How to Fix The Critical Error in WordPress
WordPress may sometimes show an error message saying, ‘There has been a critical error on this website. Please check your site admin email inbox for instructions.’ It will also include a link to the WordPress debugging guide.
In this guide, we will show you how to fix the critical error in WordPress. We will also talk about what causes this error and how to avoid it.
The critical error in WordPress is an error that stops WordPress from loading all the scripts it needs to work correctly. Previously, this WordPress error resulted in a white screen of death or a fatal error message on the screen. Most beginners didn’t find it very helpful and struggled to resolve the issue on their own.
Since WordPress 5.2, users will now see a generic error message: ‘There has been a critical error on this website. Please check your site admin email inbox for instructions’ with a link to the WordPress debugging guide. It will also send an email message to your WordPress site’s admin email address.
This email includes more details about the plugin or theme causing the error and a link to access your WordPress dashboard in recovery mode. Another variant of this error will only show that your website is facing a critical error. It will not instruct you to check your email address. This can happen because WordPress wasn’t able to load the files it needed to make the recovery mode available or to send the email.
What Causes the Critical Error in WordPress?
The critical error in WordPress is generally caused by a malfunctioning plugin, script, or code that prevents WordPress from functioning correctly. Due to the malfunctioning code, WordPress is unable to load the files it needs. If you recently copied and pasted code snippets from a tutorial to your website, they might trigger a critical error. All top WordPress plugins are thoroughly tested, so they are less likely to cause a critical error. However, a conflict with another WordPress plugin or some custom code may trigger the error.
Let’s look at how to fix the critical error in WordPress and get your website back.
Fixing the Critical Error in WordPress
The critical error message itself is not very useful for finding and fixing the issue’s cause. Luckily, WordPress also sends an email to the admin email address of your website.
Many WordPress websites are not configured to send emails using SMTP. Due to this reason, they may not get an email despite WordPress telling them that it has sent an email. Similarly, some WordPress sites may only see the critical error message without instructions to check the email. That’s because WordPress wasn’t able to load files it needed to send an email or make recovery mode available.
If you are among those users, don’t worry. We will show you how to fix the critical error even without the email. On the other hand, if you received the WordPress technical issue email notification, then we will show you how to make sense of it and use it to bring your website back.
Fixing the Critical Error With WordPress Debugging Email
First, you need to visit the inbox for your website’s WordPress administration email address. Are you unsure which email address you used as the admin email? It is the email address you provided when installing WordPress.
If your site is on Bluehost or you used a WordPress auto-installer, your admin email address will likely be the same one you used for your WordPress hosting account. You will see an email in your inbox with the subject line, ‘Your Site is Experiencing a Technical Issue.’ Inside it, you will find more helpful information about what caused the critical error on your WordPress website.
Critical error caused by a WordPress theme
The email also includes a unique link that will allow you to log in to your WordPress website in recovery mode to investigate and fix the issue. At the bottom of the email, you will see even more detailed information about the error, including the specific file and code that triggered it. Now, you just need to click on the link to WordPress recovery mode, which will take you to your WordPress admin area.
You will be asked to log in to continue. Once you are logged in, you will see a notification telling you about the critical error, what caused it, and a link to where you can go to fix it.
WordPress recovery mode dashboard
If you click the link, it will show you the problem plugin. It will also show you exactly which line of code caused the error. You can go ahead and deactivate the plugin for now by clicking on ‘Deactivate’. Then you can simply look for an alternative WordPress plugin or see if you can get support from the plugin developers.
Similarly, you will see a link to the Themes page if the problem lies with your theme. At the bottom of the page, it will say which theme is causing the issue. You can change your WordPress theme. Alternatively, you can delete the broken one and reinstall a fresh copy of it from the official source to see if that resolves the issue.
Once you have addressed the issue, click on the ‘Exit Recovery Mode’ button at the top. In most cases, your WordPress website would now start working normally.
