Critical error WordPress Origin: Application & API Last updated 14 Oct 2026

WordPress: There Has Been a Critical Error on This Website

A PHP fatal error (usually from a plugin or theme) stopped WordPress; the real error is in the debug log or recovery-mode email.

Exact message you may see There has been a critical error on this websitecritical error wordpresswhite screen of deathThe site is experiencing technical difficulties
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Seen on: WordPress PHP Linux

Meaning

Since WordPress 5.2, fatal errors show this friendly message instead of a white screen. WordPress emails the admin a recovery-mode link describing which plugin/theme failed.

Common causes

  • Plugin or theme incompatible with your PHP or WordPress version
  • Plugin/theme update introduced a bug
  • PHP memory limit exhausted
  • Corrupted or partially uploaded plugin files
  • Custom code in functions.php with a syntax error

⚡ Quick fix

  1. Open the recovery-mode link from the admin email
  2. Enable WP_DEBUG_LOG and read wp-content/debug.log
  3. Rename the offending plugin folder in wp-content/plugins via FTP/SSH
  4. Switch to a default theme by renaming your theme folder
  5. Raise memory: define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M');

Detailed fix by platform

WordPress

  1. wp-config.php — log errors without showing them to visitors:
    php
    define('WP_DEBUG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true);      // writes wp-content/debug.log
define('WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false);

Linux

  1. With WP-CLI: wp plugin deactivate --all then re-enable one by one.

How to diagnose

  1. Email — Did WordPress email a recovery link naming the plugin?
  2. Debug log — What is the fatal error and file?
  3. Recent change — Which plugin/theme/PHP version changed?

🔧 Still not fixed?

Many errors look alike. If the steps above didn’t solve it, one of these is probably what you’re facing:

Where this error sits

Origin: Application & API. Errors that are often confused with or caused by this one (click to open):

500 — HTTP 500 Internal Server Error (HTTP)500Allowed memory size exhausted — PHP Fatal error: Allowed memory size of X bytes exhausted (PHP)Allowed memory size e…ArgumentCountError — Fatal error: Uncaught ArgumentCountError: Too few arguments to function foo(), 1 passed and exactly 2 expected (PHP)ArgumentCountErrorCall to member function on null — Fatal error: Uncaught Error: Call to a member function x() on null (PHP)Call to member functi…Call to undefined function — PHP Fatal error: Uncaught Error: Call to undefined function (PHP)Call to undefined fun…Call to undefined function (WordPress) — WordPress: Fatal error: Uncaught Error: Call to undefined function wp_get_current_user() / add_action() / get_header() (WordPress)Call to undefined fun…Call to undefined function create_function() — WordPress on PHP 8: Fatal error: Uncaught Error: Call to undefined function create_function() / each() (WordPress)Call to undefined fun…Cannot redeclare — Fatal error: Cannot redeclare function foo() (previously declared in …) (PHP)Cannot redeclareCritical …

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