How to Fix the 500 Internal Server Error

What's happening

A 500 Internal Server Error means your web server hit a problem while building the page and couldn't finish, most often because of a plugin or theme conflict, a memory limit, or a broken settings file. Your content is almost always fine underneath; the server just couldn't complete the job.

You may see it as "HTTP 500" or a plain "Internal Server Error" page, with no hint of what went wrong. If your site says "There has been a critical error on this website" instead, that's WordPress's own wording for the same kind of crash. Here's what the critical error message means.

Why it happens

The 500 is a catch-all, which is what makes it frustrating. The usual causes: a plugin or theme conflict, a corrupted core file, your hosting hitting a memory limit, or a small mistake in a behind-the-scenes settings file. Because the error is so generic, the message itself won't tell you which one it is — the answer is usually sitting in the server logs, which most people never see.

What you can safely try

• Check whether it's every page or just one — that quickly narrows things down.
• Think back to what changed last — a recent update, new plugin, or edit is the common trigger.
• Clear your browser cache so you know you're not looking at a saved copy.
• Don't edit server files by guesswork — one wrong character in a config file can take the whole site down.

When to call us

The real fix is reading the server logs, pinpointing the exact cause, and clearing it — without gambling on your live site. That's routine for us. If your site's throwing a 500 and you'd rather not dig through server files, send it over and we'll get it back online.