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# Troubleshooting problems with your WordPress website

**Is your WordPress website no longer working correctly or showing unexpected errors? This article provides a step-by-step approach to systematically investigate and resolve the issue. Work through the steps in order — if one step solves the problem, you don't need to continue with the rest.**

|| With our [WordPress Hosting](https://www.xynta.com/en/wordpress-hosting) plans, help with website issues is included as standard. Using a different plan? Through our [support services](https://www.xynta.com/en/hosting/support-services) you can engage a specialist to investigate and resolve your website issues.

||| **Always create a backup** before making any changes. See [Creating your own backup](https://help.xynta.com/en/article/creating-your-own-backup-isxw3h/) for instructions. An incorrect change in for example `wp-config.php` or `.htaccess` can take your entire website offline.

* [Step 1 — Scan your website](#3-step-1-scan-your-website)
* [Step 2 — Check your log files](#3-step-2-check-your-log-files)
* [Step 3 — Enable WP_DEBUG](#3-step-3-enable-wpdebug)
* [Step 4 — Check the PHP version](#3-step-4-check-the-php-version)
* [Step 5 — Clear the cache](#3-step-5-clear-the-cache)
* [Step 6 — Reset your .htaccess](#3-step-6-reset-your-htaccess)
* [Step 7 — Disable plug-ins](#3-step-7-disable-plug-ins)
* [Step 8 — Check PHP settings](#3-step-8-check-php-settings)

### Step 1 — Scan your website

Start with a quick scan via our [website check](https://www.xynta.com/en/support/website-check). The tool immediately flags issues with availability, SSL, DNS and server status — and indicates for each finding whether it's something you can resolve yourself or whether something is happening on our side.

1. Go to [xynta.com/en/support/website-check](https://www.xynta.com/en/support/website-check).
2. Enter your domain name and start the **Quick scan**.
3. Check findings under **Availability**, **Speed** and **Security** for any points of attention.

No remaining issues in the scan? Move on to step 2 for deeper analysis.

### Step 2 — Check your log files

Error messages in your log files often point directly to what's going wrong. Pay particular attention to lines marked with `[ERROR]` and `[WARNING]`.

See the article that applies to your plan:

* [Viewing log files for Web Hosting and Reseller Hosting](https://help.xynta.com/en/article/viewing-log-files-of-a-domain-name-120ot2w/)
* [Viewing log files for WordPress Hosting](https://help.xynta.com/en/article/viewing-log-files-on-wordpress-hosting-1n8fiyh/)

### Step 3 — Enable WP_DEBUG

If log files don't give you an answer, you can have WordPress show more information via the built-in debug mode.

1. Open the `wp-config.php` file in the root directory of your website — via [File Manager](https://help.xynta.com/en/article/managing-files-n5qi07/) or FTP.
2. Find the line `define("WP_DEBUG", false);` and change it, or add the lines if they don't exist yet:

```
define("WP_DEBUG", true);
define("WP_DEBUG_LOG", true);
define("WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY", false);
```

3. Any errors will now be written to the file `wp-content/debug.log` — not on the front end of your website.

||| Always set `WP_DEBUG` back to `false` on a production website once you're done debugging. Errors on the front end can expose sensitive information and are undesirable for visitors.

### Step 4 — Check the PHP version

Many problems arise because WordPress, a theme or a plug-in isn't compatible with the current PHP version. WordPress and most plug-ins work best on **PHP 8.1 or higher**.

See the article that applies to your plan:

* [Changing the PHP version for Web Hosting and Reseller Hosting](https://help.xynta.com/en/article/change-php-version-j0qebp/)
* [Changing the PHP version on WordPress Hosting](https://help.xynta.com/en/article/change-php-version-on-wordpress-hosting-16cgegm/)

| Older websites or outdated plug-ins sometimes don't work right away on a newer PHP version. Always test thoroughly after a change and revert the version if the problem gets worse.

### Step 5 — Clear the cache

Sometimes an old version of your website remains visible due to caching. Clear the cache before continuing your investigation:

* **Caching plug-in** — clear the cache through the settings of your caching plug-in, such as [LiteSpeed Cache](https://help.xynta.com/en/article/installing-litespeed-cache-on-your-wordpress-website-z2r2id/) or [W3 Total Cache](https://help.xynta.com/en/article/installing-and-configuring-w3-total-cache-v1am43/).
* **Browser cache** — refresh your page with `Ctrl + F5` (Windows) or `Cmd + Shift + R` (macOS) to bypass your browser cache.

Temporary slowdowns are normal until the cache is rebuilt.

### Step 6 — Reset your .htaccess

A broken `.htaccess` file can take your website offline completely, cause redirect loops or break permalinks.

1. First create a backup of your current `.htaccess` — rename it to `.htaccess-backup` or download a copy.
2. Open the file via [File Manager](https://help.xynta.com/en/article/managing-files-n5qi07/) or FTP.
3. Replace the entire contents with the default WordPress configuration:

```
# BEGIN WordPress
RewriteEngine On
RewriteRule .* - [E=HTTP_AUTHORIZATION:%{HTTP:Authorization}]
RewriteBase /
RewriteRule ^index.php$ - [L]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule . /index.php [L]
# END WordPress
```

4. Save the file and check whether your website works again.

### Step 7 — Disable plug-ins

A plug-in is often the cause of issues — especially after an update. By temporarily disabling all plug-ins and activating them one by one, you can identify the culprit.

**Via the WordPress dashboard (if you can still log in):**

1. Go to **Plug-ins** in the WordPress dashboard.
2. Select all plug-ins and choose **Deactivate** from the bulk menu.
3. Refresh your website. Is the problem gone?
4. Activate plug-ins one by one and refresh your website each time. As soon as the problem returns, you've found the culprit.

**Via FTP or File Manager (if you can't log in):**

1. Open [File Manager](https://help.xynta.com/en/article/managing-files-n5qi07/) or connect via FTP.
2. Navigate to the folder where WordPress is installed — usually `domains/yourdomain.com/public_html/wp-content/`.
3. Rename the `plugins` folder to for example `plugins-off`. All plug-ins are now deactivated.
4. Refresh your website. Working again? Rename the folder back to `plugins` and activate plug-ins one by one via the WordPress dashboard.

### Step 8 — Check PHP settings

Memory-intensive websites — for example with many plug-ins or a WooCommerce store — can run into PHP limits. The following settings often help:

* **memory_limit** — increase to **512M**.
* **max_input_vars** — increase to **5000**.

See the article that applies to your plan:

* [Changing PHP settings for Web Hosting and Reseller Hosting](https://help.xynta.com/en/article/change-php-settings-qii8ga/)
* [Optimising your WordPress website](https://help.xynta.com/en/article/optimising-your-wordpress-website-11sydc2/)

| With our [WordPress Hosting](https://www.xynta.com/en/wordpress-hosting) plans, these PHP settings are optimised by default — you don't need to change anything yourself.

### Can't figure it out?

The steps in this article resolve the majority of WordPress issues, but every problem is different. Can't figure it out?

* **With WordPress Hosting** — help is included as standard. [Get in touch](https://www.xynta.com/en/support/contact) and we'll take a look with you.
* **With other plans** — through our [support services](https://www.xynta.com/en/hosting/support-services) you can engage a specialist to investigate and optimise your website.