How to Fix ‘The Site Is Experiencing Technical Difficulties’ in WordPress

Encountering the “The site is experiencing technical difficulties” message is a common and frustrating problem for many WordPress users. This generic error often means there’s a serious issue with your site’s PHP code, which can be caused by a faulty plugin, a broken theme, or a custom code snippet. The good news is that WordPress has a built-in feature to help you diagnose and fix this error quickly.

Step 1: Enable Debugging to Find the Cause 🐛

The first and most crucial step is to pinpoint the source of the problem. WordPress’s default setting hides specific error messages for security, but you can enable a debug log to find out exactly what’s wrong.

To do this, you’ll need to edit your wp-config.php file. Using an FTP client or your hosting’s file manager, navigate to your site’s root directory and open the wp-config.php file. Add the following lines of code just before the line that says “That’s all, stop editing! Happy publishing.”:

PHP

define( 'WP_DEBUG', true );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_LOG', true );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false );

After saving the file, try to visit your site again. The error message may still be there, but now WordPress will be logging all errors to a file named debug.log inside the /wp-content/ directory.

Step 2: Use Recovery Mode to Fix the Problem 🛠️

Once you’ve enabled debugging, you might see a more helpful message at the bottom of the error page: “Please check your site admin email inbox for instructions.” This indicates that WordPress has automatically entered recovery mode.

In this mode, WordPress sends an email to the site’s administrator with a special link. Clicking this link will allow you to log in to your dashboard and safely disable the plugin or theme that’s causing the problem. You can then fix the issue or replace the faulty extension.

Step 3: Troubleshoot Manually if Recovery Mode Fails

If you don’t receive an email or can’t access recovery mode, you’ll have to troubleshoot manually using the debug.log file.

• Check the debug.log file: Open the debug.log file in the /wp-content/ directory. Look for a line that points to a specific file path, such as .../wp-content/plugins/bad-plugin/file.php. This will tell you exactly which plugin or theme is causing the error.
• Disable the faulty plugin or theme: Once you’ve identified the culprit, use an FTP client to navigate to the plugins or themes folder inside /wp-content/. Simply rename the folder of the problematic plugin or theme (e.g., from bad-plugin to bad-plugin-old). This will deactivate it, and your site should return to normal. You can then contact the plugin or theme developer for a solution or find an alternative.¹¹

By following these steps, you can quickly and effectively solve the “The site is experiencing technical difficulties” error and get your WordPress site back online.