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Step-by-Step Guide to Troubleshooting Critical Website Errors
Discover how to fix the "There has been a critical error on this website" message with our comprehensive troubleshooting guide. Get your site back online!
"There has been a critical error on this website."
I have previously looked at those words that sent me into helpless frustration. The issue of displaying those words might be present right in front of you at this time. Your WordPress site is down. Customers can’t reach you. A state of panic fills your mind when you encounter this error message. How do I fix it? Will I lose my business?
The role of developer does not apply to you. You just wanted to update a plugin or tweak your site, and suddenly, your WordPress admin dashboard is gone, replaced by that terrifying message: "There has been a critical error on this website." No explanations. No clear fixes. You face a site malfunction with a helpless depression about your inability to handle the situation.
I’ve been there. I’ve felt helpless. Even individuals who never edit code can solve this particular problem.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through exactly how to troubleshoot the "there has been a critical error on this website" WordPress admin nightmare—step by step, in plain English. The guide explains what leads to this error state then shows you how to restore site access immediately and teaches locking out these future failures.
The article also presents Wegic, our AI website builder. It supports users in making amazing error-resistant websites using an interface without burdensome backend issues.
We can convert this critical website failure into a minor blip of the past.
What Is the "There Has Been a Critical Error on This Website" Error?
Picture this: You’re sipping coffee, ready to update your WordPress site, when suddenly—wham!—the screen flashes a cryptic alert: “There has been a critical error on this website.” No explanation. No “try this” tips. Just digital silence. The screen display would be accompanied by ominous background music during such a situation. The WordPress system delivers this message as a way to indicate system problems while simultaneously preventing your website from collapsing completely.
From White Screens to Guardrails: A WordPress Evolution
From 2019 to the present, WordPress errors presented themselves as empty white screens which gained the nickname "White Screen of Death" to users. Not exactly user-friendly. Enter WordPress 5.2, which replaced those eerie voids with the slightly less terrifying “there has been a critical error on this website” WordPress error. The system functions as an online protection that prevents site failures by delivering administrator dashboard alerts (more details forthcoming).
The Admin’s Lifeline: Your Secret Email
The exceptional part about WordPress is that it provides continuous support to its users. When the “there has been a critical error on this website” WordPress admin alert pops up, it also fires an email to your site’s admin address. The sent email functions as a diagnosis tool that identifies problematic elements by naming the source of failure such as “Plugin X caused a fatal error in line 42”.
To address the issue of missing emails, please check your spam folder, as your host may have blocked WordPress notifications. Check spam folders. A blocked WordPress email is a well-known issue which can prevent the email from being delivered even though the error exists.
When Recovery Mode Saves the Day
The recovery mode link function within the email gives dashboard access despite your site appearing unresponsive. Using the recovery mode link will enable WordPress to disable the problem source until you can address the situation. A digital paramedic comes to stabilize your site from such critical conditions.
Why You’re Not Always “Emailed and Saved”
Your computer might not display instructions to check your inbox although the error occurred. Why?
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The absence of file accessibility from your host prevents WordPress from sending the required email.
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Database issues can lead to a failure of the error-reporting system because corrupt databases disrupt internal operations.
Why This Error Matters
This error cannot be resolved through simple page refreshing alone. Left unchecked, the “there has been a critical error on this website” message can:
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Search engine visibility will suffer through lost rankings because Google penalizes websites during these periods (Google does not approve of website outages).
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Website visitors, together with prospective customer base, experience frustration because of this issue.
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Underlying problems such as malware along with outdated code may become hidden because of this issue.
Learning about errors constitutes a valuable first step. You understand the causes behind these issues because they stem either from plugin misbehaviours or server problems. You’re ready to tackle how to fix critical errors like a pro.
Common Causes of the "There Has Been a Critical Error on This Website" Error
Let’s play digital detective. When WordPress slaps you with the “there has been a critical error on this website” message, it’s like your site just had a fainting spell. But why? The typical whodunit in virtual mysteries normally focuses on an easily guessable set of characters. Several common sources lead to this critical error so we can analyze them without requiring magnification.
