How to Fix the White Screen of Death in WordPress (Beginner’s Guide)

The White Screen of Death (WSOD) happens when your WordPress site shows a completely blank white page with no error message.

Why Does the White Screen of Death Happen?

• Faulty or incompatible plugins
• Broken or outdated themes
• PHP memory exhaustion
• Failed WordPress updates

Before You Start

• Do not delete wp-content
• Do not reinstall WordPress blindly
• Make sure you have FTP or cPanel access

Method 1: Enable Debug Mode

Edit wp-config.php and add:

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

Method 2: Disable All Plugins

Go to:

wp-content/plugins

Rename the folder to plugins-disabled.

Method 3: Switch to a Default Theme

Rename your active theme folder inside:

wp-content/themes

Method 4: Increase PHP Memory Limit

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

How to Prevent WSOD

• Update plugins one at a time
• Use trusted themes and plugins
• Enable backups