WordPress has a few specially frustrating bug that can completely shut down your site, just don't provide much guidance about what's causing the problem. The "The site is experiencing technical difficulties." error is one such issue.

On its face, it doesn't tell you much. Fortunately, in nearly cases, it is actually quite simple to resolve. A few troubleshooting steps should take it taken care of in no fourth dimension.

In this article, nosotros'll discuss where you might see this WordPress error, equally well as what causes it. Then we'll walk you through six steps for fixing it if information technology shows up on your own site.

Let's jump right in!

An Introduction to the "The Site Is Experiencing Technical Difficulties." WordPress Mistake

"The site is experiencing technical difficulties." is a fatal WordPress error. This means that your website will exist down, and likely unavailable on both the frontend and backend. For your visitors, it may expect like this:

The site is experiencing technical difficulties. error
"The site is experiencing technical difficulties." message on the frontend

On the backend, the bulletin appears like this:

The site is experiencing technical difficulties.
"The site is experiencing technical difficulties." message on the backend

A variation of this error in newer WordPress versions reads: "In that location has been a critical error on your website". Here's how it will appear on the frontend of your site:

critical error visitor
"In that location has been a critical error on your site" message on the frontend

And here's the backend view:

critical error admin
"There has been a disquisitional error on your site" message on the backend.

Equally y'all can see, the newer variation is quite like to the old ane, autonomously from a slight difference in wording.

Sometimes WordPress will send an email to the site'southward ambassador, with more data about what may be causing the error. However, information technology'south only every bit likely that yous'll see this message with no explanation regarding why it appeared.

Nigh of the fourth dimension, this error is the result of a plugin or theme conflict. Due to WordPress' open-source nature, many different developers with various coding backgrounds and styles create extensions that users can add on to the platform.

Unfortunately, this ways that sometimes plugins and themes from different developers don't play nicely with one some other. When two tools with conflicting lawmaking are both installed on a WordPress site, it can lead to a wide range of issues.

In some cases, one or both plugins will simply stop working. Other times, however, this kind of conflict can result in a fatal error such equally the "The site is experiencing technical difficulties." message.

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How to Prepare the "The Site Is Experiencing Technical Difficulties." WordPress Fault (In 6 Steps)

If y'all're already familiar with troubleshooting plugin conflicts, resolving the "The site is experiencing technical difficulties." mistake should be fairly easy. If non, don't worry. Beneath, we've included detailed steps for how to tackle this task, equally well as what to practice if the problem persists.

Step 1: Cheque Your Email for a Fatal Mistake Notification

As we mentioned earlier, in some cases WordPress will send the site's admin an email containing more information about what may be causing the mistake:

technical difficulties email
Admin email for the "The site is experiencing technical difficulties." error.

This email volition include the following key pieces of information that can help you troubleshoot the mistake faster:

  • The proper name of the plugin or theme causing the conflict
  • A link to put your site into 'recovery manner'

Information technology is possible to troubleshoot the mistake without this information. Yet, information technology will crave a lot of guesswork to determine which extension is causing the problem. If your site is using a large number of plugins, the procedure can become time-consuming.

If y'all're the site's admin and the "The site is experiencing technical difficulties." error message includes the addendum: "Please bank check your site admin email inbox for instructions", it'south best to do so earlier proceeding (recall to try your spam folder besides). Then follow the instructions for troubleshooting in recovery fashion below.

However, if you're not the site's admin and they can't exist reached, or if your error message doesn't say anything about an electronic mail, never fear. You can still follow the steps for troubleshooting using File Transfer Protocol (FTP) beneath.

Stride 2: Troubleshoot for a Plugin or Theme Conflict

Due to the nature of WordPress' fatal errors, you won't exist able to access the backend of your site to conciliate the extension that's causing the problem. Depending on whether or not yous take admission to a recovery style link, y'all'll have 2 options for working around this limitation.

Resolving a Conflict in Recovery Mode

If you take access to a recovery mode link, click on it. This will take you to your site's backend, where you volition be prompted to log in using your WordPress credentials:

recovery mode login to fix "The site is experiencing technical difficulties." error
The Recovery mode login page

You do not have to use an admin account. If the site's administrator wants to send the recovery way link to another user and allow them to troubleshoot the error, the latter party can use their own credentials.

It's important to note that, while yous're working in recovery fashion, the fatal mistake volition persist for other users and your site's visitors. Only the user who logged in via the recovery mode link will be able to access the website normally.

In recovery fashion, the plugins and/or theme that WordPress has identified as causing the error will be paused. They will also be identified in a imprint notification at the meridian of the screen.

Click on the link to the Plugins screen to come across the extensions involved in the conflict:

wordpress recovery mode
The WordPress recovery manner

Nether each plugin and/or theme'southward proper noun, click on Deactivate:

recovery mode plugins
Deactivating a plugin in recovery mode

Then, select Exit Recovery Mode in the admin bar:

exit recovery mode
Exiting recovery mode

The problematic extensions volition now exist deactivated for all users, and your site should exist available to anybody once more. Of course, y'all'll first want to cheque and brand certain that'due south the instance. Then you can:

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  • Delete the extension(southward) if they are not necessary for any cardinal functionality on your site.
  • Remove the conflicting plugin or delete the theme and replace it.
  • Contact the plugin or theme's programmer and ask if they can edit the extension'south code to resolve the conflict. Then update and reactivate the new version.
  • Edit the tool's code to resolve the disharmonize yourself, and then reactivate it.

