Critical Error on Website After Recent Changes Need Help Diagnosing

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  aliwavehub · Member · May 5, 2026 at 5:38 pm

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  Hi everyone,

  I’m currently facing a critical issue on my WordPress site. When I try to open the website, it shows the message:

  “There has been a critical error on this website.”

  I’m unable to access the frontend properly, and sometimes the wp-admin area is also affected.

  Here are the details:

  • Website platform: WordPress
  • Theme: Kadence
  • Recent changes (if any): [mention if you installed/updated any plugin or theme]
  • Hosting: [hostinger]

  What I’ve Tried:

  • Cleared browser cache
  • Checked hosting panel (no clear error shown)
  • Enabled debug mode
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  ayeshafusionhub · Member · May 5, 2026 at 6:45 pm

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  I had a small issue at first, but I fixed it like this:

  1. Extract the files again
  2. Disable antivirus temporarily
  3. Run setup as admin

  After that, the game worked perfectly

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  bnnshop35 · Member · May 5, 2026 at 6:52 pm

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  Hi,This usually happens due to a plugin or theme conflict in WordPress.

  Try this:

  • Rename the plugins folder from wp-content to disable all plugins
  • If the site works, then one plugin is causing the issue
  • Also check wp-content/debug.log to see the exact error

  Most likely it’s a recent plugin update causing this.

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  businessinstagram509 · Member · May 5, 2026 at 7:02 pm

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  “I faced a similar issue recently on my WordPress site, and in my case it was a PHP version mismatch on hosting. After switching the PHP version and checking the debug log, the exact error became clear and I was able to fix it.

  I’d definitely recommend checking wp-content/debug.log—it usually points directly to the plugin or file causing the issue.”

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  ayeshafusionhub · Member · May 6, 2026 at 6:23 pm

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  I understand how frustrating this “critical error” message can be, especially when it affects both the frontend and wp-admin.

  Here’s a step-by-step approach that usually works for me when I face this on client sites:

  1. Rename the plugins folder via FTP/Hosting File Manager
     Go to /wp-content/ and rename the plugins folder to something like plugins_old. This will deactivate all plugins at once. Then try accessing the site.
  2. Switch to a default theme
     Inside /wp-content/themes/, rename your Kadence theme folder temporarily. WordPress will fall back to a default theme. This helps identify if the theme is the cause.
  3. Enable Debug Log properly
     Add these lines to your wp-config.php file (before /* That's all, stop editing! */):textdefine( ‘WP_DEBUG’, true ); define( ‘WP_DEBUG_LOG’, true ); define( ‘WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY’, false );Then check /wp-content/debug.log — this will give you the exact error details instead of the generic message.
  4. PHP Memory Limit
     Sometimes it’s simply a memory issue. Try adding this to wp-config.php:textdefine( ‘WP_MEMORY_LIMIT’, ‘256M’ );

  I was dealing with a similar issue on one of my projects at 788win-game.com.pk, and step 1 helped isolate a conflicting plugin. Please try these and let us know what error shows in the debug log, so we can guide you more specifically.

  Hope this helps!

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  staff-sjclaen · Staff · May 6, 2026 at 6:56 pm

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  It looks like you were able to solve this on your end, so I will close the topic. If you need help with anything else, feel free to let us know!