Plugins & Themes: Frenemies in Your WordPress Dashboard
Plug-ins, along with themes, function as space-sharing roommates because random mismatches among them can convert a peaceful setup into a menacing disruption. Updating a plugin often results in a malfunction where it faces conflicts with your theme's framework.
How it triggers the error:
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Users who put off plugin updates can find their websites in danger because of this habit. It’s a time bomb.
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The new attractive theme can create conflicts with your essential contact form plugin.
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Premium plugin licensing issues occur when license expiration results in disabled features. They may create disaster.
This is the #1 reason users see the “there has been a critical error on this website” WordPress admin alert. The fix? The solution to disturbance requires you to deactivate the problematic element that we will explain shortly.
Code Snippets: When “Quick Fixes” Backfire
Most of us encounter this situation when we search for solutions online by copying forum suggestions only to face website failure. The breakdown of your site happens instantaneously, just like when a child demolishes their block tower construction.
Why it’s risky:
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Miss a semicolon? Congrats, you’ve broken PHP’s heart.
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The code that functioned in 2015 could be out of date in the present period.
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The new snippet function could generate conflicts with other existing code elements similar to dueling guns in a spaghetti western duel.
Champion developers test their adjustments in a staging environment before actual deployment, just like experts do, to avoid mishaps. (More on prevention later!)
Server Woes: When Your Hosting Forgets Its Coffee
The hosting server acts as the basis that powers your website operations. A WordPress site built on inadequate system capacity combined with wrong configurations tends to malfunction. Common server-side gremlins include:
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Running WordPress requires server memory through PHP because it acts as RAM to function properly. Too little? Running a bicycle as a truck puller would produce similar results.
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Your site shuts down in the mid-load phase because the server operates too slowly, which triggers timeout errors.
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The inability of WordPress to communicate with essential files becomes a problem due to file permission issues on your server.
The inexpensiveness of hosting functions is similar to cheap and dangerous parachutes. Running the risk seems risky when you ask yourself if it is worth it.
Malware: Uninvited Party Crashers
Malware is the silent saboteur. Thieves gain hidden access by exploiting plugin weaknesses and bad passwords along with outdated core versions to create total havoc.
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An injection of harmful code into files causes file corruption which produces fatal errors.
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DNS servers can become overloaded when crypto-mining scripts consume vast amounts of server resources thus depriving your site of essential functions.
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Some malware adopts the appearance of actual plugins through its “phantom PLUGIN” disguise. Sneaky!
If you’re seeing the “there has been a critical error on this website” WordPress error alongside strange redirects or pop-ups, malware might be the villain.
Database Disasters: When Your Site’s Filing Cabinet Explodes
Your WordPress database functions as an information sorter which organizes your content content. A corrupted database creates major problems because of hardware glitches, plugin issues and server malfunctions.
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The void consumes important WordPress data, such as posts, pages, and website settings, to disappear completely.
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The inability of plugins to locate their necessary data results in fatal errors because of broken relationships.
The Update Paradox: When fixes Cause New Breaks
All updates in WordPress operate similarly to flu vaccines since they are vital but sometimes users experience adverse side effects. An update might:
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The use of deprecated functions will result in the plugin panicking when the platform retires its code.
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The theme may fail to meet recently introduced security standards through conflict-based issues.
In some cases, the process of trying to avoid errors during updates may trigger new errors. Backups function as your backup protection against system errors.
Step-By-Step Fixes for the "There Has Been a Critical Error on This Website" Error
So your site’s down, and you’re staring at the dreaded error message. Elevate your breathing pattern since we are not facing a technological end to the world. It is time to start fixing problems together according to the next steps.
Step 1: Channel Your Inner Detective
When WordPress throws the “there has been a critical error on this website” WordPress admin alert, it also sends an email to your site’s admin address. Your Rosetta Stone enables you to identify the exact source of the meltdown through this email by naming plugin themes and code snippets specifically.
What to do:
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Open all your inbox messages together with the ones in your spam folder. The subject lines “Critical Site Error” or “Your Site Is Experiencing a Technical Issue” offer important clues to solve the problem.
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Look for specifics. You will find the exact error description in the email message where Plugin X triggered a fatal error at functions.php line 42.
