WordPress has a few particularly frustrating issues that can completely shut down your site, simply don't provide much guidance virtually what'southward causing the problem. The "The site is experiencing technical difficulties." error is i such result.

On its face up, it doesn't tell you much. Fortunately, in most cases, it is really quite uncomplicated to resolve. A few troubleshooting steps should have it taken intendance of in no time.

In this article, we'll hash out where you might see this WordPress error, besides equally what causes it. Then nosotros'll walk you through half dozen steps for fixing it if it shows up on your own site.

Let'due south 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 fault. This means that your website volition be down, and likely unavailable on both the frontend and backend. For your visitors, it may look similar this:

The site is experiencing technical difficulties. error
"The site is experiencing technical difficulties." bulletin 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: "There has been a critical error on your website". Here'southward how it will appear on the frontend of your site:

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

And here's the backend view:

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

As you can see, the newer variation is quite similar to the old one, apart from a slight difference in wording.

Sometimes WordPress will transport an email to the site'due south ambassador, with more information virtually what may be causing the error. Yet, information technology'due south just every bit likely that y'all'll see this bulletin with no caption regarding why it appeared.

Most of the time, this error is the event 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 means that sometimes plugins and themes from dissimilar developers don't play nicely with i some other. When two tools with alien code are both installed on a WordPress site, it can atomic number 82 to a wide range of issues.

In some cases, i or both plugins will simply stop working. Other times, nevertheless, this kind of conflict tin can result in a fatal fault such as the "The site is experiencing technical difficulties." message.

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How to Gear up the "The Site Is Experiencing Technical Difficulties." WordPress Error (In 6 Steps)

If you lot're already familiar with troubleshooting plugin conflicts, resolving the "The site is experiencing technical difficulties." error should be adequately easy. If not, don't worry. Below, we've included detailed steps for how to tackle this task, as well as what to practise if the trouble persists.

Stride one: Check Your Electronic mail for a Fatal Error Notification

Every bit we mentioned before, in some cases WordPress volition send the site's admin an email containing more than information about what may be causing the error:

technical difficulties email
Admin e-mail for the "The site is experiencing technical difficulties." fault.

This email will include the post-obit key pieces of information that can assist you lot troubleshoot the error faster:

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

It is possible to troubleshoot the error without this data. However, it will require a lot of guesswork to decide which extension is causing the problem. If your site is using a large number of plugins, the process can become fourth dimension-consuming.

If you're the site's admin and the "The site is experiencing technical difficulties." error message includes the annex: "Please check your site admin electronic mail inbox for instructions", it's best to do and then before proceeding (call back to endeavor your spam binder likewise). And then follow the instructions for troubleshooting in recovery mode 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 nearly an email, never fear. You can nonetheless follow the steps for troubleshooting using File Transfer Protocol (FTP) below.

Step two: Troubleshoot for a Plugin or Theme Conflict

Due to the nature of WordPress' fatal errors, you lot won't be able to access the backend of your site to conciliate the extension that's causing the trouble. Depending on whether or non you take admission to a recovery mode link, you'll have 2 options for working effectually this limitation.

Resolving a Disharmonize in Recovery Mode

If y'all have access to a recovery way link, click on it. This volition accept yous to your site's backend, where you will 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 folio

You do non take to use an admin account. If the site's administrator wants to transport the recovery mode 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 you're working in recovery mode, the fatal error will persist for other users and your site'south visitors. But the user who logged in via the recovery mode link will be able to access the website normally.

In recovery mode, the plugins and/or theme that WordPress has identified every bit causing the error will exist paused. They will also be identified in a imprint notification at the pinnacle of the screen.

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

wordpress recovery mode
The WordPress recovery mode

Under each plugin and/or theme's name, click on Deactivate:

recovery mode plugins
Deactivating a plugin in recovery mode

And then, select Get out Recovery Mode in the admin bar:

exit recovery mode
Exiting recovery mode

The problematic extensions volition at present exist deactivated for all users, and your site should be available to everyone once again. Of course, you'll showtime desire to check and make sure that's the example. And then y'all can:

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  • Delete the extension(s) if they are not necessary for any key functionality on your site.
  • Remove the conflicting plugin or delete the theme and replace it.
  • Contact the plugin or theme's developer and enquire if they can edit the extension's lawmaking to resolve the conflict. And so update and reactivate the new version.
  • Edit the tool'south code to resolve the conflict yourself, and so reactivate information technology.

