How to Fix the Internal Server Error in WordPress

Nothing is more frustrating than visiting your WordPress site and seeing the “Internal Server Error” (HTTP 500) instead of your content. It’s one of the most common WordPress issues and almost always fixable.

What Is the WordPress Internal Server Error?

The “Internal Server Error” (sometimes shown as Error 500) means something went wrong on the server but WordPress can’t tell you exactly what.

Typical causes include:

  • Corrupted .htaccess file
  • A plugin or theme conflict
  • Exhausted PHP memory
  • File permission issues
  • Server misconfiguration or limits

Step 1: Enable Debug Mode

First, let’s get more information. Open your wp-config.php file and add these lines (above the “That’s all, stop editing!” comment):

define('WP_DEBUG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false);
@ini_set('display_errors', 0);

Now, reload your site. WordPress will save errors in /wp-content/debug.log. This file often points directly to the problem plugin, theme, or function.

Step 2: Regenerate the .htaccess File

If you’re on Apache hosting, the .htaccess file can easily get corrupted.

  1. Access your site via FTP or your host’s File Manager.
  2. Rename .htaccess to .htaccess.bak.
  3. Try loading your site again.

If it works, go to Settings → Permalinks in your WordPress dashboard and click Save. This will create a fresh .htaccess.

A default .htaccess for WordPress looks like this:

# BEGIN WordPress
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /
RewriteRule ^index\.php$ - [L]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule . /index.php [L]
</IfModule>
# END WordPress

Step 3: Check for Plugin Conflicts

Plugins are the most common cause of internal server errors.

  1. Rename your plugins folder in wp-content to plugins.disabled.
  2. Reload your site.

If it works now, rename the folder back to plugins. Then, disable plugins one by one until you find the one causing the problem.

Update or replace the faulty plugin.

Step 4: Switch to a Default Theme

If the error isn’t caused by plugins, your theme may be the issue.

  1. Rename your active theme folder (e.g., wp-content/themes/your-theme → your-theme.disabled).
  2. WordPress will automatically switch to a default theme (like Twenty Twenty-Four).
  3. If your site works now, the issue lies in your theme.

Step 5: Increase PHP Memory Limit

WordPress may run out of memory when handling heavy plugins or scripts.

Add this line to wp-config.php:

define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M');

If your host has lower limits, you may need to ask them to increase it.

Step 6: Fix File Permissions

Incorrect file and folder permissions can cause 500 errors.

  • Folders → 755
  • Files → 644
  • wp-config.php → 600 or 640

Never set permissions to 777 for security reasons.

Step 7: Reupload Core WordPress Files

If WordPress core files are corrupted:

  1. Download a fresh copy of WordPress from wordpress.org (https://wordpress.org/download/).
  2. Reupload everything except wp-content and wp-config.php.

This replaces only the core files.

Step 8: Check Server Error Logs

If none of the above worked, check your server logs for more clues:

  • In cPanel/Plesk, look for Errors or Logs.
  • On Linux servers, check:
  • /var/log/apache2/error.log
  • /var/log/nginx/error.log

Common log entries include:

  • Memory exhausted → increase PHP memory
  • Plugin fatal error → disable that plugin
  • Option not allowed → fix .htaccess or server config

Step 9: Contact Your Hosting Provider

If you’ve tried everything and still see the Internal Server Error, it may be a hosting-level problem (e.g., PHP-FPM, ModSecurity rules, server limits).

Ask your host to:

  • Share the exact error log entry
  • Increase PHP memory/process limits if needed
  • Verify that your PHP version is compatible with WordPress

In most cases, it comes down to either a plugin, theme, or .htaccess issue.

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