If your website displays “There has been a critical error on this website” after an update, start with the plugin or theme you just updated. A compatibility issue or incomplete update may be preventing WordPress from loading, including the dashboard.

You can often regain access by temporarily disabling the affected component. Here is how to find it and recover safely.

Before you start: Back up your current files and database through your hosting account. Avoid immediately restoring an older backup, especially on a store: it could overwrite recent orders, submissions, or content.

1. Check whether you can still log in

If the dashboard works, deactivate the recently updated plugin under Plugins → Installed Plugins and check the site again. For a theme issue, temporarily activate a compatible default theme under Appearance → Themes.

If you cannot log in, check your administration email inbox for a WordPress Recovery Mode message. Its login link may let you access the dashboard and disable the affected plugin or switch themes.

Recovery Mode only pauses faulty code for your recovery session. After making the change, exit Recovery Mode and check the public website.

No access and no recovery email? Continue below.

2. Enable debugging to find the cause

Open your hosting File Manager, such as cPanel File Manager, or connect through SFTP. Locate your website’s WordPress folder, often public_html, and download a copy of wp-config.php before editing it.

Find the comment beginning “That’s all, stop editing” and insert this code above it. If these settings already exist, edit them instead of adding duplicates:

define( 'WP_DEBUG', true );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_LOG', true );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false );
@ini_set( 'display_errors', 0 );

Save the file, reload the page showing the error, then open wp-content/debug.log using the same file connection.

This records errors without displaying them on your pages. The log itself can contain sensitive information, so have your host restrict access and keep debugging temporary. See WordPress’s debugging instructions.

Look for the newest Fatal error, Uncaught Error, or Parse error entry. For example, an error might reference:

wp-content/plugins/example-plugin/includes/start.php

That points to example-plugin as a starting point for investigation. A path under wp-content/themes/ points toward theme code. The named component may also depend on another plugin, so the path alone does not establish the underlying cause.

If no log appears, ask your host to check the server’s PHP error log.

3. Disable the affected plugin without dashboard access

Using File Manager or SFTP:

  1. Open wp-content/plugins/.
  2. Rename the suspected plugin’s folder, for example from example-plugin to example-plugin-disabled.
  3. Try logging in to WordPress again.

Renaming stops WordPress from loading the plugin from its original location. If that plugin caused the failure, access should return. Its features will remain unavailable while it is disabled.

While the folder is still renamed, visit Plugins → Installed Plugins. WordPress can then record the missing plugin as inactive. Restore the folder’s original name afterward, refresh the Plugins screen, and confirm it remains inactive. Renaming it back too soon can bring the error back.

WordPress documents manual plugin deactivation in its troubleshooting guide.

If the same error persists, review the latest log entry rather than renaming unrelated folders.

4. If a theme update caused the error

Activate a compatible, known-working theme through the dashboard or Recovery Mode. An installed default WordPress theme is a useful temporary choice.

Your layout may change, but switching themes does not delete your posts or pages.

If neither login method works, ask your host to activate a fallback theme. Simply renaming the active theme folder is not a guaranteed fix, particularly when a child theme depends on it.

5. Fix the problem before reactivating

Keep the affected plugin or theme inactive while you check its release notes and support forum. The next step depends on what failed:

  • A corrected release is available: Install it and test on a staging copy of your site first.
  • The update was incomplete: Reinstall a clean copy from WordPress.org or the original developer, following their instructions. Do not casually delete a plugin through the dashboard; some remove stored data during uninstallation.
  • The latest release introduced the error: Ask the developer whether a rollback is safe. An update may have changed the database, so restoring older files alone may not be enough.

Check PHP, WordPress, and dependency requirements too. If you need a full backup restore, confirm how recent data will be preserved before proceeding.

Once your site is working again

Check more than the homepage. Test the dashboard, important pages, forms, and any checkout or booking functions. Clear relevant caches and check the site while logged out.

Set WP_DEBUG and WP_DEBUG_LOG back to false, keep error display disabled, and remove the troubleshooting log after securely saving anything needed for support.

Before the next update, take a fresh backup and test significant changes on staging. If the error remains unresolved, send your host or the plugin/theme developer the exact fatal error, what you updated, and what happened when you disabled it. That gives them something concrete to investigate.