Title: Cannot modify header information – wp-config.php:1
Last modified: August 20, 2016

---

# Cannot modify header information – wp-config.php:1

 *  Resolved [Squid](https://wordpress.org/support/users/karimtahtoandpartnersfi/)
 * (@karimtahtoandpartnersfi)
 * [13 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/cannot-modify-header-information-wp-configphp1/)
 * Let me summarise in full as I have no experience in programming, maybe someone
   here can help me out. Would appreciate it very much.
 * *Warning: Cannot modify header information – headers already sent by (output 
   started at /home/xxxxxx/public_html/wordpress/wp-config.php:1) in /home/xxxxxx/
   public_html/wordpress/wp-includes/pluggable.php on line 881*
 * pluggable.php 881:
 *     ```
       function wp_redirect($location, $status = 302) {
       global $is_IIS; 
   
       $location = apply_filters('wp_redirect', $location, $status);
       $status = apply_filters('wp_redirect_status', $status, $location); 
   
       if ( !$location ) // allows the wp_redirect filter to cancel a redirect
           return false; 
   
       $location = wp_sanitize_redirect($location); 
   
       if ( !$is_IIS && php_sapi_name() != 'cgi-fcgi' )
           status_header($status); // This causes problems on IIS and some FastCGI setups 
   
       header("Location: $location", true, $status);
       }
       endif;
       ```
   
 * Now wp-config usually refers to hidden whitespace at the begining of the file
   or at the end but I have checked this and even inserted new wp-config file so
   the problem can not be there. It has something to do with the latest wordpress
   version and the plugin I installed. I am using the latest version wordpress 3.4.2.
   My site seems to be working just fine but the error prevents me getting in to
   the login page which means I can’t admin at all or uninstall the plugin which
   seems to have triggered this problem. I have checked the wp.config file hunderds
   of times with notepad and HTML-kit tools and there is no visible whitespace at
   the begining nor at the end of the file. I have:
 *  1.Checked the whitespaces from wp-config file with HTML-Kit tools
    2.Downloaded
   and inserted new fresh wp-config file 3 Deleted and then reinstalled the dbc-
   backup-2 directory via ftp 4.Disabled the plugins directory by renaming it
 * …and the error still remains
 * The only thing left for me to try is this code someone posted on wordpress forums
   years ago claiming he had solved this problem by inserting the following code
   to the wp-config.php file:
 *     ```
       <?
       //dont use header function in wordpress-wp_signup.php
       global $domain;
       global $path;
       //change urlnew variable as per requirment
       $urlnew = "http://".$domain.$path."/wp-admin/admin.php; 
   
       echo "<script>";
       echo "location = '$urlnew';";
       echo "</script>";
       echo $urlnew;
       ?>
       ```
   
 * However, I am reluctant to add code as I am not familiar with html or php, do
   not exactly understand how this code functions, do not have detailed instructions
   where to place it exactly and most of all inserting new code on top of a broken
   one doesn’t seem to be good idea or something required to solve the root of the
   problem.
 * I have read more than 50 posts on this topic and the problem seems to be with
   contradicting code in wordpress, printing output (text) to the browser, but then
   for some reason redirecting the user (with wp_redirect) away from that page before
   the whole page is rendered.
 * Any suggestions as I have spent now more than 8 hours straight on this issue 
   and am loosing my patience slowly but surely.

Viewing 7 replies - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)

