WordPress is an excellent and popular Content Management System (CMS) that allows you to create blogs, business websites, shopping websites, and much more. However, as easy as WordPress is to use, the problems it can present become equally challenging if you encounter an error. Today, we will discuss one of the common WordPress white screen issue, the “White Screen of Death.” This issue typically occurs when you try to open a post, page, comment, or site editor, and all you see is a blank white screen. We’ll explore the easiest way to fix this problem.
Why Does the White Screen Problem Occur on WordPress Websites?
There are many reasons why the white screen error occurs in WordPress websites. Based on my experience, I’ve checked several websites where the reason for the white screen has been completely different.
Here are Some Common Reasons of White Screen Problem:
- File Directory Permissions or Defective Code: This issue mostly happens during the update or migration process of WordPress. Some core WordPress files, like
wp-blog-header.php
, have specific path settings, which can get misconfigured due to updates or migrations. - Plugin or Theme Conflict: If you haven’t recently performed any updates or migrations, then the possibility is that this error is caused by a plugin or theme code conflict.
- SSL Error: If your SSL becomes invalid or the HTTP request doesn’t communicate properly with the server, and no proper response is received, the page will display as blank.
- .htaccess File Misconfiguration: Some cache or performance plugins write custom code in the
.htaccess
file to work with the server. But this is where the problem begins—sometimes, these changes cause conflicts, corrupting the.htaccess
file and stopping the website from loading or editing properly. - Hacking Issue: Hackers can inject malicious code into your website, allowing them to take control of your WordPress site and modify it according to their needs. This sometimes results in changes to the root files, which can prevent the site editor and post editor from loading. To fix this, you can explore methods to resolve WordPress hacking issues.
How to Fix WordPress White Screen Error?
Fixing this is quite easy; you just need to identify what’s causing the issue and then implement the solution accordingly.
Method 1
If any page, post, comment, or site editor on your WordPress website isn’t opening, it could be due to the wp-blog-header.php
file.
To fix this:
- Find the
wp-blog-header.php
file in that directory. - Log in to your hosting account, whether it’s cPanel or any other panel you use.
- Once logged in, go to the File Manager.
If your panel has multiple domains, navigate to the folder for your specific domain. This could be inside the domain folder or within the public_html
directory where your domain’s files are located.

Right-click on the file and download it first. This way, if something goes wrong, you can restore it as it was. Once the file is downloaded, you can edit it by simply right-clicking on the file and selecting the Edit option.

After that, remove the old code and replace it with the new code provided below. This code is similar to the core wp-blog-header.php
file that was in your old file, but the file path has been updated to address the issue and resolve the error.
<?php
/**
Loads the WordPress environment and template.*
@package WordPress
*/
if ( ! isset( $wpdidheader ) ) {
$wp_did_header = true;
// Load the WordPress library.
require_once __DIR__.'/wp-load.php';
// Set up the WordPress query.
wp();
// Load the theme template.
require_once ABSPATH . WPINC . '/template-loader.php';
}
Once the code is updated, simply save the file and reload your WordPress website to check if the problem has been resolved.
Method 2
In this method, we will try updating the PHP memory limit. Sometimes the issue occurs when PHP execution fails if another job is running and using the memory, which prevents the admin area files from loading. To fix this, we will make changes in the wp-config.php
file to increase the memory limit.
For this, you need to go to your hosting cPanel and then go to File Manager.
Next, locate the wp-config.php
file and click Edit.

After that, scroll down to the bottom and add the code, as shown in the example in the image below.
define( 'WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M' );

Once the code is updated, save the file and reload your WordPress website to check if the error has been resolved or not.
Method 3
Let’s move on to Method 3 if Methods 1 or 2 don’t work. This issue is probably caused by a plugin or SSL. You can follow a few simple steps to check where the problem is coming from.
Step 1: Fixing it via Plugin
First, let’s check if the problem is related to a plugin. You need to open the file manager and go to the wp-content
directory. Inside that, you’ll find the plugins
folder, where your active plugins are listed.

Now, you need to deactivate the plugins one by one. For example, if your plugin is called [yoast-seo], you can rename it to [yoast-seo_old] so that we can identify if a specific plugin is causing the issue. Once you find the root cause, you can rename the rest of the plugins back to normal.

After renaming each plugin, check if the website editor loads or not.
Once you figure out which plugin is causing the problem, you can go to WordPress and delete it by its original name.
Step 2: Fixing by SSL
If your issue is not resolved through the plugin method, it’s possible that the problem is due to SSL. Issues like the website editor not loading, or problems saving or publishing posts or pages, are often caused by SSL.
If you’re using a CDN like Cloudflare, you are likely using the SSL certificate provided by the CDN. You need to go to the SSL option in your CDN settings to check which SSL your site is using and whether your server is also providing SSL.
If your server provides SSL, you’ll need to install the server’s SSL certificate and then make changes in the CDN settings, setting SSL to Full or Strict mode.

As you can see, in this case, we are using the SSL certificate provided by the server, so we’ve kept the SSL setting in Full-Strict mode.
If your server or hosting does not provide SSL, please turn it off in cPanel and set the CDN’s SSL certificate settings to Flexible. This will shift your SSL to the universal SSL provided by the CDN, preventing any conflicts between the server and CDN.

The Flexible setting is only recommended for those who are not running an eCommerce website. If you are using an eCommerce site and have added a payment gateway, please do not rely on the CDN’s flexible SSL. You should purchase a valid SSL certificate for better security.
Method 4
If none of the methods mentioned above work, your last option is to contact hosting support. If your hosting provider offers live support, you can discuss your issue with the support team, and they will provide solutions. You can inform them that you have followed the steps above, but the issue was not resolved.
Live support is usually available with premium hosting plans. For example, if you have Hostinger’s premium web hosting plan or any higher-tier plans, you can go to the live support window and submit your query to the support team.

However, if you’re using another hosting or cloud service, you might only have access to email support. In this case, be patient and email the support team with complete information and attachments. They may be able to resolve your query.
If you have any other questions or queries, please feel free to comment below.
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