White Screen – Has your screen gone completely white for no apparent reason?
Here are some of the potential issues and what you can do to resolve them.
The White Screen of Death, as the name implies, is a white screen that appears on your screen when something is wrong with your system’s hardware or software components.
A White Screen of Death, unlike a Blue or Black Screen of Death, is usually not accompanied by an error code or status such as ‘Something Went Wrong.’
This makes it more difficult to identify the exact problem and apply the appropriate troubleshooting methods.
Below, we will discuss how to fix wordpress white screen of death, the potential causes of this issue, and troubleshooting methods that will assist you in permanently resolving the issue.
What Does White Screen of Death (WSoD) Mean?
In IT, the term “white screen of death” (WSoD) refers to a specific error that occurs in Apple operating systems and other technologies, causing the user screen to go white.
It is similar to the Microsoft Windows “blue screen of death” error.
Tecplusmore Explains White Screen of Death (WSoD)
The WSoD error can be caused by a number of factors.
This white screen may appear on an Apple device as a result of a drop, the failure of some hardware components, operating system issues, or various types of freezing up.
In some cases, the user may see a white screen with an Apple logo instead of a plain white screen.
Reinstalling the operating system, rebooting, and fully charging the device are some solutions to this error.
Many users, however, advise taking the device to an Apple Store for analysis and/or repairs.
Other technologies where the WSoD error may occur include the WordPress platform, where users may see a white screen due to issues with WordPress operations in some cases.
How to Fix the WordPress White Screen of Death
One of the most common WordPress errors is the white screen of death.
It’s also one of the most aggravating because there’s no error message and you’re locked out of WordPress.
Another issue with the white screen of death error is that it may only affect a portion of your website.
For example, you may only see the white screen of death within the WordPress admin area while everything else functions normally. In other cases, you may only see it on a single post while everything else works normally.
Make sure you have a backup of your WordPress site before making any changes to it.
Why Do You See the White Screen of Death in WordPress?
The majority of the time, a white screen of death indicates that a script on your website has reached its memory limit.
Your WordPress hosting server will either kill the unresponsive script or it will simply time out.
This is why no error message is displayed and you only see a blank white screen.
Instead of a blank white screen, you may occasionally see a critical error message.
It’s the same error whether you see a blank screen or the message “There has been a critical error on your website.”
This error can also be caused by a poorly coded theme or plugin on your site.
It can happen if there is a problem with your web hosting server.
Because the white screen error can be caused by a variety of factors, it requires methodical troubleshooting to resolve.
Does the problem occur on your other sites?
If you have other WordPress sites installed on the same hosting account, you should first check to see if the problem is present on those sites as well.
If it is, it is a clear sign that something is wrong with your WordPress hosting service. This could be a temporary issue affecting their service, and you should contact their support for further assistance.
If, on the other hand, the problem only occurs with one website or a specific section of that website, you know that the problem is with that specific website.
Fixing White Screen Error with WordPress Recovery Mode
WordPress may be able to detect the white screen of death error if it is caused by a WordPress plugin or theme.
Because of the new fatal error protection feature introduced in WordPress 5.2, you may not even see a white screen.
Instead, you will see a message indicating that the site is experiencing technical difficulties.
You would also receive an email with the subject ‘Your Site is Having a Technical Issue’ to your admin email address.
This email message will identify the plugin that is causing the error and will include a special link.
This link will take you to the WordPress recovery mode, where you can deactivate the faulty plugin.
However, if you see a plain white screen of death with no email or recovery mode options, you must manually correct the error.
Increasing the Memory Limit
Typically, this error occurs when a script runs out of memory and terminates.
To resolve this, increase the amount of PHP memory available to WordPress.
This will allow the script to use more memory to complete the task at hand.
You can increase PHP memory in WordPress by following the instructions in our tutorial.
Disabling All Plugins
If increasing the memory limit did not help, or if you have a large memory limit, such as 256M or 512M, you should begin troubleshooting.
In our experience troubleshooting this issue, we’ve always discovered that the problem is with a specific plugin or a theme.
Let’s disable all of the plugins now.
If you still have access to the WordPress admin area, go to the Plugins » Installed Plugins page.
Select all of the installed plugins, then click the ‘Deactivate’ button in the ‘Bulk Actions’ drop-down menu.
If you do not have access to the WordPress admin area, you must deactivate all plugins via FTP.
To begin, use an FTP client to connect to your WordPress site.
Once connected, navigate to the wp-content folder and look for the ‘plugins’ folder.
You must now right-click on the plugins folder and select rename.
The plugins folder can be renamed plugins-deactivated.
The plugins folder will now be renamed by your FTP client.
To load all plugins, WordPress looks for a folder called plugins.
When it is unable to locate the folder, it simply deactivates all plugins.
If this resolves the problem, enable one plugin at a time to get to the bottom of the problem.
Once you’ve identified the plugin that’s causing the problem, you can either replace it with a different plugin or report the problem to the plugin’s authors.
Replace Theme with a Default Theme
If the plugin troubleshooting does not resolve the problem, you should consider replacing your current theme with a default theme.
To begin, use an FTP client to connect to your website and navigate to the /wp-content/themes/ folder.
It contains all of the themes that have been installed on your website.
Select your current WordPress theme and save it to your computer as a backup.
Following that, you must remove your current theme from your website.
Delete your theme folder by right-clicking it.
The theme will now be removed from your website by your FTP client.
Now, if you have a default WordPress theme installed on your website, such as (Twenty Eighteen or Twenty Nineteen), WordPress will use it as the default theme.
