How to Fix WordPress White Screen of Death (WSOD)

The WordPress White Screen of Death (WSOD) shows a completely blank page with no error message. PHP errors are being hidden — this guide uncovers and fixes them.

Step 1 — Enable Error Display

# wp-config.php
define('WP_DEBUG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true);

// Reload the page — error should now be visible

Step 2 — Check PHP Error Log

sudo tail -50 /var/log/php8.2-fpm.log
sudo tail -50 /var/www/html/wp-content/debug.log
# Look for: Fatal error, memory exhausted, allowed memory size

Step 3 — Fix Memory Exhaustion

# Most common cause of WSOD
# wp-config.php
define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M');
define('WP_MAX_MEMORY_LIMIT', '512M');

# php.ini
memory_limit = 256M

sudo systemctl restart php8.2-fpm

Step 4 — Disable Plugins via SSH

# Fastest method
wp plugin deactivate --all --path=/var/www/html

# If WP-CLI not available
mv /var/www/html/wp-content/plugins /var/www/html/wp-content/plugins.bak
mkdir /var/www/html/wp-content/plugins

# Test — if fixed, reactivate one by one
mv /var/www/html/wp-content/plugins.bak /var/www/html/wp-content/plugins
wp plugin activate --all

Step 5 — Switch to Default Theme

wp theme activate twentytwentyfour --path=/var/www/html
# Or rename theme folder
mv /var/www/html/wp-content/themes/your-theme /var/www/html/wp-content/themes/your-theme.bak

Step 6 — Reinstall WordPress Core

wp core download --force --path=/var/www/html

Conclusion

WSOD is always caused by a PHP fatal error. Our team diagnoses and fixes WordPress emergencies in minutes.