Do you have a WordPress based website? It can be exactly what your business needs to reach the masses, increase your ROI, and strengthen your brand identity. Starting an online business is really simple with WordPress, thanks to its friendly interface and flexibility.
Although WordPress is extremely easy to use, there are some common mistakes that can make it annoying. However, the best part is that the error you are probably encountering on your site has been reported and fixed by someone before you.
Here are tutorials on how to fix these common WordPress errors:
Common WordPress Errors
8. Error Establishing Database Connection
The error establishing a connection to the database is very self-explanatory and reports that the connection to the database has been broken.
Causes of the database establishment error
- Problem with your hosting server
- Wp-config.php error
- Your site may have been hacked
Solution#1. Fix Problems With Your Hosting Server
It is a good idea to talk to your WordPress hosting provider about the problem.
Your hosting provider will be able to inform you if your database has been closed for exceeding your quota or if there is a problem with the server. If you are informed that everything is fine on the server, it is time to check your wp-config.php file.
Solution#2. Wp-config.php File Error
Open your wp-config.php file using FTP or file manager. Now verify that the database name, host, username, and password are correct. If you find any changes to these details, please correct them immediately. If you don’t know how to edit PHP files, it’s best to get familiar with the basics first.
Solution#3. Scan It To Check If It’s Been Hacked
WordPress is the most preferred open-source platform, but it is extremely vulnerable to security threats. So it’s no wonder that WordPress is the main target of hackers.
Use a security tool to fully scan your website and see if it is compromised. If you discover that your site has been hacked, don’t panic. Change your login details immediately and restore your site from backup.
7. White Screen of Death
This error usually causes a blank screen with no error message, which makes it more frustrating for you as you have no idea what to look for and what to fix.
Causes:
- Often caused by the insufficient memory limit
- Badly coded theme or plugin
Solution#1. Increase The Memory Limit
Since insufficient memory limit is a common reason for this error, it is recommended to increase the memory limit. To increase the limit, open your wp-config.php file and add the following line of code inside the main PHP tags.
define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '64M');The above code increases your memory limit to 64M.
Solution#2. Replace Your Theme With The Default Theme And Disable All Plugins
If the problem persists, disable all your plugins and replace the currently active theme with the default WordPress theme and check if it still shows a deadly white screen.
If the issue is resolved, your theme or one of its plugins is causing a blank screen. Activate one plugin at a time while monitoring the site. If this solves the problem, check your theme’s functions.php and remove any extra space at the bottom of the file.
6. 500 Internal Server Error
This is another common problem that almost every WordPress site encounters at least once. There are several potential causes.
Causes:
- Exhausted PHP memory limit
- Corrupted plugin functions
- Corrupted theme functions
- Corrupted .htaccess
Solution #1. Increase The Memory Limit
Follow the same steps to increase the memory limit as mentioned in the previous step.
Solution # 2. Edit The .htaccess File
Since the problem is usually caused by a corrupted .htaccess file, you will need to edit your .htaccess file. Open your .htaccess file in FTP or file manager and rename it with old .htaccess. Update your site and see if the problem persists. If this resolves the issue, click settings> permalinks and click save changes to reset .htaccess.
Solution#3. Deactivate All Plugins
If changing your .htaccess file had no impact on the problem, you may want to check your plugins. Disable all your plugins by clicking plugins? installed plugins.
Choose “disable” from the “bulk action” drop-down menu and click apply. It will automatically disable all your plugins. Now go to your website, update it, and check if the error is gone. In that case, activate your plugins one by one and see which plugin caused the problem.
Solution # 4. Replace The Wp-admin And Wp-includes Folders
If nothing worked, try replacing your wp-includes and wp-admin folders with fresh copies of a WordPress installation. Save and charge them. Refresh your browser and see if the problem is resolved.
5. Lost Admin Email and Password Retrieval is not Working
It’s common to forget your email or password, especially when you have a lot to remember. In this scenario, you probably clicked the lost password link to retrieve the details. But sadly, you never received the reset link in your inbox.
Cause:
The actual cause of this problem remains a mystery, but not the solution. There are certain things you can do to change your email and password without the need for a reset link.
Solution# 1. Edit Your Functions.php File
To make changes to a theme’s functions.php file, go to ../wp-content/themes/your_current_theme via FTP or file manager. Open your functions.php file and add the following line of code.
wp_set_password (“Desired new password”, 1);
Put the new password you want where it says “DesiredNewPassword”. Save the file and upload it again. After logging into your site, delete the code from the file and upload it again.
Solution# 2. Reset Your Email And Password Through phpMyAdmin
Login to your Cpanel. Click on phpMyAdmin and select your website database. Click on the wp_users table and edit your record. Enter a new value for user_pass. Remember that phpMyAdmin uses MD5 encryption, so you have to convert your password to MD5.
Choose the MD5 option from the drop-down menu under Features. Click save and update your website.
4. Connection Timed Out
This error is usually caused by an overburdened shared server. The following reasons often cause this problem.
Causes:
- Heavy plugins
- Theme function errors
- Exhausted PHP memory limit
Solutions:
- Increase your PHP memory limit
- Disable all plugins and remove the one causing the problem
- Switch to a standard WordPress theme to see if your theme is causing the problem
3. 404 Page Error
This error usually occurs when the website cannot find the page you specified.
Cause:
The permanent link setting is the main cause of the 404-page error.
Solution:
Reconfigure your permalinks by clicking settings> permalink. You can also manually rewrite the rules to override the default permalink settings.
2. Memory Exhausted Error
A memory exhausted error causes a deadly white screen or the following error
Fatal error: Allowed memory size of 33554432 bytes exhausted (tried to allocate 2348617 bytes) in /home/username/public_html/site1/wp-includes/plugin.php on line xxx
Cause:
The main cause is when a WordPress plugin or script runs out of the default memory limit.
Solution:
You need to increase your PHP memory limit. Although we mentioned all the steps to increase the memory limit in the first point, I am still writing here.
To increase the limit, open your wp-config.php file and add the following line of code inside the main PHP tags.
define (‘WP_MEMORY_LIMIT’, ’64M’);
The above code increases your memory limit to 64M.
Replace your theme with the default theme and disable all plugins
1. Unavailable for Scheduled Maintenance Error
You may encounter this error due to interrupted or unfinished WordPress update.
Cause:
When WordPress updates a plugin or theme, it puts your site into maintenance mode. If the update is interrupted, it keeps your site in maintenance mode.
Solutions:
- Manually update your WordPress installation
- Delete your maintenance file by going to the root directory via FTP or file manager.
Wrap Up
WordPress is powerful software, but like other platforms, it has its flaws. In today’s post, we reveal some common mistakes with their causes and solutions. Hope it helps and removes these errors permanently.