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- What These Errors Mean (In Plain English)
- First Checks Before Changing Anything
- The Most Common Causes (And Safe Fixes)
- How To Roll Back Safely
- What Not To Do (This Matters)
- When It’s Time to Involve a Professional
- How To Reduce The Risk in the Future
- Is Your Site Still Broken?
- Frequently Asked Questions
If your website suddenly shows a 500 Internal Server Error or the message “There has been a critical error on your website”, it can feel like everything has broken at once.
The good news is that these errors are usually recoverable — and often without rebuilding your site or losing data.
This guide explains what these errors actually mean, the safe steps you can take, and the situations where involving a professional will save you time, money, and stress.
What These Errors Mean (In Plain English)
What A 500 Internal Server Error Is
A 500 error means the server tried to run your site and something failed internally. The server knows something went wrong — it just doesn’t know how to explain it clearly.
Common triggers include:
- A plugin or theme error
- A PHP version mismatch
- A corrupted
.htaccessfile - Exhausted server resources
What “There Has Been A Critical Error” Means
This message is WordPress being slightly more helpful. It usually indicates a PHP fatal error — code that failed badly enough that WordPress stopped loading to protect itself.
Often, WordPress will email the site administrator with more detail, but not always.
Why These Errors Often Appear After Changes
In most real-world cases, these errors show up after:
- Plugin or theme updates
- WordPress core updates
- Hosting or PHP version changes
- Installing new plugins
- Editing files directly
If the timing lines up with a recent change, that’s a valuable clue.
First Checks Before Changing Anything
Before deleting files or disabling half your site, pause and check the following.
Check Whether The Server Is The Issue
Log in to your hosting dashboard and confirm:
- The account is active
- There’s no suspension notice
- Disk space and bandwidth aren’t maxed out
If the server itself is down, no WordPress fix will help until that’s resolved.
Refresh And Test Carefully
- Hard refresh the page
- Try a private/incognito browser window
- Test another page or URL
Sometimes the error is partial rather than total.
Look For The WordPress Recovery Email
If WordPress detected a critical error, it may have emailed a recovery link.
That link can allow temporary admin access even when the site is broken.
If you see it, don’t ignore it — it can save a lot of time.
The Most Common Causes (And Safe Fixes)
Plugin Or Theme Conflicts
This is the most frequent cause.
A plugin update might rely on functions your server doesn’t support, or two plugins may clash.
Safe test:
Disable plugins temporarily using your hosting File Manager or SFTP by renaming the plugins folder.
If the site loads again, you’ve confirmed the cause without deleting anything.
PHP Version Mismatch
Modern plugins often require newer PHP versions.
Older sites may still be running outdated PHP.
Check your hosting control panel and confirm the PHP version is compatible with your WordPress version and plugins.
Changing PHP versions should always be done carefully and one step at a time.
Corrupted Or Invalid .htaccess File
The .htaccess file controls important server behaviour.
A single incorrect line can cause a 500 error.
Safe test:
Rename .htaccess temporarily and reload the site.
If it works, WordPress can regenerate a clean version.
Exhausted Memory Or Resources
Some errors happen simply because the site ran out of memory during a process.
This is common with:
- Page builders
- Backup plugins
- Security scans
- Large imports
Increasing memory may help — but it’s important to understand why memory was exhausted, not just mask the symptom.
Incomplete Or Failed Updates
If an update is interrupted, core files may be left half-written.
This can cause fatal errors even if nothing else changed.
Replacing WordPress core files safely (without touching content or settings) often resolves this.
How To Roll Back Safely
Restore From A Backup
If you have a recent backup from your host or a plugin, restoring it is often the fastest path back online.
This doesn’t mean you’re “giving up” — it’s a stabilisation step.
Undo One Change At A Time
Avoid rolling back everything unless necessary.
If you know which plugin or update triggered the issue, focus there first. Controlled reversals reduce risk.
Avoid Editing Core Files Directly
Direct edits to WordPress core files can make recovery harder and complicate future updates.
If core files are corrupted, replacement — not editing — is the correct approach.
What Not To Do (This Matters)
- Don’t delete WordPress core files in frustration
- Don’t install random “fix scripts” from forums
- Don’t keep refreshing updates hoping it resolves itself
- Don’t ignore repeated errors — they often point to deeper issues
- Don’t disable security permanently just to make the site load
These actions often turn a fixable problem into a larger repair.
When It’s Time To Involve A Professional
If any of the following are true, professional help is usually the calmest option:
- You can’t access the admin area at all
- Errors persist after disabling plugins
- The site contains client data or e-commerce
- You’re unsure which files are safe to touch
- The site is generating income or leads
Most WordPress 500 and critical errors can be diagnosed and resolved within hours, not days — when handled methodically.
How To Reduce The Risk in the Future
Update With Intention
Avoid bulk-updating everything at once on a live site.
Keep Reliable Backups
Backups are not optional — they’re your safety net.
Match Hosting To The Site
Underpowered hosting causes many “mysterious” errors.
Use Fewer, Better Plugins
Every plugin is code. Less code means fewer failure points.
Is Your Site Still Broken?
If you’ve tried the safe steps above and your site is still showing errors, it’s okay to stop.
At that point, continuing to experiment often increases damage rather than solving it.
A calm rescue focuses on:
- Identifying the exact failure point
- Restoring stability first
- Fixing the root cause properly
- Preventing recurrence
If you’d like help with that, reach out — even a short diagnostic can clarify what’s actually going on and what it will take to fix.
Frequently Asked Questions
Most 500 errors are caused by plugin or theme conflicts, PHP version mismatches, corrupted .htaccess files, or exhausted server resources — often after an update or hosting change.
Not exactly. A 500 error is a general server failure.
“There has been a critical error” usually means WordPress detected a PHP fatal error and stopped loading to prevent further damage.
In most cases, no. These errors affect how the site runs, not the database content. With proper handling, posts, pages, and media are usually intact.
Yes — when done via File Manager or SFTP. Renaming the plugins folder is a safe, reversible way to confirm whether a plugin is causing the issue.
Updates sometimes introduce compatibility issues between WordPress, plugins, themes, and PHP. The update itself isn’t “bad” — it just exposed a mismatch.
Yes. Incompatible PHP versions, resource limits, or server misconfigurations are common triggers, especially on low-cost or oversold hosting.
If you can’t access the admin area, errors persist after basic checks, or the site is business-critical, stopping early often prevents a simple issue becoming a larger repair.