in the site's root folder.
  4. White page: see WordPress white screen of death.
  5. 500 error: see WordPress 500 error.
  6. Nothing loads at all, not even an error: check your hosting and domain. See why is my website down.

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.

Run your free report

Your first report is free, no card needed. Then A$50 a month, up to 10 domains. Read-only: it never changes anything.

Sources

  1. WordPress: Common WordPress errorsofficial docsIf you come across the message “There has been a critical error on this website. Please check your site admin email inbox for instructions.”, this indicates that something in your site has caused a critical error that prevents WordPress from running as expected.
  2. WordPress: Common WordPress errorsofficial docsFollowing upgrade, you may receive a message that says “Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance. Please check back in a minute.” The maintenance file may not have been removed properly.
  3. WordPress: Debugging in WordPressofficial docsWP_DEBUG is a PHP constant (a permanent global variable) that can be used to trigger the “debug” mode throughout WordPress.
  4. WordPress: Common WordPress errorsofficial docsFirst, check your email to see if WordPress has sent you any details about the error.
  5. WordPress: Common WordPress errorsofficial docsDelete the .maintenance file, which will be found in your site root.

Related

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. "Error establishing a database connection" WordPress can't reach its database. Usually the database details in wp-config.php are wrong, or the database server is down. Check those two first. WordPress 500 error On WordPress, a 500 error is most often a corrupted .htaccess file, then a plugin, theme or PHP memory limit. Rename .htaccess first; it's quick and safe. 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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