Title: White Screen Last modified: August 20, 2016 --- # White Screen * [xtitan27x](https://wordpress.org/support/users/xtitan27x/) * (@xtitan27x) * [14 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/white-screen-22/) * So I got this white screen of death everybody has been talking about. The problem is there is no way around it. When I deleted some of the code I made sure to copy just in case I deleted the wrong thing. So when I hit update went white. So I hit back and pasted what I copied and hit upload. White again. Went to my website white. I didn’t have that much completed on my website so I decided to uninstall wordpress and start over. Got my new password and logged in. Tried to activate a one of the generic templates “selecta.” Went white again. Please help! I don’t do a lot of business off my site but not having one will hurt me especially with wedding season around the corner. Thanks all. Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 48 total) 1 [2](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/white-screen-22/page/2/?output_format=md) [3](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/white-screen-22/page/3/?output_format=md) [4](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/white-screen-22/page/4/?output_format=md) [→](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/white-screen-22/page/2/?output_format=md) * [esmi](https://wordpress.org/support/users/esmi/) * (@esmi) * [14 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/white-screen-22/#post-2499324) * Try: – switching to the Twenty Eleven theme by renaming your current theme’s folder in wp-content/themes and adding “-old” to the end of the folder name using [FTP](http://codex.wordpress.org/FTP_Clients) or whatever file management application your host provides. * – [resetting the plugins folder](http://codex.wordpress.org/FAQ_Troubleshooting#How_to_deactivate_all_plugins_when_not_able_to_access_the_administrative_menus.3F) by FTP or phpMyAdmin. * Thread Starter [xtitan27x](https://wordpress.org/support/users/xtitan27x/) * (@xtitan27x) * [14 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/white-screen-22/#post-2499330) * The page I even log into now is white screened! Running off of Safari and the newest Firefox. * Thread Starter [xtitan27x](https://wordpress.org/support/users/xtitan27x/) * (@xtitan27x) * [14 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/white-screen-22/#post-2499332) * [http://www.mywebsite.com/wp-admin/](http://www.mywebsite.com/wp-admin/) thats the site they want me to log in to to edit my page * [esmi](https://wordpress.org/support/users/esmi/) * (@esmi) * [14 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/white-screen-22/#post-2499346) * Please re-read the steps I gave above. * [hitmanhannan](https://wordpress.org/support/users/hitmanhannan/) * (@hitmanhannan) * [14 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/white-screen-22/#post-2499479) * I just did what you suggested and it didn’t work. My site is [http://workfromhomechristians.com.au](http://workfromhomechristians.com.au) * the site is up but I can not get into the admin area, it is just white * Thread Starter [xtitan27x](https://wordpress.org/support/users/xtitan27x/) * (@xtitan27x) * [14 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/white-screen-22/#post-2499529) * Ya I am not that lets just say an expert at this so reading all that goes over my head * [esmi](https://wordpress.org/support/users/esmi/) * (@esmi) * [14 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/white-screen-22/#post-2499533) * I’m afraid that this is basic WordPress troubleshooting and, as a site owner, you should know how to upload, rename and delete files or folders using FTP. If you cannot manage this yourself, perhaps you need to try [hiring someone](http://jobs.wordpress.net/)? * [Genek1](https://wordpress.org/support/users/genek1/) * (@genek1) * [14 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/white-screen-22/#post-2499706) * Pretty tough love response. These folks are new. Like me. Until you try messing with the editor/themes and get the white screen of death, you probably have not had a need to use ftp if you are using a WordPress theme through a hosting company like Bluehost. * I also got the white screen today and found myself not able to get into the wp- admin control as well. My whole website went white after altering the code in the theme php editor (Ironically, I was trying to reduce the white space in my twenty eleven theme above and below the header!). However, I went into the cPanel of my hosting company and clicked on FTP session control and was able to change the name of the child theme, as advised earlier. The website was still quite messed up and so I switched themes to the twenty eleven parent, deleted my child theme, and then created a new child theme. No more problems. Hope this plain language helps someone. * [Crystal Snowyn](https://wordpress.org/support/users/snowyn/) * (@snowyn) * [14 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/white-screen-22/#post-2499718) * I’m having similiar White Screen Of Death problem. I’m working on a host I’ve never used before. And it’s Windows hosting, which I am not familiar with. My access is only through Dreamweaver. Using a Mac OS 10.4 (yes, I know: ancient.) * How I installed: uploaded a zip file to the root directory and unzipped it using a cpanel-style interface. This created a wordpress directory. I created the mySQL database manually, and edited wp-config.php manually. Then I did the install. php, and all was okay. I was able to log in, create a new theme, create several pages. * The symptoms: Originally, I was able to view the home page (at [http://mydomain.com/wordpress/home](http://mydomain.com/wordpress/home)), which was the “new” static home page in the Settings:Readings admin area. That was how I built the new theme (making css changes and php changes on Dreamweaver and uploading). Attempts to see other pages gave 404 errors. However, I figured once I put the WordPress index.php in place at root, all would be well. (I had an under-construction page at the root index.php.) However, when I did that, I started getting the White Page of Death. So I tried a bunch of things, namely: * 1) moving the files to the root directory using Dreamweaver “drag it” functionality. More white pages of death throughout. Now even the home page is white screen of death. * 2) deleting the entire wordpress directory and re-unzipping it from the .zip file. More white pages of death. * 3) deleting the files from root, unzipping them on my computer, and uploading them “manually”. More white pages of death. * 4) removing all tables from database, redoing the install.php, and then uploading only the pages from the exported database file. (via an .sql file edited down from the original