How to Fix WordPress 500 Internal Server Error

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What Is the WordPress 500 Internal Server Error?

The 500 Internal Server Error is one of the most vague errors you’ll encounter in WordPress. When it appears, your website shows a generic error message like “500 Internal Server Error” or “The website cannot display the page” without any specific details about what went wrong.

This happens when something on the server side fails, but the server can’t identify or communicate the exact problem. It’s frustrating because there’s no clear error message pointing to the root cause. The good news? Most 500 errors have straightforward solutions once you know where to look.

Common Causes of 500 Errors

  • Corrupted .htaccess file — Syntax errors or conflicting rewrite rules
  • PHP memory limit exhausted — WordPress runs out of allocated memory
  • Plugin or theme conflict — Incompatible code triggering fatal PHP errors
  • PHP timeout limits — Scripts taking too long to execute
  • Corrupted WordPress core files — Missing or damaged system files
  • Database connection issues — Server can’t communicate with MySQL
  • File permission problems — Incorrect permission settings blocking PHP execution
  • Exhausted PHP processes — Too many concurrent requests

Solution 1: Check Your .htaccess File

The .htaccess file is the most common culprit. One syntax error can break your entire site.

  1. Connect via FTP or cPanel File Manager
  2. Navigate to your WordPress root directory
  3. Find .htaccess (enable “Show hidden files” if needed)
  4. Download a backup copy
  5. Delete .htaccess from the server
  6. Test your website

If your site loads, the .htaccess was the problem. Regenerate it:

  1. Log in to WordPress admin
  2. Go to Settings → Permalinks
  3. Click “Save Changes” without modifying anything

Still can’t access wp-admin? Create a fresh .htaccess manually:

# BEGIN WordPress
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /
RewriteRule ^index\.php$ - [L]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule . /index.php [L]
</IfModule>
# END WordPress

Solution 2: Increase PHP Memory Limit

WordPress needs sufficient memory. Default limits (32MB or 64MB) often aren’t enough.

Method 1: Edit wp-config.php

  1. Open wp-config.php in your root directory
  2. Add this line before /* That's all, stop editing! */:
define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M');
define('WP_MAX_MEMORY_LIMIT', '512M');
  1. Save and test

Method 2: Edit php.ini (if you have access)

memory_limit = 256M
upload_max_filesize = 64M
post_max_size = 64M
max_execution_time = 300
max_input_time = 300

Create or edit php.ini in your root directory. Some hosts require you to place it in specific folders, so check your hosting documentation.

Method 3: Contact Your Host

If neither method works, ask your hosting provider to increase these limits from their control panel. Most good hosts can adjust this within minutes.

Solution 3: Deactivate All Plugins

A buggy plugin often causes 500 errors, especially after updates.

Via FTP (when wp-admin is inaccessible):

  1. Navigate to /wp-content/
  2. Rename the plugins folder to plugins-disabled
  3. Test your site

If it works, rename back to plugins, then identify the problem plugin:

  1. Rename each plugin folder individually
  2. Test after each rename
  3. When the site works, you’ve found the culprit

Via wp-admin (if accessible):

  1. Go to Plugins → Installed Plugins
  2. Deactivate all plugins
  3. Test your site
  4. Reactivate plugins one by one to find the problematic one

Once identified, delete that plugin. Check if an update is available or look for alternatives.

Solution 4: Switch to a Default Theme

Theme conflicts can also trigger 500 errors.

Via FTP:

  1. Go to /wp-content/themes/
  2. Rename your active theme folder (e.g., mytheme → mytheme-disabled)
  3. WordPress automatically activates a default theme
  4. Test your site

Via Database:

  1. Access phpMyAdmin from your hosting control panel
  2. Select your WordPress database
  3. Open the wp_options table
  4. Find the row with option_name = template
  5. Change option_value to twentytwentythree
  6. Do the same for option_name = stylesheet
  7. Test your site

If switching themes fixes it, your theme has a coding issue. Contact the theme developer or restore from a backup.

Solution 5: Check Error Logs

Server error logs tell you exactly what’s failing. This is where you stop guessing and start knowing.

Via cPanel:

  1. Log in to cPanel
  2. Find “Errors” or “Error Log” under “Metrics”
  3. Look for recent PHP errors matching the time you saw the 500 error

Via FTP:

Error logs are usually at:

  • /public_html/error_log
  • /home/username/logs/error_log
  • /var/log/apache2/error.log (on some servers)

Enable WordPress debug mode (if you can access wp-config.php):

define('WP_DEBUG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false);
@ini_set('display_errors', 0);

Check /wp-content/debug.log for detailed PHP errors. Reading through these logs usually reveals the exact line of code causing the problem—something like “Fatal error in /plugins/myplugin/file.php on line 42.”

Solution 6: Re-upload WordPress Core Files

Corrupted core files can cause 500 errors after failed updates.

  1. Download the latest WordPress from wordpress.org
  2. Extract the ZIP file on your computer
  3. Delete wp-content folder from the extracted files (don’t upload this)
  4. Upload the remaining files via FTP to your WordPress root
  5. Choose “Overwrite” when prompted

This replaces corrupted core files without affecting your content, themes, or plugins.

Solution 7: Check File Permissions

Incorrect permissions prevent PHP from executing properly.

Correct settings:

  • Directories: 755
  • Files: 644
  • wp-config.php: 440 or 400

Quick fix via SSH:

cd /path/to/your/wordpress
find . -type d -exec chmod 755 {} \;
find . -type f -exec chmod 644 {} \;
chmod 440 wp-config.php

Replace /path/to/your/wordpress with your actual installation path (commonly /home/username/public_html).

Via FTP:

  1. Select all folders
  2. Right-click → Permissions → 755
  3. Apply to directories only
  4. Repeat for files with permission 644

Solution 8: Increase PHP Timeout Limits

If your site times out during resource-intensive operations (imports, migrations), extend the timeout.

Add to wp-config.php:

set_time_limit(300);

Or create/edit .htaccess:

php_value max_execution_time 300
php_value max_input_time 300

This gives PHP 5 minutes instead of the default 30 seconds.

Solution 9: Contact Your Hosting Provider

If none of these work, the issue might be server-level:

  • Apache/Nginx configuration problems
  • PHP version incompatibility
  • Server resource limits (CPU, RAM, processes)
  • Mod_security blocking legitimate requests

Provide your host with:

  • Exact time the error occurred
  • Error log entries
  • Steps you’ve already tried

Good hosting providers can check server logs and identify problems you can’t access.

Prevention Tips

  • Keep WordPress, plugins, and themes updated (but test updates on staging first)
  • Monitor server resource usage regularly
  • Use quality hosting with adequate PHP memory limits
  • Maintain regular backups before making changes
  • Enable error logging to catch issues early

Related: Seeing other critical errors? Read How to Fix WordPress 403 Forbidden Error and How to Fix WordPress White Screen of Death for related troubleshooting steps.

Conclusion

The 500 Internal Server Error looks scary, but it’s usually fixable in 10–15 minutes. Start by checking the .htaccess file and increasing memory limits—these solve most cases. If you’re still stuck, error logs will point you in the right direction. I’ve seen hundreds of these errors over the years, and nearly all of them come down to one of the solutions above.

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