Troubleshooting: Eliminate WordPress ‘Internal Server Error’ 500
Internal Server Error 500 is a common website error. This error also occurs with WordPress. However, in contrast to Error 404 (Not Found), Internal Server Error 500 is very unspecific and can have many different causes.
In this article we will help you to eliminate this error.
What happened?
The internal server error is often caused by errors in the code of a page. This allows certain pages of your WordPress site to be online and working while others get the error message. The Internal Server Error does not provide any information about the cause of the problem, sort of like going to the doctor and not stating where you have pain. The best way to determine the cause of the error is to think about what you changed before the error message. For example, have you installed a plugin, adjusted your theme or changed something in the database?
Often users change something in the code of a theme or a plugin, after which the error occurs. The problem can be solved by replacing the plugin or theme in question with an unmodified original version from the WordPress.org Plugin Directory via the FTP access of your website. If you have a guess as to which file might be causing the problem, you can restore just that one file to its original state.
.htaccess
The Internal Server Error often occurs because of an error in the .htaccess file. To fix this, log into your FTP and go to the root directory where the wp-content, wp-includes and wo-admin folders are. In this list you will also find the .htaccess file. Download this for backup purposes and delete the file from your FTP server. Now log in to your WordPress site and go to “Settings —> Permalinks”. Select the desired permalink structure (preferably the one you already had) and click on “Save changes”. WordPress will now create a new .htaccess file.
Check if the error is fixed.
Disable plugins
It is possible for plugins to conflict with each other. If a plugin can no longer be deactivated via the settings panel, then there is still the option of doing this manually via FTP. Go to the /wp-content/ directory and rename the /Plugins/ folder to “Plugins1”. This disables all plugins. Is the Internal Server Error fixed? Now activate all plugins one by one until the error occurs again by putting them in a new folder called “Plugins”. In this way, the culprit can be systematically identified.
Upload core files again
The core files from your WordPress installation are in the /wp-includes/ and /wp-admin/ folders on your FTP server. It may be that someone has hacked your site and infected it with malicious code in the core of your website. Download a fresh “clean” WordPress installation and re-upload the core files from the two folders. Your settings will not be lost because they are in the /wp-content/ folder.
hosting
If none of the solutions we have described so far have helped, then the best thing to do is to contact your hoster. It may be that changes were made there that ensure that even more customers get the internal server error.
Did you fix your internal server error with our help? Or did something go wrong? Do you have an alternative solution for this error? Tell us in the comments, we read it with pleasure. Maybe you can also help people who have similar problems with your comment.
