How to Find the Plugin That Broke Your Site

Your site worked a minute ago. Then you updated something, and the plugin that broke your site has left you with a white screen, a “critical error” message or a layout that has fallen apart. Most of the time the cause is a single plugin or theme. Here is a calm way to find it.

Step 1: Look at what you are seeing

• White screen or “There has been a critical error”: a PHP error stopped the page. WordPress usually emails the site administrator a special recovery link. Check that inbox first.
• Layout broken, button not working: often a JavaScript or CSS conflict. Open your browser console and look for red errors.
• Stuck on “Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance”: an update was interrupted. Delete the file named .maintenance in your site’s root folder.

Step 2: Read the error, do not guess

Turn on logging (without showing errors to visitors) by adding these lines to wp-config.php:

define( 'WP_DEBUG', true );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_LOG', true );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false );

Reload the broken page, then open wp-content/debug.log. Find the last line that starts with Fatal error. The file path in that line usually names the guilty plugin or theme, for example /wp-content/plugins/some-plugin/…. When you are done, turn debugging off and make sure the log file is not publicly readable.

Step 3: Switch the suspect off

Pick whichever option you can reach:

• From the admin: Plugins, then Deactivate.
• From the command line: wp plugin deactivate some-plugin
• From a file manager or SFTP: rename wp-content/plugins/some-plugin to some-plugin.off. WordPress will deactivate it automatically.

If the site comes back, you have found the cause.

Step 4: If you do not know which one it is

1. Deactivate all plugins: wp plugin deactivate --all (or rename the whole plugins folder).
2. If the site works, reactivate plugins in halves. Turn on half of them. If it breaks, the problem is in that half; if not, it is in the other half. Keep splitting until you reach one plugin.
3. Reactivate the rest.

Do this on a staging copy if you can, because a live shop with every plugin off may behave oddly for visitors.

Step 5: If no plugin is to blame

• Theme: switch to a default theme such as Twenty Twenty-Five, for example wp theme activate twentytwentyfive.
• PHP version: a host-side change to PHP can break older code. Check what version is running and what your plugins support.
• Memory limit: “Allowed memory size exhausted” in the log means PHP ran out of memory.
• .htaccess: rename it, then re-save the permalinks to regenerate a clean one.

Step 6: Fix it properly

• Update the plugin, or roll back to the last version that worked.
• Tell the developer, and include the exact error line from the log.
• If two plugins clash, look for a setting that stops them overlapping, or replace one of them.
• Prevent a repeat: back up before updates, and test updates on a staging copy.

Please do not send passwords

If you ask anyone for help, including us, never send your admin password by email, chat or a web form. Share the error message and what changed. If access is needed, set it up securely and remove it afterwards.

Still stuck finding the plugin that broke your site?

If your site is down right now, read about emergency WordPress fixes. If you suspect a third-party plugin, our plugin support can diagnose it and suggest an update-safe fix.