backup.) Still white pages of death. * I do not have any plugins installed. I even renamed the plugins directory. I have mostly always been able to log in and to access the admin pages. No white screens there. * Ah, yes, I also reactivated the Twenty-Ten theme. Still white screen of death. * Can anyone help? Thanks! * [kmessinger](https://wordpress.org/support/users/kmessinger/) * (@kmessinger) * [14 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/white-screen-22/#post-2499719) * > My access is only through Dreamweaver. * Then something is very wrong (I use DW)). * [http://www.url/wp-admin](http://www.url/wp-admin) * What happens when you try that? * And for ALL – please! Give us a real URL. * [kmessinger](https://wordpress.org/support/users/kmessinger/) * (@kmessinger) * [14 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/white-screen-22/#post-2499720) * > [http://workfromhomechristians.com.au](http://workfromhomechristians.com.au) * I see the admin login just fine. Is there another problem? * [Crystal Snowyn](https://wordpress.org/support/users/snowyn/) * (@snowyn) * [14 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/white-screen-22/#post-2499721) * on [http://www.url/wp-admin](http://www.url/wp-admin) this is fine. I can login and see the admin pages. “By access only through DW”, I meant I do not have telnet access or access to any sort of shell. The hosting service provides only very limited access. * The site is [http://advogadopeter.com/](http://advogadopeter.com/) an additional page should show up as [http://advogadopeter.com/?page_id=9](http://advogadopeter.com/?page_id=9) but this is also white screen of death. As is also: [http://advogadopeter.com/?page_id=12](http://advogadopeter.com/?page_id=12) * I also just saw that WordPress will not write an .htaccess at root directory. I was able to make a .htaccess (for permalinks) in the wordpress directory when I had that. And since this is a Windows platform, that is likely a problem that I don’t know how to solve. I prefer permalinks!! * [kmessinger](https://wordpress.org/support/users/kmessinger/) * (@kmessinger) * [14 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/white-screen-22/#post-2499722) * > The hosting service provides only very limited access. * DW is great for access, etc. * > I prefer permalinks!! * If you are using IIS 7 and have admin rights on your server, you can use Microsoft’s URL Rewrite Module instead. [http://codex.wordpress.org/Using_Permalinks](http://codex.wordpress.org/Using_Permalinks) * With access to the back end have you changed permalinks to the default? Can you see those pages from the page editor? Do the pages have something in common that other pages do not? Is there code on the page when you view source? It is harder to debug from a distance when the site is “under construction.” Maybe you could switch to twenty11 and go live so we can see it? * If all else fails . . . being on a windows server with limited access is a problem. You have tried all the normal debugging. I would try again with a complete “new” install, db, etc. and make sure wp is working with the included themes, out of the box before making any changes. * [Crystal Snowyn](https://wordpress.org/support/users/snowyn/) * (@snowyn) * [14 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/white-screen-22/#post-2499723) * What I meant by “limited access” is exactly that I do not have admin rights/access on the server. The only access I have to the server is via ftp (and I generally use DreamWeaver instead of Filezilla). And as you say, that’s a problem. * My client only needs a “little” site. I wanted to do WordPress so he can change it himself. (Among other things, it’s in Portuguese — which I cannot read!) So I’ve gone ahead and made an ordinary site for him so he’ll have a live, functioning site. * So, thanks for letting me know I’ve already tried pretty much all the debugging strategies. I had never before encountered a white screen of death unless something was wrong in my own PHP code. So, yes, I’ll try a complete new install one of these days, and as you recommend, make sure wp is working with default theme before doing anything more. Then one step at a time. * [Crystal Snowyn](https://wordpress.org/support/users/snowyn/) * (@snowyn) * [14 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/white-screen-22/#post-2499724) * And to answer your other questions, there are only three pages, two with content and one with a form-plus-some-content. All of them displayed white page of death after I started messing around with the reinstalls. The page editor will show the content of the page in the edit window, but clicking on “view page” leads only to white page of death. Before I started messing around with reinstalling, the “view page” led to 404 error for the two not-home pages. I COULD see the home page using the permalink to that page. (Ie, [http://advogadopeter.com/home](http://advogadopeter.com/home)) After the reinstalls and white page of death, I switched to twenty-ten theme and got the same white page for all three pages. This suggests the original install was okay (in wordpress folder), but permalinks got screwed up somehow. Strange that the home page would show up using the permalink, but dicas and the other went to 404 not found. And yeah, working “behind the scenes” with a non-wp index. php file at the root directory does tend to make life difficult. I figured that was why there were 404’s for the two non-home pages. (In other words, in Settings >Reading, I put a static page as home page, namely the one called “home”. In the original install, I COULD see that page with the permalink, but not the other two.) * And thanks for your assistance! Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 48 total) 1 [2](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/white-screen-22/page/2/?output_format=md) [3](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/white-screen-22/page/3/?output_format=md) [4](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/white-screen-22/page/4/?output_format=md) [→](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/white-screen-22/page/2/?output_format=md) The topic ‘White Screen’ is closed to new replies. ## Tags * [screen](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/screen/) * [white screen](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/white-screen/) * In: [Fixing WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/how-to-and-troubleshooting/) * 48 replies * 13 participants * Last reply from: [jhwest](https://wordpress.org/support/users/jhwest/) * Last activity: [13 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/white-screen-22/page/4/#post-2499786) * Status: not resolved ## Topics ### Topics with no replies ### Non-support topics ### Resolved topics ### Unresolved topics ### All topics