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The internal server 500 error runs on every page of your site if there is a problem with the server or file system that powers your site. The most likely cause is in the root directory where your WordPress files are located, but this may also be due to a problem on your host’s server.
This is one of the most frustrating mistakes that can occur in WordPress. It never has a simple solution, requiring a lot of troubleshooting, which would take time and patience. But we will try to alleviate some of this stress by suggesting several solutions to this problem and explaining each of them.
What Causes Internal Server Error in WordPress?
The internal server error is not specific to WordPress. This can happen with any website running on a web server. Due to the generic nature of this error, it says nothing to the developer.
An internal server error in WordPress is often caused by plug-in or theme functions. We know of other possible causes of internal server error in WordPress: corrupt .htaccess file and PHP memory limit.
We also heard that an internal server error only occurred when you were trying to access the admin area while the rest of the site was working properly.
1. Checking for Corrupt .htaccess File
The first thing you need to do to resolve the internal server error in WordPress is to look for the corrupted .htaccess file. You can do this by renaming your main .htaccess file to something like .htaccess_old. To rename the .htaccess file, you must connect to your site using the FTP application or file manager in the cPanel dashboard of your hosting account.
Once you are logged in, the .htaccess file will be located in the same directory where you will see folders such as wp-content, wp-admin and wp-includes. Once you’ve renamed the .htaccess file, try visiting your site to see if this resolves the problem. If so, give yourself a pat on the back because you have corrected the internal server error.
Before moving on, be sure to go to the Permalinks Settings page in the WordPress admin area and click the Save button without making any changes. This will generate a new .htaccess file with the appropriate rewrite rules to ensure that your publishing pages do not return a 404 error. If searching for the corrupted .htaccess file solution does not work for you, then you should continue to read this article.
2. Increasing the PHP Memory Limit
Sometimes an internal server error can occur if you use your PHP memory limit. Use our tutorial to increase the PHP memory limit in WordPress to solve this problem.
If you see an internal server error only when you try to connect to your WordPress administrator or upload an image to your wp-admin, increase the memory limit by doing the following:
Create a blank text file called php.ini
Paste this code here: memory = 64 MB
Save file
Download it to your folder / wp-admin / using FTP Several users have stated that this solves the problem of their administrator side.
If increasing the memory limit solved the problem for you, you only fixed it temporarily. You must always find the cause that exhausts your memory limit. This could be a badly coded plugin or even a theme function. We strongly recommend that you ask your WordPress web host to check the server logs to help you find the correct diagnosis.
If increasing the PHP memory limit does not solve the problem for you, you may need to troubleshoot other issues.
3. Re-uploading Core Files
If the plug-in option did not correct the internal server error, it is advisable to download the wp-admin and wp-includes folders again from a new WordPress installation.
This does not remove any of your information, but it may solve the problem if a file is corrupted. First, you will need to visit the WordPress.org website and click the Download button. This will install the WordPress zip file on your computer. You must extract the zip file and you will find a wordpress folder.
Then you have to connect to your WordPress website using an FTP client. Once logged in, go to the root folder of your website. This is the folder that contains the wp-admin, wp-includes, and wp-content folders. In the left column, open the WordPress folder on your computer. You must now select the wp-includes and wp-admin folders, then right-click and select ‘Upload’.
Your FTP client will now transfer these folders to your server. It will ask you if you want to overwrite the files. Select ‘Overwrite’ then ‘Always use this action’. Your FTP client will now replace your old WordPress files with fresh new copies. If your WordPress files were corrupted, this step will fix the internal server error for you.
