WordPress Troubleshooting Guide

WordPress issues can range from minor visual or caching problems to serious failures that affect website availability, sales, or customer interactions. This guide provides a systematic starting point for identifying and resolving common WordPress problems.

Create Backups

Before making troubleshooting changes, create a backup of the WordPress website. This provides a restore point if a troubleshooting step causes an unexpected problem.

Virtuozzo Application Management provides a dedicated Backup and Restore add-on that can create scheduled backups as well as on-demand snapshots. Backup data is stored in a separate storage container outside the WordPress environment, helping preserve it even if the WordPress container is damaged or corrupted.

Enable Debugging

WordPress has a built-in debugging system that can log errors and warnings. Debugging is disabled by default, so enabling it is often the first step when investigating slow performance, broken plugins, crashes, or other unexpected behavior.

Using the WP Debugging Plugin

If you can still access the WordPress admin panel, go to Plugins, search for WP Debugging, install it, and activate it. The plugin automatically applies the required debugging configuration.

Enable Debugging Manually

Alternatively, edit:

/var/www/webroot/ROOT/wp-config.php

Use the platform File Manager or connect to the WordPress container via SSH. Add the following just before the standard “stop editing” line:

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

WordPress creates the log file at:

/var/www/webroot/ROOT/wp-content/debug.log

Reproduce the original problem so the relevant error is written to the log. Once the exact message is known, it can be used to research the corresponding solution.

Clear Cache

If recent site changes are not visible, an outdated cached copy may be displayed. First force a full browser refresh with Ctrl + F5 on Windows or Cmd + Shift + R on macOS. If necessary, clear the browser cache manually.

If a WordPress caching plugin is installed, clear its cache as well. With LiteSpeed Cache, use Purge All from the quick-access menu or open LiteSpeed Cache > Toolbox.

Check for Plugin and Theme Conflicts

Recently installed or updated plugins and themes can conflict with WordPress or with each other. The recommended troubleshooting approach is to temporarily disable all plugins and switch to a default WordPress theme.

1. Go to Plugins.
2. Select all plugins.
3. Choose Deactivate from Bulk Actions and click Apply.
4. Check whether the problem is resolved.
5. If it is resolved, re-enable plugins one at a time and check the website after each activation.

If the problem continues with all plugins disabled, go to Appearance and activate a default WordPress theme such as Twenty Twenty-Five.

If the default theme resolves the problem, either troubleshoot the original theme further, contact its developer, review available updates and known issues, or consider switching to another theme that is compatible with the current plugins and WordPress version.

Check for Updates

Outdated WordPress core files, plugins, or themes can cause compatibility, security, and performance problems. Check the WordPress Dashboard for update notifications and use the Updates page to install available updates.

Check Site Health

Open Tools > Site Health. WordPress reports information about site performance, security, and configuration and highlights recommendations or critical issues that may require attention.

Refresh Permalinks

If posts or pages return 404 errors, refresh the permalink configuration. Go to Settings > Permalinks and click Save Changes without modifying the current settings.

Update .htaccess File

A damaged or incorrectly configured .htaccess file can cause issues such as 500 Internal Server Error or redirect loops.

1. Using the platform File Manager or SSH, locate:

/var/www/webroot/ROOT/.htaccess

2. Rename it to something such as .htaccess_old. This disables the file while preserving a backup.

3. Go to Settings > Permalinks in WordPress and click Save Changes without changing anything.
4. WordPress generates a new .htaccess file with its default rules.
5. If this fixes the problem, delete .htaccess_old. If not, restore the original file by swapping the filenames or contents.

Fix Site URL

Incorrect WordPress URL settings can cause “site not found” errors, redirect loops, or loss of access to the admin panel.

If the admin panel is accessible, open Settings > General and correct both WordPress Address (URL) and Site Address (URL). Both URLs should match exactly and point to the configured custom domain or the default platform domain.

If the admin panel is inaccessible, edit /var/www/webroot/ROOT/wp-config.php through the File Manager or SSH and add the following before the standard “stop editing” line:

define('WP_HOME', 'http://example.com');
define('WP_SITEURL', 'http://example.com');

Replace http://example.com with the correct website URL, including the protocol.

Enable Indexing

If a production website does not appear in search results, check whether WordPress is discouraging search-engine indexing. Go to Settings > Reading and ensure Discourage search engines from indexing this site is unchecked.

Use Security Plugins

Malware or malicious code can cause redirects, unwanted advertisements, or other unexpected behavior. Consider installing a WordPress security plugin to scan for vulnerabilities, remove malware, and provide ongoing protection.

The source lists examples such as Wordfence Security, Solid Security, and Sucuri Security. Install the preferred plugin from the Plugins section, configure it according to its documentation and your requirements, run regular scans, and keep it updated.

Expected Result

By working through these troubleshooting checks systematically, common WordPress issues can be isolated to caching, plugins, themes, outdated components, site configuration, permalink rules, .htaccess, URL settings, indexing, or security problems.

Important Notes

• Create a backup before making troubleshooting changes.
• Enable debugging to capture the exact error, but disable it after troubleshooting.
• Reproduce the problem after enabling debugging so it is written to debug.log.
• When testing conflicts, reactivate plugins one at a time.
• Keep WordPress core, themes, and plugins updated.
• Preserve the old .htaccess file until the new configuration is confirmed to work.
• When correcting site URLs, include the correct protocol and keep WordPress Address and Site Address consistent.