 *  Moderator [Jan Dembowski](https://wordpress.org/support/users/jdembowski/)
 * (@jdembowski)
 * Forum Moderator and Brute Squad
 * [13 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/cannot-modify-header-information-wp-configphp1/#post-3065327)
 * You may be over thinking this a little. Take a break and when you’ve relaxed 
   a bit (I mean, 8 hours is a long time) please give this a read one more time.
 * [http://codex.wordpress.org/FAQ_Troubleshooting#How_do_I_solve_the_Headers_already_sent_warning_problem.3F](http://codex.wordpress.org/FAQ_Troubleshooting#How_do_I_solve_the_Headers_already_sent_warning_problem.3F)
 * Which I am sure you’ve read already, I’m just trying to be complete.
 * >  *Warning: Cannot modify header information – headers already sent
 * Don’t add code just try this instead.
 * 1 – Make a backup copy of your `wp-config.php` file and put that somewhere safe.
   Really, do that, call the copy `wp-config-SAVE.php` or something you can remember.
 * 2 – With that backup safely in place, copy the `wp-config-sample.php` on top 
   of your existing `wp-config.php` file. _Please make sure that you backup copy
   is in place first_. This will overwrite you old file but that’s alright if you’ve
   got that backup copy safe and sound.
 * 3 – Using the most plain jane text editor you can find, edit the new `wp-config.
   php` file. On Windows I use [notepad++](http://notepad-plus-plus.org/) but there
   are others. On a Mac I would just use vi but I’m sure [TextWrangler](http://www.barebones.com/products/TextWrangler/)
   is good too, I thnk.
 * 4 – In the new `wp-config.php` file carefully edit your details into that new
   file. Carefully without hitting return or pressing space and update just these
   values for now.
 * You can get the values from your backup copy. Don’t copy them, type them into
   the new file by hand.
 *     ```
       define('DB_NAME', 'your-db-name');
       define('DB_USER', 'your-db-user');
       define('DB_PASSWORD', 'your-db-password');
       define('DB_HOST', 'localhost');
       ```
   
 * I’m guessing your `DB_HOST` is localhost but check that too.
 * Once that’s done, see if the `headers already sent` error is still there. if 
   it is take a break and let us know later. 😉
 * If it works, let us know too.
 *  Thread Starter [Squid](https://wordpress.org/support/users/karimtahtoandpartnersfi/)
 * (@karimtahtoandpartnersfi)
 * [13 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/cannot-modify-header-information-wp-configphp1/#post-3065353)
 * Ok. I did it once again and now the whole site went down. I can get it back up
   by using the old wp-config file though. What I get is:
 * Warning: Cannot modify header information – headers already sent by (output started
   at /home/xxxxx/public_html/wordpress/wp-config.php:1) in /home/xxxxx/public_html/
   wordpress/wp-includes/functions.php on line 2540
 * So not much help there. Only thing left is to reinstall?
 *  Thread Starter [Squid](https://wordpress.org/support/users/karimtahtoandpartnersfi/)
 * (@karimtahtoandpartnersfi)
 * [13 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/cannot-modify-header-information-wp-configphp1/#post-3065358)
 * I actually took a completely new sample file and just edited the 3 rows (database,
   username and password) and got back to the original 881 error. So the site is
   up and works but admin panel is beyond my reach.
 * So it can not be in the actual wp-config file. As I said the error occured first
   time nanosecond after I installed the dbc backup2 plugin. It threw me off the
   admin panel and then gave me the error mentioned before. It has to do with the
   plugin install but like I said, I disbled the whole plugin directory by renaming
   it without any results.
 * I’m pretty much out of ideas at this point and so not have good enough php skills
   to start cracking this peanut.
 * Any suggestions?
 * _[ Please do not bump, that’s [not permitted here](http://codex.wordpress.org/Forum_Welcome#No_Bumping).]_
 *  Thread Starter [Squid](https://wordpress.org/support/users/karimtahtoandpartnersfi/)
 * (@karimtahtoandpartnersfi)
 * [13 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/cannot-modify-header-information-wp-configphp1/#post-3065543)
 * This is NOT a bump. This is for those who might be reading this but are as puzzled
   as me. I couldn’t detect BOM with notepad++ or html text kit. However, I had 
   been using filezilla to down- and upload the files but for security reasons changed
   to my c-panel code editor. Still couldn’t find BOM and just to be sure tried 
   to delete any possible and unvisible characters from the file but got no results.
   After readin a bit on the subject I decided to open the file in ansi_x3.110-1983
   and what I did spot was this (I am using finnish version of the file):
 *     ```
       ʼn»¿<?php
       /**
        * WordPressin perusasetukset.
        *
        * T
       ```
   
