When you experience the “Site is experiencing technical difficulties” error message in WordPress, it might just be a problem with the plugins or theme or the WordPress core files you are using. However, if it is not fixed within 24 hours, then it is a serious issue.
Learning how to fix the site is experiencing technical difficulties and error messages. This is one of the most annoying WordPress error messages and it is quite hard to resolve the problem. Our step-by-step guide will take you through all the necessary troubleshooting steps to solve this common WordPress error.
What does the “The Site Is Experiencing Technical Difficulties” error mean?
Earlier you might have heard of the error “White Screen of Death” in WordPress. It means, you will just see a white screen and nothing will be displayed. This error is similar to “Site is experiencing technical difficulties”. Once after the release of WordPress 5.2, this error is displayed instead of White Screen.
But once you log in to your site. You will be able to see a slightly different message stating “The site is experiencing technical difficulties. Please check your site admin email inbox for instructions.” or you can have a message “There has been a critical error on this website”.
Though it might not be a serious issue, when it comes to websites and thinking about losing your customers then this might scare you. But with a few checking processes you can solve the problem.
When this error appears on your site, it could mean that there is a problem with the code of your site. This means that your website is not displaying properly or has stopped working completely. It can also mean that there are some problems with your hosting provider’s server.
Two methods to fix this issue
1. Fixing Technical Difficulties Error Using Recovery Mode
2. Fixing Technical Difficulties Error Manually
1. Fixing Technical Difficulties Error Using Recovery Mode
Here in this method what happens is that WordPress will send an email to your WordPress admin email address about the cause of the error. But many websites won’t get the email. In that case, you have to check the spam folder even if you couldn’t find the mail then follow method 2.
If you receive a mail, then the subject line will be “Your Site is experiencing a Technical Issue”. This message will be helpful to know what is the cause of the error. The best part of this mail is that you will be provided with the link that puts your website in recovery mode.
For example, let’s assume the message contains that the error is caused due to plugins. So in that mail, you will receive a special link to log in to your website in recovery mode to solve the issue. You have to just click on the link to WordPress recovery mode, which will lead you to the WordPress admin area.
Initially login to your WordPress.
Once you are logged in you will have a notification stating that you are in the recovery mode. Here you will also find a link to move on to resolve the issue.
For instance, we will state that the message tells us one or more plugins are failed to load, and also they will be a link to the plugin page.
Once you click on the link, you will be able to find the mischievous plugin and also you can see which line of code is causing the error. Once found just deactivate the plugin as of now.
Then find a similar plugin for the purpose you installed, or try to get support from the plugin team in order to solve the issue.
Note: The process is the same for the failed themes. You have deactivated it and then added a fresh one to resolve the issue.
Once the issue is addressed, just click on the Exit Recovery Mode button at the top of the page.
This method works if you receive an email and then you can go head to working on your website. If it doesn’t work then move on to the next method.
2. Fixing Technical Difficulties Error Manually
If you haven’t received the mail about what caused the error, then it’s in your hand to find and troubleshoot the technical difficulties in WordPress.
Suppose you have done any action on your website, and that caused an error, then immediately undo the action you performed in order to solve the issue.
Then for example, if any recently added plugin caused the issue, then it’s important to deactivate the plugin. In further steps let’s see how to fix the error manually.
Plugin Conflict
One of the common reasons for technical difficulties in WordPress is conflict plugins. The best way to solve the issue is to remove the plugin. But the problem is you don’t have access to enter your admin area and you are not sure which plugin to deactivate. It is just that you have to deactivate all the plugins, but nothing to worry you can reactivate the plugins easily once you get access to the admin area.
Use FTP client or WordPress or file manager of your WordPress hosting control panel to connect to your website. Once connected, move on to /wp-content/plugins/ folder.
Inside the wp-content folder, you will be able to see the plugins folder. Just right-click on the plugins folder and select the Rename option from the menu. Next, change the plugin’s name as you wish. For example, plugins-off.
Once renamed all your plugins will be deactivated, then move on to your WordPress website to see if the technical difficulties message has disappeared. If the message is no longer available then the issue is due to plugins.
Note: If the message still appears on the screen, then the issue is not due to plugins. So you have to rename the folder as plugins again and then follow the below steps.
However, if the error is due to plugins, then the next step is to find which plugin is causing the error.
To find out that, start by renaming the folder as plugins, and then log in to your WordPress admin area and move to Plugins>>Installed Plugins page. Here on this page, you have to reinstall the plugin one by one to check the faulty plugin.
Once you found out the fault plugin just remove the plugin from your website using FTP, or you can get support from that particular plugin team to solve the conflict.
Theme Conflict
If the problem is not due to plugins, then the next step is to check if your theme is causing the error. In order to do so, change your theme with the default theme.
Use FTP client or WordPress or file manager of your WordPress hosting control panel to connect to your website. Once connected, move on to /wp-content/themes/ folder. Here you will find all the installed themes for your WordPress website.
First, you have to right-click on your current theme and download it to your system for backup.
Then right-click on your current theme to click the Delete menu. The FTP client will delete all your themes.
Now if you have a default WordPress theme on your website, then WordPress will automatically start using the theme, and if you don’t have any default theme then you have to install manually using the FTP client.
Once done if you don’t find technical difficulties on screen, then the problem is caused due to your theme. So you have to install a fresh copy of your theme or try to get any technical support from the team.
You can fix this error in another way using the themes functions.php file. If you find any extra space at the bottom of this file, just remove the extra space. At times this method also works.
Reinstall WordPress
Upon checking the plugins and themes, even if you are facing technical difficulties, then the cause may be due to corrupted WordPress core files or any malware on your website.
In that case, go to WordPress.org and download the WordPress to your system. After downloading the file, unzip it into your system. This will create a folder named WordPress which contains all the files that you need to reinstall.
Next, use the FTP client or file manager to connect to your WordPress website.
Once connected to your website, you need to move to your root folder. Only this folder contains the wp-admin, wp-content, and wp-includes folder.
Then move to your left pane of the WordPress which you just created. Now select the files which you want to upload to your website.
Now your FTP client will popup by asking whether you want to Overwrite or Skip files. You have to click the Overwrite option and then click the check box “Always use this option”.
Finally, click the Ok button to continue the process. Now your FTP client will replace all your core WordPress files with the new WordPress file.
Once completed, visit your website and check if the issue is resolved. If no longer the message is displayed then the problem is due to core WordPress files or any malware on your website.
In case the issue is not solved yet, then just follow the next step.
Contact Hosting Provider
Once you have tried all the above steps and are still facing the “The site is Experiencing Technical Difficulties” message then just seek help from your hosting provider.
They will give complete support to resolve the issue. The Hosting Provider can check whether the issue is caused due to the server, and log issues or they can completely backup your WordPress site and do further findings. They will guide you step by step and make sure they solve the issue.
Conclusion
If you’ve ever gotten an error message like “The Site is experiencing technical difficulties”, it’s usually because you’ve made a mistake in the code somewhere, either a plugin or theme. The above steps have explained how to fix it.
Hope you got an idea about how to fix “The Site Is Experiencing Technical Difficulties” in WordPress. If you have any queries or suggestions please feel free to comment. Your comments are most welcome.