A blank white WordPress page — the "white screen of death" — usually means a fatal PHP error that's being hidden from you. Reveal it, and the fix is almost always a plugin, the theme, exhausted memory, or a PHP version mismatch. Here is the order to check.
Quick answer
The WordPress white screen of death is a hidden fatal PHP error. Turn on WP_DEBUG and WP_DEBUG_LOG in wp-config.php to see it, then disable plugins (rename the plugins folder), switch to a default theme, raise the PHP memory limit and check your PHP version is supported. The log usually names the culprit.
Step 1: turn on debugging to see the error
The white screen hides the real message. Enable debug logging in wp-config.php to reveal it:
define('WP_DEBUG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false);
// then read wp-content/debug.logStep 2: rule out a plugin
The most common cause. Rename the wp-content/plugins folder to plugins_off (disables all). If the site comes back, rename it back and disable plugins one by one to find the culprit.
Step 3: rule out the theme
Switch to a default theme by renaming your active theme's folder in wp-content/themes — WordPress falls back to a default. If that fixes it, the theme (or a recent edit) is the problem.
Step 4: raise PHP memory
"Allowed memory size exhausted" causes a white screen. Raise the limit:
define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M'); // in wp-config.phpIf the front end works but the admin is blank (or vice-versa), that narrows it down — usually a plugin or theme affecting just that area. Debug logging pinpoints it.
Turn on WP_DEBUG_LOG to see the real error, then disable plugins, switch theme, and raise memory — in that order.
Cause 5: a PHP version mismatch
A plugin or theme built for an older PHP version can throw a fatal error — and a blank screen — on a newer PHP release, or vice versa. Check your plugins' and theme's stated PHP compatibility, and try switching PHP versions in your panel to compare.
Cause 6: a corrupted core file or bad update
An interrupted WordPress update can leave core files corrupted. Re-upload a fresh copy of wp-admin and wp-includes from the same WordPress version — never overwrite wp-content — to rule this out.
How to prevent the white screen of death
- Update plugins/themes one at a time, not all at once, so a break is easy to trace.
- Keep a staging copy to test major updates before production.
- Keep WP_DEBUG_LOG available (even if off in production) so you can flip it on fast.
- Set a sensible WP_MEMORY_LIMIT before you need it.
Related errors
If WordPress shows a clear error instead of a blank page, check 500 Internal Server Error or error establishing a database connection. For general lockdown and hardening, see how to secure a WordPress website.
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