Peculiarly if the plugin is pop, you may take good luck working with the developer to make the necessary changes. It'south worth noting, however, that you'll want to examination all potential changes and new extensions on a staging site before implementing them on your live site.

Determining the Source of the Problem With FTP

If yous can't admission WordPress' recovery manner, you lot tin can all the same troubleshoot a plugin conflict without access to the backend. To practise so, you lot'll need an FTP customer as well as your FTP credentials. You should be able to find the latter in your hosting account'due south profile:

kinsta ftp credentials
FTP credentials in the MyKinsta dashboard

Log into your site'due south server via your FTP client, using your FTP credentials. Then navigate to wp-content > plugins:

filezilla plugins directory
The Plugins subdirectory in FileZilla

There you'll detect subdirectories for each of your plugins. If you know which one is causing the problem, right-click on it and select Rename:

filezilla rename plugin
Renaming a plugin in FileZilla

Change the proper noun of the binder to something similar "plugin-name-deactivated". This volition forestall WordPress from finding the plugin's files:

filezilla deactivated plugin
A deactivated plugin in FileZilla

The plugin will now exist deactivated, and you should be able to return to your site and access the backend normally. You can so deal with the problematic plugin as you see fit, co-ordinate to the options we outlined in the previous section.

If you don't know which plugin is responsible for the fatal fault, merely rename the first 1 in the listing. Then return to your site and refresh your browser to run into if the issue is resolved. Repeat this procedure, renaming your plugins one at a time, until the mistake goes away.

At that point, you'll know that the terminal plugin yous deactivated is the one causing the conflict. You can then remove it or contact the developer accordingly. This same process will piece of work for themes, and you'll find the relevant subdirectories in wp-content > themes.

Pace three: Ensure That You're Running a Supported Version of PHP

If your site is dorsum to normal after completing Footstep 2, you tin stop here. Still, at that place'due south a run a risk that troubleshooting for a plugin or theme disharmonize will not resolve the "This site is experiencing technical difficulties" error.

If that's the case for you, your next move should exist to determine whether your site is using a supported version of PHP. Since WordPress 5.0, the platform no longer supports versions older than 5.6.xx.

Additionally, the PHP developers themselves no longer provide support for versions older than 7.four.

You should be able to determine which version of PHP your site is using by logging into your hosting business relationship. Kinsta customers will find this information in their MyKinsta dashboards, by clicking on Sites in the sidebar:

mykinsta dashboard sites
Accessing your sites in the MyKinsta dashboard

The PHP version for each of your websites volition exist listed to the right:

current php version
Viewing your current PHP version in the MyKinsta dashboard

If you're running an outdated version of PHP, you'll demand to update it. The steps for this procedure may vary based on your hosting provider.

Kinsta customers can simply utilise our PHP Engine tool. To access it, click on the proper noun of the site y'all want to update. And then select the Tools tab:

Modifying your PHP version in the MyKinsta dashboard
Modifying your PHP version in the MyKinsta dashboard

Ringlet down until you find the PHP Engine tool. Click on the driblet-down carte labeled Alter, and select the version you lot wish to upgrade to.

Information technology's recommended that you run the latest PHP version available, for both security and functioning reasons. One time the update is complete, return to your site to see if the fatal error is resolved.

Stride 4: Enable WordPress' Debug Mode

If you're notwithstanding seeing the "This site is experiencing technical difficulties" bulletin, you can attempt to diagnose the underlying outcome by using WordPress debug fashion. This is another built-in troubleshooting feature that will reveal whatever underlying PHP errors.

To enable this feature, you lot'll demand to access your wp-config.php file via FTP, and add the following line of code correct before "That's all, stop editing! Happy publishing.":

          define( 'WP_DEBUG', truthful );        

Save and re-upload the file, then return to your site and refresh the page. Peruse the mistake messages displayed in debug manner, and decide whether whatsoever of them might be causing the fatal mistake. You'll then need to follow troubleshooting steps relevant to that effect.

It's important to note that WordPress isn't meant to be left in debug mode permanently. This mode should be used for troubleshooting purposes only since information technology makes sensitive information potentially available to anyone.

To turn it off again, modify the status in the wp-config.php code snippet from "true" to false", and then relieve and upload the file again.

Footstep 5: View Your Server's Error Log

If y'all don't run into any suspicious messages in debug mode, you lot tin also bank check your server'southward error log. You lot should be able to access this via your hosting business relationship. Kinsta customers tin can practice so past selecting the Logs tab in the relevant site's profile:

kinsta error log
Accessing Error Logs in MyKinsta

From the drop-down card, select error.log. And then wait for any issues that may be causing the "This site is experiencing technical difficulties" message, and troubleshoot them every bit necessary.

Step 6: Contact Your Hosting Provider

If you've exhausted all of the higher up steps, and y'all still haven't been able to eliminate the "This site is experiencing technical difficulties" error in WordPress, and then it's time to bring in some assist. The issue may lie with your server and be unreachable without assistance from your host.

Therefore, yous'll desire to contact your hosting provider by whatever means they offer. Kinsta customers tin can attain our support team 24/7 via chat, email, or our Contact page.

Summary

"The site is experiencing technical difficulties." error in WordPress tin exist a frustrating result. Vague alerts that requite you piffling indication as to what's causing the problem tin can exist especially difficult to fix.

Fortunately, you can resolve this detail issue in six steps or less:

  1. Cheque your email for a fatal error notification.
  2. Troubleshoot for a plugin or theme conflict.
  3. Ensure that yous're running a supported version of PHP.
  4. Enable WordPress' debug style.
  5. View your server's error log.
  6. Contact your hosting provider.

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