WordPress has a few particularly frustrating issues that can completely shut downwardly your site, only don't provide much guidance about what's causing the problem. The "The site is experiencing technical difficulties." error is 1 such consequence.

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

In this commodity, we'll discuss where yous might see this WordPress error, too as what causes information technology. Then we'll walk you through vi steps for fixing it if it shows upwardly on your own site.

Let'southward jump right in!

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

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

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

On the backend, the message appears like this:

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

A variation of this mistake in newer WordPress versions reads: "There has been a critical error on your website". Hither'south how it will announced on the frontend of your site:

critical error visitor
"There has been a critical error on your site" message on the frontend

And hither'due south the backend view:

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

Equally y'all can encounter, the newer variation is quite similar to the erstwhile one, apart from a slight divergence in wording.

Sometimes WordPress will ship an email to the site'south administrator, with more information about what may be causing the error. Still, it's simply as probable that you'll come across this message with no explanation regarding why it appeared.

Most of the time, this error is the result of a plugin or theme conflict. Due to WordPress' open up-source nature, many different developers with diverse coding backgrounds and styles create extensions that users tin add together on to the platform.

Unfortunately, this means that sometimes plugins and themes from different developers don't play nicely with one some other. When two tools with conflicting code are both installed on a WordPress site, it tin pb to a broad range of bug.

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

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

If you're already familiar with troubleshooting plugin conflicts, resolving the "The site is experiencing technical difficulties." mistake should be fairly like shooting fish in a barrel. If not, don't worry. Beneath, we've included detailed steps for how to tackle this job, as well as what to do if the problem persists.

Step 1: Cheque Your Email for a Fatal Mistake Notification

Equally we mentioned before, in some cases WordPress will ship the site's admin an email containing more information about what may exist causing the error:

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

This email volition include the post-obit central pieces of data that can assist you 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 information. Nevertheless, 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 procedure tin can become fourth dimension-consuming.

If you're the site'southward admin and the "The site is experiencing technical difficulties." fault bulletin includes the addendum: "Please check your site admin email inbox for instructions", it'southward best to do so before proceeding (call back to try your spam binder as well). Then follow the instructions for troubleshooting in recovery mode beneath.

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 e-mail, never fear. You can still follow the steps for troubleshooting using File Transfer Protocol (FTP) below.

Step 2: Troubleshoot for a Plugin or Theme Disharmonize

Due to the nature of WordPress' fatal errors, you lot won't exist able to access the backend of your site to deactivate the extension that'south causing the problem. Depending on whether or not you take admission to a recovery fashion link, you'll accept ii options for working effectually this limitation.

Resolving a Conflict in Recovery Manner

If you accept access to a recovery mode link, click on information technology. This will take you to your site'due south 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

Y'all do not have to apply an admin account. If the site'south administrator wants to send the recovery mode link to another user and let them to troubleshoot the error, the latter party tin can employ 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's visitors. Only the user who logged in via the recovery mode link will be able to access the website ordinarily.

In recovery mode, the plugins and/or theme that WordPress has identified equally causing the error will be paused. They will also exist identified in a banner notification at the peak 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'southward name, click on Conciliate:

recovery mode plugins
Deactivating a plugin in recovery way

Then, select Exit Recovery Manner in the admin bar:

exit recovery mode
Exiting recovery mode

The problematic extensions will now be deactivated for all users, and your site should be available to everyone again. Of course, yous'll kickoff want to cheque and make certain that's the case. So you can:

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  • Delete the extension(southward) if they are not necessary for any central functionality on your site.
  • Remove the conflicting plugin or delete the theme and supercede it.
  • Contact the plugin or theme'due south developer and ask if they tin can edit the extension's lawmaking to resolve the conflict. Then update and reactivate the new version.
  • Edit the tool's lawmaking to resolve the conflict yourself, and then reactivate information technology.

Especially if the plugin is popular, y'all may have skillful luck working with the developer to make the necessary changes. It'southward worth noting, however, that you'll want to test all potential changes and new extensions on a staging site earlier implementing them on your live site.

Determining the Source of the Problem With FTP

If you can't admission WordPress' recovery mode, you tin still troubleshoot a plugin conflict without access to the backend. To do so, you'll demand an FTP customer too as your FTP credentials. You should be able to find the latter in your hosting account's profile:

kinsta ftp credentials
FTP credentials in the MyKinsta dashboard

Log into your site's 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 find subdirectories for each of your plugins. If you know which i is causing the problem, correct-click on it and select Rename:

filezilla rename plugin
Renaming a plugin in FileZilla

Alter the name of the folder to something like "plugin-name-deactivated". This will foreclose WordPress from finding the plugin'south files:

filezilla deactivated plugin
A deactivated plugin in FileZilla

The plugin will now exist deactivated, and you should be able to render to your site and access the backend unremarkably. You tin then deal with the problematic plugin as you lot run across fit, co-ordinate to the options we outlined in the previous section.

If you don't know which plugin is responsible for the fatal error, only rename the first one in the listing. Then return to your site and refresh your browser to see if the issue 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 last plugin you deactivated is the 1 causing the disharmonize. You lot 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.

Step 3: Ensure That You're Running a Supported Version of PHP

If your site is back to normal after completing Step 2, y'all tin can stop hither. Withal, there's a chance that troubleshooting for a plugin or theme conflict volition not resolve the "This site is experiencing technical difficulties" error.

If that's the instance 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.six.20.

Additionally, the PHP developers themselves no longer provide support for versions older than 7.4.

You should exist able to decide which version of PHP your site is using past 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 will 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 demand to update it. The steps for this process may vary based on your hosting provider.

Kinsta customers can but apply our PHP Engine tool. To access it, click on the proper noun of the site you lot want to update. And so select the Tools tab:

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

Gyre down until you find the PHP Engine tool. Click on the drop-downwards menu labeled Modify, and select the version y'all wish to upgrade to.

Information technology's recommended that you run the latest PHP version available, for both security and performance reasons. Once the update is consummate, return to your site to come across if the fatal error is resolved.

Stride 4: Enable WordPress' Debug Way

If yous're still seeing the "This site is experiencing technical difficulties" bulletin, yous can attempt to diagnose the underlying event past using WordPress debug style. This is another congenital-in troubleshooting characteristic that will reveal whatsoever underlying PHP errors.

To enable this feature, yous'll demand to access your wp-config.php file via FTP, and add together the post-obit line of lawmaking right earlier "That's all, end editing! Happy publishing.":

          ascertain( 'WP_DEBUG', true );        

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

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

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

Step v: View Your Server's Error Log

If yous don't run into any suspicious letters in debug mode, yous tin can also check your server's error log. You should be able to access this via your hosting account. Kinsta customers can practise so past selecting the Logs tab in the relevant site'southward profile:

kinsta error log
Accessing Error Logs in MyKinsta

From the drop-downward bill of fare, select error.log. Then look for any issues that may be causing the "This site is experiencing technical difficulties" message, and troubleshoot them as necessary.

Stride six: Contact Your Hosting Provider

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

Therefore, y'all'll want to contact your hosting provider by any means they offer. Kinsta customers can achieve our support team 24/7 via chat, electronic mail, or our Contact page.

Summary

"The site is experiencing technical difficulties." fault in WordPress can be a frustrating issue. Vague alerts that give you little indication as to what's causing the problem tin be peculiarly hard to prepare.

Fortunately, yous tin can resolve this particular issue in six steps or less:

  1. Check your electronic mail 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 fashion.
  5. View your server's fault log.
  6. Contact your hosting provider.

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