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Steps to Debug "White Screen of Death" (WSOD)

What is WSOD?

A blank white screen occurs when PHP encounters a fatal error but fails to display it (common in WordPress/PHP apps).

How to Fix:

1. Enable Debugging Mode

Add these lines to your wp-config.php file (WordPress):


define('WP_DEBUG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false); // Hide errors from public view

2. Check PHP Memory Limit

Increase memory limit by adding this to wp-config.php:


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

3. Disable Plugins/Themes

Steps:

  1. Connect to your server via FTP (e.g., FileZilla).
  2. Rename the plugins folder to plugins_deactivated.
  3. If the site loads, switch to a default theme by renaming your current theme folder (e.g., twentytwentythree).

4. Check Server Logs

For Apache/Nginx logs:


tail -n 20 /var/log/apache2/error.log  # Apache
tail -n 20 /var/log/nginx/error.log    # Nginx

5. Restore from Backup

If all else fails, restore your site from a backup (use tools like UpdraftPlus).

Note: Test fixes in a staging environment first. Replace wp-config.php references with your CMS’s equivalent if not using WordPress.

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