WordPress Error Messages

Error Establishing a Database Connection

This error means that WordPress is unable to connect to the database. 

Cause: 

• Incorrect database information (database name, username, password, or host). 
• The database server might be overloaded or offline. 

Solution: 

• Check the wp-config.php file to ensure that the database credentials are correct: 

define('DB_NAME', 'your_database_name');   
define('DB_USER', 'your_username');   
define('DB_PASSWORD', 'your_password');   
define('DB_HOST', 'localhost'); 

White Screen of Death (WSOD)

The website displays a blank white screen with no error messages. 

Cause: 

• Problems with a plugin or theme. 
• PHP memory limit has been exceeded. 

Solution: 

• Disable plugins: Rename the wp-content/plugins folder to disable all plugins. 
• Switch theme: Rename the wp-content/themes folder to activate a default theme. 
• Increase memory limit: Add the following line to the wp-config.php file 

500 Internal Server Error

The server cannot process the request correctly and shows this general error. 

Cause: 

• Errors in the .htaccess file. 
• A plugin or theme conflict. 

Solution: 

• Reset .htaccess: Rename the .htaccess file in the WordPress root directory and reload the page to generate a new .htaccess file. 
• Disable plugins and themes as done for the White Screen of Death. 

404 Error – Page Not Found

A page or post is not found, even though it exists. 

Cause: 

• Corrupted or incorrect permalink structure. 

Solution: 

• Reset permalinks: Go to Settings → Permalinks and save the current structure again. This refreshes the permalinks and can fix the issue. 

Memory Limit Exceeded – Error: Allowed memory size of x bytes exhausted"

WordPress or a plugin requires more memory than allocated. 

Cause: 

• The PHP memory limit is too low. 

Solution: 

• Increase memory limit: Open the wp-config.php file and add this line: 
   

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

403 Forbidden Error

The server denies access to a file or page. 

Cause: 

• Incorrect file or folder permissions. 

• A security plugin is blocking access. 

Solution: 

• Check file permissions: Ensure that files have 644 permissions and folders have 755 permissions. 

• Disable security plugin: Deactivate security plugins to see if they are causing the issue. 

429 Too Many Requests

This error occurs when the server receives too many requests in a short time. 

Cause: 

• A plugin or bot is sending too many requests to the server. 

Solution: 

• Deactivate plugins one by one to identify the problem. 
• Contact your hosting provider to increase the request limit if it affects legitimate traffic.