Introduction
A white screen in WordPress, often referred to as the White Screen of Death (WSOD), occurs when a page loads completely blank without displaying an error message.
The problem may affect:
- The entire website
- The WordPress administration area
- Specific pages only
In most cases, the issue is caused by a plugin, theme or PHP-related error.
This guide explains how to identify and resolve the problem.
Step 1 – Check Whether the Entire Website Is Affected
Visit:
Then visit:
https://yourdomain.co.za/wp-admin
Determine whether:
- Only the website is affected
- Only the administration area is affected
- Both are affected
This information can help identify the cause of the problem.
Step 2 – Consider Recent Changes
Ask yourself whether any of the following occurred recently:
- WordPress update
- Plugin update
- Theme update
- New plugin installation
- Theme changes
The issue often appears shortly after a change has been made.
Step 3 – Log Into WordPress Manager
Open your browser and visit:
(Replace yourdomain.co.za with your own domain name.)
Enter your DirectAdmin username and password.
Click: Log In
Click: Extra Features
Then click: WordPress Manager by Softaculous
Locate your WordPress installation.
Step 4 – Disable Recently Installed Plugins
If the problem occurred after installing or updating a plugin:
Click: Login
If WordPress loads successfully, navigate to:
Click: Plugins
Then click: Installed Plugins
Deactivate the most recently installed or updated plugin.
Check whether the website starts working normally.
Step 5 – Switch to a Default Theme
If the issue began after changing themes:
From the WordPress Dashboard
Click: Appearance
Then click: Themes
Activate a default WordPress theme such as:
- Twenty Twenty-Four
- Twenty Twenty-Three
- Twenty Twenty-Two
Check whether the problem is resolved.
Step 6 – Restore a Backup
If you cannot identify the cause of the problem, restoring a recent backup may be the quickest solution.
Open your browser and visit:
Enter your DirectAdmin username and password.
Click: Log In
Click: Extra Features
Then click: WordPress Manager by Softaculous
Locate your WordPress installation.
Click: Restore
Select a backup created before the issue occurred.
Click: Restore Installation
Common Causes
Plugin Conflicts
Plugins are one of the most common causes of white screen errors.
This often occurs after:
- Installing a new plugin
- Updating a plugin
- Using incompatible plugins together
Theme Problems
Themes can cause white screens if:
- Theme files become corrupted
- The theme is incompatible with WordPress
- Theme updates introduce errors
PHP Errors
WordPress relies on PHP to operate.
Coding errors, incompatible plugins or corrupted files can cause PHP to stop processing pages correctly.
Insufficient Resources
In some cases, websites may experience problems if they exceed available hosting resources.
This is less common but can occur on poorly optimized websites.
Best Practices
To reduce the risk of white screen issues:
- Create backups before updates.
- Update plugins regularly.
- Update themes regularly.
- Remove unused plugins.
- Remove unused themes.
- Test major changes before applying them to a live website.
When to Contact Support
Contact support if:
- The website remains inaccessible.
- No recent changes were made.
- Restoring a backup does not resolve the issue.
- Multiple websites are affected.
Provide details about any recent updates or changes that were made before the problem occurred.
