How to Quickly Fix the "HTTP Error 500" in WordPress

WordPress is one of the most straightforward Content Management Systems (CMSs) to use and operate. It’s a surprisingly reliable platform, but that doesn’t rule out the possibility of issues. The HTTP Error 500 in WordPress is one of the most typical problems you may encounter.

The causes of this type of WordPress problem are known, which is one of the benefits. One of several frequent problems could be to blame. If you have faith in your diagnostic abilities, you can quickly resolve the HTTP Error 500 in WordPress.

What Does the HTTP Error 500 Mean?

In WordPress, the HTTP Error 500 is known by a few different names. It’s known as a WordPress Internal Server Error, for example. Whatever you call it, this problem can cause a lot of issues for your website. The HTTP status code 500 is not exclusive to WordPress. So, what does HTTP Error 500 indicate?

How to Quickly Fix the "HTTP Error 500" in WordPress

In summary, your website’s server is informing you that something is wrong, but it isn’t sure what it is. This problem frequently prevents your website from working correctly. Visitors will instead encounter an error notice, the phrasing of which varies depending on the browser.

What Causes the 500 Internal Server Error in WordPress?

HTTP error codes usually provide some insight into what’s causing them. For example, if you get an error 404, it signifies the page you’re looking for isn’t available. The HTTP 500 error in WordPress, on the other hand, isn’t quite as informative. What causes the WordPress 500 internal server error?

There are four main reasons for this issue on your WordPress website, which are:

You may surpass your PHP memory limit on your site. You’ll notice this when trying to enter your admin dashboard or upload a media file.
The .htaccess file of your website has been corrupted. Your server stores critical configurations in the .htaccess file. WordPress may become inoperable if it becomes corrupted.
On your website, there is a plugin conflict. Plugin conflicts arise when two or more plugins’ code clashes with each other, your theme, or the WordPress core. After updating plugins, you may encounter the WordPress Internal Server Error 500.
The problem is on the server’s end. Your server rather than your website may cause the term “internal server error”. As a result, you should be prepared to contact your site host.

The HTTP Error 500 notice doesn’t specify which of these cases applies to your site. You’ll have to attempt a few different remedies. We’ve listed fixes for all of the issues mentioned above and a few more below.

What Causes the HTTP Error 500 in WordPress?

How to Fix the HTTP Error 500 in WordPress

Before you start solving the HTTP Error 500 in WordPress, make sure you have all the necessary tools. These are some of them:

If you have a Virtual Private Server (VPS) or dedicated hosting, you’ll have root access to your server.
An FTP client, such as FileZilla or Cyberduck, and a rudimentary understanding of the protocol.
A text editor for editing your code – this isn’t required, but it will come in useful.
While some counsel suggests waiting a few minutes before trying again. Switching browsers, or double-checking your file rights, we’ll avoid these options. We’ll presume you attempted these before reading this article amid your initial terror.

1. Increase Your WordPress Memory Limit to Fix the HTTP Error 500

Running a website can necessitate significant data transfers to and from your server. You may notice the HTTP Error 500 in WordPress if there isn’t enough PHP RAM to accomplish tasks or run scripts.

Some web servers may cap your PHP memory limit, but you may be able to increase it manually. To do so, navigate to the wp-config.php file on your website. You can open the WordPress root directory by connecting to your site using FTP. Look for the wp-config.php file and choose the editing option once inside.

This will open your default text editor and open wp-config.php. Once you’ve opened the file, look for a line that says ‘WP MEMORY LIMIT’.

Look at the number to the right of that line if it’s there: We recommend a PHP memory limit of at least 64 MB. However, depending on your needs and server capacity, you can go up to 128 or 256 MB.

Keep in mind that your web server may not allow you to manually set the PHP memory limit in sometimes. If this solution does not resolve the issue, you should contact your provider and inquire about your PHP memory limit.

2. Check Your .htaccess File for Errors

Your .htaccess file, which serves as a server configuration file, can be demanding. As a result, it’s frequently the source of problems on your site:

To see if your .htaccess file has been corrupt, do the following:

FTP access to your site’s files
Go to your root folder and look for the .htaccess file.
Renaming it to .htaccess backup is a good idea.
Checking to determine if the problem still exists.

You’ve identified the source of your HTTP Error 500 in WordPress if the problem has corrected itself. You have a few alternatives after that. You can locate the code causing the problem by going through your .htaccess file line by line. Even though the .htaccess file usually is not very big, this might be a time-consuming operation.

Furthermore, if you are unfamiliar with programming, you run the danger of adding new problems. Resetting your .htaccess file is another option. This is straightforward because you just change the contents of your file with the default code from the WordPress Codex. This technique has the drawback of removing any custom settings you’ve made. If you have a recent backup of your site, you could restore the .htaccess file from that version instead.

3. Deactivate and Test Each Installed Plugin to Try to Fix the HTTP Error 500

If neither of the preceding options worked, you might be dealing with a plugin conflict. For example, after updating your plugins, you may have seen an internal server error 500. If you still have access to your WordPress dashboard despite the HTTP error 500. You can manually disable your plugins to test if one of them is causing the issue.

Keep in mind, though, that removing plugins can influence your website’s basic functionality. If clearing all of your plugins fixes the WordPress admin 500 issue, you know it’s one of them. You can now re-enable the plugins one at a time to check which one causes the problem code.

4. Switch Your Default WordPress Image Editor

This solution is less well-known, yet it can help your WordPress website resolve HTTP Error 500. Imagick and GD Library are two image optimization libraries that the WordPress core supports. Imagick is the platform’s default library. It might cause a 500 internal server error in WordPress’ WP admin panel in specific cases.

In some circumstances, switching from Imagick to GD Library as the default image optimization library can assist. In some cases, both libraries are capable of processing any picture you throw at them. So switching shouldn’t have a detrimental influence on your website.

How to switch from Imagick to GD Library?

To enable GD Library, add this code to your functions.php file:

function wpb_image_editor_default_to_gd( $editors ) {
$gd_editor = 'WP_Image_Editor_GD';
$editors = array_diff( $editors, array( $gd_editor ) );
array_unshift( $editors, $gd_editor );
return $editors;
}
add_filter( 'wp_image_editors', 'wpb_image_editor_default_to_gd' );

Yes, it’s just that simple.

Conclusion

If none of the options above worked, you might have to contact your server administrator to run a diagnostic test. Other than that, the above methods should help you clear the HTTP Error 500 notice.

I hope this WordPress tutorial helped you learn the steps to fix the “HTTP Error 500” in WordPress. And for more WordPress, free step-by-step tutorials visit our dedicated WordPress Tutorials section (You can find more tutorials like How to Fix the “Clickable Elements Too Close Together” WordPress Error) and check our WordPress hosting providers guide if you are still looking for a host to start your blog.