Fix WordPress White Screen of Death

Understanding WSOD

Blank white page with no error message, usually caused by PHP fatal errors.

Step 1: Enable WP_DEBUG

Add to wp-config.php:

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

Check error log:

sudo tail -f /var/www/wordpress/wp-content/debug.log

Step 2: Disable All Plugins

# Via WP-CLI
wp plugin deactivate --all

# Or rename plugins folder
mv wp-content/plugins wp-content/plugins_backup

# Create empty plugins folder
mkdir wp-content/plugins

If site loads, re-enable plugins one by one.

Step 3: Switch to Default Theme

# Via WP-CLI
wp theme activate twentytwentyfour

# Or rename current theme
mv wp-content/themes/your-theme wp-content/themes/your-theme_backup

Step 4: Increase Memory Limit

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

Step 5: Check .htaccess

# Rename to test
mv .htaccess .htaccess_backup
# Regenerate permalinks after

Step 6: Reinstall WordPress Core

wp core download --force
wp core verify-checksums

Step 7: Check PHP Version

php -v
# Some plugins/themes need newer PHP