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No email? The hosting server can prevent WordPress from sending out emails. Skip to Step 2.
Pro Tip: Prioritize writing down the implicated plugin or theme name whenever such information appears in the email. You’ll need it later.
Step 2: Enter Recovery Mode
The recovery mode of WordPress serves as a temporal route which enables dashboard access regardless of how your website presentation appears to users.
How to use it:
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Open the recovery link available in the received email. Your “Safe Mode” dashboard from WordPress automatically disables both problematic plugin/theme combinations when it launches.
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Manually disable the culprit. You can access Plugins > Installed Plugins (or Appearance > Themes) to permanently delete or update the faulty component from your website.
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Still broken? Move to Step 3.
Pro Tip: The recovery mode duration is set to 1 day. Address the problem quickly because failure to do so will trigger the error to resurface.
Step 3: Play Plugins Hide-and-Seek (via FTP)
You should disable plugins and themes manually via FTP (File Transfer Protocol) whenever you cannot enter recovery mode. Anticipate the fear-based response to the acronym because this task proves easier than building flat-pack furniture.
How to do it:
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Users should download FileZilla through FTP as a free FTP tool and access their hosting account using the provided credentials.
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Users should open wp-content > plugins through their file explorer.
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Change the “plugins” folder name to “plugins_OFF” to deactivate all add-ons. This deactivates all plugins.
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Check your site. A plugin serves as the source of the issue if the error ceases to appear.
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As you disable your plugins one by one, look for the one causing the problem by restoring the folder name to plugins.
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Check wp-content > themes to find the potential theme cause.
Step 4: Give WordPress More Memory—PHP Power-Ups
Sometimes, the “there has been a critical error on this website” WordPress error is a cry for help: Your site needs more PHP memory. Similar to upping the car fuel tank during an ongoing road trip.
How to boost memory:
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Connect to your website files either through FTP or your hosting account's file manager.
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Open wp-config.php (in your root folder).
- Insert this line before you reach the stop editing message.
define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M'); -
Save and refresh your site.
Why it works: The system needs more memory space because PHP memory controls typically remain between 64MB and 128MB despite plugins requiring substantial resources. Enhancing WordPress memory to 256MB empowers the platform with enough energy to improve its performance.
Step 5: Hunt Down Malware
Using memory scans shows whether your website problem results from malware on the server. These digital viruses invade your workspace and disturb your digital files while taking over your hard work.
How to scan:
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Install a security plugin, either Wordfence or MalCare, to protect your site from threats. When your control panel does not work, install the security software using FTP.
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Search wp-content and wp-includes subdirectories for suspicious new files. Search for unfamiliar files that have random strings as their names, such as xkljdfe.php.
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Ask your host for help. Many offer free malware removal.
Pro Tip: No access? You should recover from your saved backup files since you maintain regular backups.
Step 6: Restore a Backup
Return to your backup if everything else does not work. It lets you return to the time when your site had flawless performance.
How to do it:
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Open your host's backup tool, especially cPanel's “Backup Wizard,” to restore a backup.
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Choose a pre-crash date. Bring back the previous version only if necessary restoration steps did not fix the issue.
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Reinstall WordPress. When backup issues happen, you must download a fresh WordPress.org copy and upload core files through FTP.
How to Fix “There Has Been a Critical Error on This Website” Permanently
Once your site’s back online:
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Update everything. Old WordPress software and other add-ons act as a time bomb for your website security.
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Install a security plugin. Prevent future malware attacks.
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Turn to Wegic’s AI mascots. They can help you build your aesthetic website via a conversation. Wegic manages online security updates with automatic adjustments to protect your no-code website. No more “there has been a critical error on this website” panic—just drag, drop, and grow your B2C business.
From ‘Critical Error’ Catastrophes to Wegic’s Ease
Now that you’ve survived the "there has been a critical error on this website" rollercoaster, imagine building a website where plugins don’t feud, updates don’t backfire, and your biggest headache is choosing your brand’s font.
Chat with Wegic to create websites from scratch instead of experiencing coding-related stress outbreaks. Try Wegic for free right now and build your sites!
Written by
Kimmy
Published on
Mar 14, 2025
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