“There Has Been a Critical Error on This Website”: How to Fix It in WordPress

Seeing “There has been a critical error on this website” instead of your WordPress site is scary, especially when you can’t even get into wp-admin. The good news: your content is almost always safe, and the fix usually takes minutes once you know the cause. I manage WordPress sites and cPanel hosting for clients, and this is the exact step-by-step process I use to fix the WordPress critical error, from the recovery email to plugins, themes, PHP version and memory.

What Does “There Has Been a Critical Error on This Website” Mean?

Since WordPress 5.2, when PHP hits a fatal error, WordPress stops loading the page and shows this message instead of a blank white screen. Logged-in admins may see an extra line: “Please check your site admin email inbox for instructions.”

Your posts, pages and database are not deleted. Something in the code, usually a plugin, theme or server setting, is crashing before the page can load.

Common Causes of the WordPress Critical Error

Step 1: Use the Recovery Mode Email (Fastest Fix)

1. Open the inbox of the email address set in Settings → General → Administration Email Address.
2. Look for the subject “Your Site is Experiencing a Technical Issue” (also check spam).
3. The email names the plugin or theme that caused the error and includes a recovery mode link.
4. Click the link, log in, and deactivate or update the plugin or theme it names.
5. Click Exit Recovery Mode and check your site.

Step 2: Find the Cause with the Debug Log

If you can’t access wp-admin, open your hosting cPanel → File Manager (or FTP), edit wp-config.php in your site’s root folder, and add these lines above “That’s all, stop editing!”:

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

Reload the broken page, then open wp-content/debug.log. The last “PHP Fatal error” line shows the exact file path, for example wp-content/plugins/plugin-name/..., which tells you which plugin or theme to disable.

Step 3: Disable Plugins Without wp-admin

1. In File Manager, go to wp-content.
2. Rename the plugins folder to plugins-off. This deactivates every plugin.
3. Load your site. If it works, a plugin was the cause.
4. Rename the folder back to plugins, then rename plugin folders inside it one by one (or just the one named in the debug log) until you find the broken one.
5. Log in to wp-admin, then update, replace or remove that plugin.

Step 4: Switch to a Default Theme

If plugins were not the problem, the theme may be. In wp-content/themes, rename your active theme folder (for example mytheme to mytheme-off). WordPress will fall back to a default theme such as Twenty Twenty-Five, if one is installed. If the site loads, the theme or a recent edit to its functions.php is the cause.

Step 5: Critical Error After a PHP Update

Older plugins and themes often break on newer PHP versions. In cPanel, open Select PHP Version or MultiPHP Manager and switch your domain back to the previous version. If the site returns, update or replace the outdated plugin or theme, then upgrade PHP again.

Step 6: Increase the PHP Memory Limit

If the debug log says “Allowed memory size of … bytes exhausted”, add this line to wp-config.php:

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

Your host may also have a memory_limit setting in its PHP options. Ask them if the change does not take effect.

Step 7: Re-upload WordPress Core Files or Restore a Backup

1. Download a fresh copy of WordPress from wordpress.org.
2. Upload only the wp-admin and wp-includes folders, replacing the old ones. Do not touch wp-content or wp-config.php.
3. Still broken? Restore your latest backup from cPanel. See my guide on how to back up and restore with cPanel.
4. As a last step, contact your hosting support with the error line from debug.log.

How to Prevent the WordPress Critical Error

• Take a full backup before every plugin, theme, WordPress or PHP update.
• Update plugins one at a time, not all at once, and check the site after each.
• Remove plugins you don’t use, and avoid plugins that haven’t been updated in a long time.
• Test big changes on a staging site first if your host offers one.
• Keep the admin email current so you receive recovery mode emails.

Seeing a blank white page instead? Follow my guide to fix the WordPress white screen of death.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does “There has been a critical error on this website” mean?

It means PHP hit a fatal error while loading your WordPress site, usually caused by a plugin, theme, PHP version or memory problem. WordPress shows this message instead of loading the page. Your content is not deleted.

How do I fix the WordPress critical error if I can’t access wp-admin?

Use cPanel File Manager or FTP: enable WP_DEBUG_LOG in wp-config.php to find the cause, rename the plugins folder to disable all plugins, or rename your theme folder. Then log in and fix or remove the broken plugin or theme.

Why did I get a critical error after a PHP update?

Some plugins and themes are not compatible with newer PHP versions. Switch back to the previous PHP version in cPanel, update or replace the outdated plugin or theme, then upgrade PHP again.

I didn’t receive the recovery mode email. What now?

Check spam and confirm the admin email in Settings → General. Many sites cannot send email, so use the debug log in wp-content/debug.log to find the cause instead.

Will fixing the critical error delete my content?

No. Disabling plugins or switching themes does not delete posts, pages or settings stored in the database. Still, take a backup before making changes.

Can a virtual assistant fix WordPress errors for me?

Yes. I fix WordPress critical errors, update plugins safely and manage backups for clients at $5–7 per hour.

Conclusion

The WordPress critical error looks serious, but it almost always comes down to one plugin, theme, PHP setting or memory limit. Start with the recovery email, use the debug log to find the exact cause, disable the culprit through File Manager, and keep regular backups so the next update never takes your site down for long.