Do you see an internal 500 error in WordPress? Internal Server Error is one of the most common WordPress errors. Since the error does not provide further information, many beginners find it extremely frustrating. In this article, we will show you how to easily fix an internal server error in WordPress
What Causes Internal Server Error in WordPress?
Internal Server Error not specified in WordPress. It can happen with any website running on a web server. Due to the general nature of this error, it does not tell the engineer anything.
Asking how you can fix an internal server error is like asking your doctor how to fix the pain without telling them what the pain is.
Internal server error in WordPress is usually caused by plugin or theme functions. Other causes of internal server error in WordPress that we know are: corrupt .htaccess file and PHP memory limit.
We’ve also heard an internal server error that only appears when you try to access the administrator location while the rest of the site is in good working order.
That being said, let us now look at how you can solve the problem of internal server error in WordPress.
If you don’t like the video or need more instructions, then keep reading.
Checking the Corrupted File .htaccess
The first thing to do when troubleshooting an internal server error in WordPress is check the corrupted .htaccess file.
You can do that by renaming your main .htaccess file into something like .htaccess_old. To rename an .htaccess file, you will need to login to your site using the FTP or File Manager application dashboard of your cPanel hosting account.
Once connected, the .htaccess file will be located in the same directory where you will see folders like wp content, wp-admin, and wp-includes.
Once you have named the .htaccess file name, try visiting your site to see if this has solved the problem. If it did, give yourself a handle in the background because you fixed the internal server error.
Before proceeding with other things, make sure you go to Settings »Permalinks page in the WordPress admin area and click the save button without making any changes. This will create a new .htaccess file with appropriate rewrite rules to ensure that your post pages do not return a 404 error.
If the search for a corrupt .htaccess file solution did not work for you, you should continue reading this article.
Increasing the PHP memory limit
Sometimes an internal server error may occur if you limit your PHP memory limit. Use our tutorial on how to increase the PHP memory limit in WordPress to fix that.
If you see an internal server error only when you try to sign in to your WordPress administrator or upload an image to your wp-admin, you will need to increase the memory limit by following these steps:
Create an empty text file called php.ini
Paste this code in: memory = 64MB
Save the file
Upload it to your folder / wp-admin / using FTP
Several users have said that doing the above has prepared them for a separate administrator problem for them.
If increasing the memory limit fixes a problem, you will temporarily fix the problem. You still need to find the cause that eliminates your memory limit.
This could be a poorly installed plugin or theme function. We strongly recommend that you ask your WordPress web hosting company to look at server logs to help you get an accurate diagnosis.
If raising the PHP memory limit does not fix this problem, you will be working on more problem solving.
Disable all plugins
If none of the above solutions work for you, then this error may be caused by a particular plugin. It may also be a combination of plugins that do not play well with each other.
Sadly, there is no easy way out. You must run all WordPress plugins at once.
Follow the instructions in our guide on how to disable all WordPress plugins except WP-Admin.
Disable all WordPress plugins
If disabling all plugins fixes an error, then you know it is one of the plugins causing the error.
Just go to the WordPress admin area and click on ‘Plugins’. Now you need to update one plugin at a time until you find the one that caused the problem. Uninstall that plugin, and report the error to the plugin author.
Reloading Core Files
If the plugin option did not fix the internal server error, it is advisable to reload the wp-admin and wp-install folder from the new WordPress installation.
This will not delete any of your information, but may resolve the issue if a file is damaged.
You will first need to visit the WordPress.org website and click the download button.
Download WordPress
This will install the WordPress zip file on your computer. You need to extract the zip file and within it you will find the wordpress folder.
Next you need to connect to your WordPress website using an FTP client. Once connected go to the root folder of your website. It is a folder with wp-admin, wp-include, wp content folders within it.
In the left column open the WordPress folder on your computer. Now you need to select wp-includes wp-admin folders and right-click and select ‘Upload’.
Upload new WordPress files
Your FTP client will now transfer that folder to your server. It will ask you if you would like to overwrite the files. Select ‘Overwrite’ and select ‘Use this action Always’.
Overwrite files
Your FTP client will now replace your old WordPress files with newer copies. If your WordPress files are corrupted, this step will fix the server’s internal error.
Ask your hosting provider
If all else fails to fix the internal server error on your website, it’s time to get some help. Contact your web hosting support team and they will be able to check the server logs and find the cause of the error.
If you want to continue troubleshooting on your own, then check out our latest WordPress troubleshooting guide
