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How to fix the WordPress error "This page is having technical difficulties"?

The “This page is having technical issues” error is one of the most frustrating issues you can encounter when working with WordPress. Often this message appears unexpectedly, for no particular reason. Sometimes this may be due to a bug in one of the plugins, a theme issue, or a server-related issue. Here are some solutions that may help you fix this error.

1. Disabling plugins

One of the most common reasons for the "This page is having technical problems" error is faulty plugins. The easiest solution is to disable all plugins and then enable them one at a time to identify which one is causing the problem. You can do this through the WordPress admin panel, but if the site is unavailable, it can be done manually via FTP. Find the wp-content/plugins folder and rename it to something else - this will disable all plugins. After this, by renaming it back to 'plugins' and enabling individual plugins, we can identify the problematic item.

2. Change the theme to the default one

Another potential source of the problem could be your WordPress theme. To check if the theme is causing the error, switch to one of the default WordPress themes (Twenty Twenty, Twenty Twenty-One, etc.). This can be done in the WordPress admin panel, but if the site is unavailable, it can be done via FTP. In the wp-content/themes folder, find the folder with your current theme and rename it. WordPress will automatically switch to the default theme.

3. Enable WordPress debugging

If disabling plugins and changing the theme didn't help, the next step is to enable WordPress debugging. Debugging allows you to view detailed error information, which can help you identify the problem. To enable debugging, you need to edit the wp-config.php file, which is located in the main folder of your WordPress installation. Add the following lines of code:

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

After saving the file and refreshing the page, any errors will be written to the debug.log file in the wp-content folder.

4. Using the WP Debugging plugin

If you are not comfortable with editing WordPress files, there is a plugin called WP Debugging that automates the process of enabling debugging. This plugin adds a button to your WordPress admin panel that allows you to easily turn debugging on and off.

5. Check the server settings

If the above steps did not help, the problem may be on the server side. Check if the PHP version used by the server is compatible with the WordPress version. Sometimes upgrading or downgrading your PHP version can solve the problem. Additionally, check that there is enough disk space and that the server is not overloaded.

Remember that when working with WordPress files, you should always have a current backup. In case of problems, you can always restore the page to the state before the changes were made.

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