 * As far as I am concerned these are not exactly the BOM characters usually refered
   to but there clearly is additional characters before <?php. Pretty much all the
   rest of the data in the file is not visible with this character encoding so I
   cant really edit the file either. I will try to get around this issue. At least
   for now I have detected something which complies with the error (wp-config.php:
   1).
 *  Thread Starter [Squid](https://wordpress.org/support/users/karimtahtoandpartnersfi/)
 * (@karimtahtoandpartnersfi)
 * [13 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/cannot-modify-header-information-wp-configphp1/#post-3065578)
 * I finally got it fixed. it was BOM and it couldn’t be detected or fixed by notepad,
   notepad++ or Html Tool-Kit.
 * For anyone getting the “warning: Cannot modify header information – headers already
   sent by (output started at /home/xxxxxx/public_html/wordpress**/wp-config.php:
   1**)…” but can not detect BOM, search for “**FREEWARE HEX EDITOR XVI32**” and
   download it to be 100% sure about it. Notepad, notepad++, HTML tool-kit or whatever
   else programs you might have used DO NOT detect it with 100% guarantee. This 
   would be very much appropriate to update to CODEX troubleshooting as well. Notepad
   DOES NOT detect or rid BOM.
 * More on the subject: [http://blog.scribz.net/2010/12/windows-live-writer-wordpress-unicode-bom-error/](http://blog.scribz.net/2010/12/windows-live-writer-wordpress-unicode-bom-error/)
 * Freeware Hex Editor XVI32: [http://www.chmaas.handshake.de/delphi/freeware/xvi32/xvi32.htm#installation](http://www.chmaas.handshake.de/delphi/freeware/xvi32/xvi32.htm#installation)
 * and NO, this is NOT a bump….
 *  [jccrashed](https://wordpress.org/support/users/jccrashed/)
 * (@jccrashed)
 * [13 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/cannot-modify-header-information-wp-configphp1/#post-3065670)
 * Squid – Great Job!
 * I fought this for quite some time. Into the early morning hours this morning,
   it became almost an obsession to find an expert that didn’t point to NotePad 
   as the only way to find the special characters, or one that didn’t insist that
   the problem was extra spaces after the PHP end tags (over half my PHP docs don’t
   even have end tags).
 * Hex Editor downloaded for future use!
 *  [magicabundance](https://wordpress.org/support/users/magicabundance/)
 * (@magicabundance)
 * [13 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/cannot-modify-header-information-wp-configphp1/#post-3065671)
 * Dear Sir,
    I have multiple problems with my site at [http://www.myglobalspacenet.info.](http://www.myglobalspacenet.info)
   1. I cannot customise the theme ( any theme) as it keeps on rolling and I am 
   unable to change and modify as I wish. 2. I have this problem of the warning 
   statement ‘ Warning: Missing argument 2 for wpdb::prepare(), called in /home/
   lille/public_html/wp-content/plugins/skysa-google-1-app/skysa-required/output.
   php on line 68 and defined in /home/lille/public_html/wp-includes/wp-db.php on
   line 990′ ,on the most top and most bottom of my website, no matter what theme
   I use I still have that following me.
 * 3. The pictures or images that I try to upload from my computer or files are 
   all in black and white. I can’t have nice coloured pictures unless I use the 
   url’s image which I wouldn’t like to do much due to copyright infringement. I
   have tried with almost 10 themes, including the rainbow,the travellers’ blogger,
   the twenty 10,11 and 12 which suppose to be very good too gave me the same problems.
 * Please help me to resolve these matter.
 * Thank you very much .
    Yours sincerely, Li LI

Viewing 7 replies - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)

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## Tags

 * [Cannot modify header information](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/cannot-modify-header-information/)

 * In: [Fixing WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/how-to-and-troubleshooting/)
 * 7 replies
 * 4 participants
 * Last reply from: [magicabundance](https://wordpress.org/support/users/magicabundance/)
 * Last activity: [13 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/cannot-modify-header-information-wp-configphp1/#post-3065671)
 * Status: resolved

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