# How to Fix “There Has Been a Critical Error on This Website”

> Canonical: https://jethost.com/kb/fix-critical-error-on-this-website-wordpress/ · Last modified: 2026-10-22T09:56:16+00:00

Seeing **“There has been a critical error on this website”** on your WordPress site? It’s alarming, but it’s almost always fixable in a few minutes. The message is WordPress’s way of hiding a fatal PHP error from visitors – usually caused by a plugin, theme, or memory limit. This guide walks through the fixes in order, from easiest to most thorough.

## What the error means

WordPress shows this generic message instead of the raw error to avoid exposing technical details to visitors. The real cause is written to your error log – most often a plugin or theme conflict after an update, a PHP memory limit that’s too low, or broken custom code. WordPress usually also emails the site admin a message titled “Your Site is Experiencing a Technical Issue” with a **recovery mode** link.

## Step 1: Check the recovery email

Look in the inbox of your WordPress admin email. The message names the exact plugin or theme that triggered the error and includes a link to **recovery mode**, where you can log in and deactivate the culprit safely. If you have it, this is the fastest fix.

## Step 2: Read the error log

No email? Find the cause in your logs. Our guide on [finding and fixing PHP errors](https://jethost.com/kb/how-to-find-and-fix-php-errors-logs-and-debugging/) shows where the log lives in cPanel and how to read the line that names the file – it usually points straight at the plugin or theme at fault.

## Step 3: Deactivate plugins and switch theme

If you can’t log in to `wp-admin`, use [FTP](https://jethost.com/kb/category/ftp/) or File Manager: rename the `wp-content/plugins` folder to `plugins-off` to disable all plugins at once. If the site returns, rename it back and re-enable plugins one by one to find the bad one. If a theme is the cause, switch to a default theme (like Twenty Twenty-Four) the same way.

## Step 4: Raise the PHP memory limit

If the log mentions “allowed memory size exhausted”, increase the limit – see [how to change PHP settings and limits in cPanel](https://jethost.com/kb/how-to-change-php-settings-and-limits-in-cpanel/), or raise it from your [WordPress hosting](https://jethost.com/hosting-for-wordpress/) tools. 256M is plenty for most sites.

## JetHost Experts Tip

Take a backup before you start poking around – then you can experiment freely. If the error appeared right after an update, the fix is almost always to roll back or replace the plugin that updated last.

## Need more help?

Still stuck on a white screen? Open a ticket through **Client Area → Support** with the error-log line and our team will get your site back up.