Especially if the plugin is pop, y'all may have proficient luck working with the developer to make the necessary changes. It'due south worth noting, notwithstanding, that you'll desire to test 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 access WordPress' recovery fashion, you can all the same troubleshoot a plugin conflict without access to the backend. To do and then, you'll need an FTP client as well as your FTP credentials. You should be able to observe the latter in your hosting business relationship'southward profile:

kinsta ftp credentials
FTP credentials in the MyKinsta dashboard

Log into your site'southward server via your FTP client, using your FTP credentials. And then navigate to wp-content > plugins:

filezilla plugins directory
The Plugins subdirectory in FileZilla

There you'll notice 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

Alter the name of the binder to something like "plugin-name-deactivated". This will prevent WordPress from finding the plugin's files:

filezilla deactivated plugin
A deactivated plugin in FileZilla

The plugin will now be deactivated, and you lot should be able to return to your site and admission the backend unremarkably. You tin then bargain with the problematic plugin as y'all see fit, according to the options we outlined in the previous department.

If you lot don't know which plugin is responsible for the fatal error, only rename the first i in the list. Then return to your site and refresh your browser to come across if the result is resolved. Repeat this process, renaming your plugins one at a time, until the error goes away.

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

Footstep iii: Ensure That You lot're Running a Supported Version of PHP

If your site is back to normal after completing Footstep two, you lot can stop here. Yet, there's a adventure that troubleshooting for a plugin or theme conflict will non resolve the "This site is experiencing technical difficulties" error.

If that'due south the case for you, your next move should be 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.vi.20.

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

You should be able to decide which version of PHP your site is using by logging into your hosting account. Kinsta customers volition 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 be listed to the right:

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

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

Kinsta customers can simply apply our PHP Engine tool. To access information technology, click on the name of the site yous desire to update. Then select the Tools tab:

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

Scroll downwardly until yous observe the PHP Engine tool. Click on the drop-down bill of fare labeled Modify, and select the version you wish to upgrade to.

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

Step 4: Enable WordPress' Debug Way

If you're even so seeing the "This site is experiencing technical difficulties" message, you lot can attempt to diagnose the underlying upshot by using WordPress debug manner. This is another built-in troubleshooting characteristic that will reveal any underlying PHP errors.

To enable this characteristic, you lot'll need to admission your wp-config.php file via FTP, and add the following line of code correct earlier "That'due south all, stop editing! Happy publishing.":

          ascertain( 'WP_DEBUG', true );        

Save and re-upload the file, and then render to your site and refresh the page. Peruse the fault letters displayed in debug mode, and decide whether any of them might be causing the fatal fault. You'll then demand to follow troubleshooting steps relevant to that issue.

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

To plow information technology off over again, change the status in the wp-config.php code snippet from "truthful" to false", and then save and upload the file once again.

Step 5: View Your Server's Fault Log

If yous don't see whatsoever suspicious messages in debug way, you tin also cheque your server'due south fault log. You should be able to admission this via your hosting business relationship. Kinsta customers tin do so by selecting the Logs tab in the relevant site's contour:

kinsta error log
Accessing Mistake Logs in MyKinsta

From the drop-downward menu, select error.log. Then wait for whatsoever issues that may be causing the "This site is experiencing technical difficulties" message, and troubleshoot them equally necessary.

Step six: Contact Your Hosting Provider

If you've exhausted all of the to a higher place steps, and you nonetheless haven't been able to eliminate the "This site is experiencing technical difficulties" mistake in WordPress, then it's fourth dimension to bring in some help. The outcome may prevarication with your server and be unreachable without assistance from your host.

Therefore, yous'll desire to contact your hosting provider past whatever ways they offer. Kinsta customers can reach our support team 24/vii via chat, email, or our Contact page.

Summary

"The site is experiencing technical difficulties." error in WordPress can be a frustrating issue. Vague alerts that give y'all little indication as to what'south causing the problem tin be especially hard to fix.

Fortunately, y'all tin can resolve this item issue in vi steps or less:

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

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