If you don’t already have a default theme installed, you must manually install it via FTP.
If this resolves the problem, you should take a look at your theme’s functions.php file. If there are extra spaces at the bottom of the file, remove them; this sometimes resolves the problem.
A poorly coded function in your theme’s functions.php file can also result in the white screen of death error.
Consider downloading and installing a fresh copy of your theme from its source.
Enable Debug Mode to Catch Errors in WordPress
If nothing else has worked, the next step is to enable debugging in WordPress.
This allows you to see what kind of errors are being generated.
Simply paste the code below into your wp-config.php file.
1. Define( ‘WP_DEBUG’, true)
2. Define ( ‘WP_DEBUG_LOG’, true )
Once you add this, the blank screen will now have errors, warnings, and notices.
These may be able to assist you in determining the underlying cause.
Even if you don’t see any errors, you should still look at the debug log.
Using an FTP client, navigate to your website’s wp-content folder.
There is a new debug.log file there that contains a log of all errors, notices, and warnings.
Clear WordPress Cache
You may have access to the backend, but the front end of the site displays a white screen of death.
This can be caused by a caching plugin. Simply clear your cache.
Fixing Longer Articles
If you only have a white screen of death on a very long post or page, this little trick may help.
By increasing the recursion and backtrack limits, this trick effectively increases PHP’s text processing capability. You can insert the code below into your wp-config.php file.
- /** Trick for long posts */
- ini_set(‘pcre.recursion_limit’,20000000)
- ini_set(‘pcre.backtrack_limit’,10000000)
We understand that this is a very frustrating error, and we hope that one of the solutions listed above has resolved the problem for you.
What Causes a White Screen of Death?
Most of the time, this error is caused by one of the following factors:
- There is a hardware issue with your device.
- One or more critical drivers (typically the graphics card driver) are malfunctioning. They could be corrupt or simply out of date.
- A background application is interfering with the operation of the system.
- Your computer is missing one or more critical system files.
A faulty Windows update is causing havoc on the system.
Now that we’ve identified the potential causes, let’s look at how to resolve the problem.
1. Check the External Cables
As previously stated, the problem could be related to the hardware.
To ensure that this is not the case, we will first inspect all of the wires connected to the system for any loose connections.
This is the HDMI or VGA cable that is connected to your monitor.
To proceed, press and hold the power button for a few seconds to force shut down the computer.
Check to see if the cables are properly connected after successfully shutting down the computer.
While you’re at it, we recommend unplugging any connected USB peripherals: the problem could be caused by a faulty peripheral.
Restart your computer and see if you still get the White Screen of Death.
2. Update the Graphics Card Driver
An outdated or corrupt graphics card driver is another common cause of the White Screen of Death.
In a nutshell, a driver serves as a bridge between an operating system and the hardware; if it fails to function properly, you will encounter issues when using the relevant hardware/software.
If you have a problem with your graphics card driver, the first thing you should do is update it.
If that does not solve the problem, you can reinstall the driver.
Here’s how you can go about it:
- In Windows search, type Device Manager and click Open.
- Expand the display adapter section in the following window and right-click on your graphics card driver.
- From the context menu, select Update drive.
- Select Search automatically for drivers.
- Once the system displays an updated version of the driver, complete the process by following the on-screen instructions.
Check to see if the White screen problem persists after updating the driver.
If you are, reinstalling the driver from scratch may solve your problem.
3. Rollback a Windows Update
Microsoft releases new updates to improve the operating system and address any issues that users may be experiencing.
However, there are times when a Windows update is buggy, and instead of improving your system’s performance, it worsens it.
If you began experiencing problems after installing an update, that update is most likely to blame.
If this is the case, reverting the update should help you get rid of the White Screen of Death for good.
Here’s how you can undo a Windows update:
- Press Win + I at the same time to open Windows Settings.
- Select Update & Security from the available options.
- In the following window, select Windows Update from the left panel and, on the right, click View installed update history.
- Choose Uninstall updates.
- Now, right-click on the update you want to uninstall and select Uninstall.
- Select Uninstall and follow the on-screen instructions to continue.
If a faulty update was the source of the problem, removing it should resolve it.
However, if you haven’t installed recent updates in a long time, you may be experiencing the problem due to an outdated system.
In that case, we recommend that you take your time installing the pending updates.
4. Disable Background Applications
Any of your background applications could be interfering with the system’s process and causing the error.
In this case, there are several options for dealing with the problem.
If the problem began after you installed a specific application, try uninstalling it and seeing if that solves the problem.
If you are unsure which app is causing the problem, use the Task Manager to disable all unnecessary/third-party applications.
Here’s how it’s done:
- In Windows search, type Task Manager and click Open.
- Navigate to the Processes tab.
- Right-click on the desired applications and select End Task.
- Once all applications have been disabled, try performing the action that was previously causing the error and see if the error persists.
Another option is to boot into Safe Mode with Windows.
Safe Mode starts Windows with only the essential drivers and apps, so third-party apps are not available.
If the problem does not occur in Safe Mode, it is confirmed that a third-party app is to blame.
In this case, try uninstalling all recently installed applications that you suspect are problematic.
5. Run the Hardware and Devices Troubleshooter
You can also identify and resolve hardware issues by using Windows’ built-in troubleshooting utilities.
The Hardware and Devices troubleshooter is a common utility that can scan the system for hardware-related issues, identify problems, and recommend fixes.
If you believe the problem is hardware-related and that fixing the cables hasn’t helped, try running the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter. To resolve the issue, follow the troubleshooter’s recommendations.
Your WSOD Problem Has Been Solved
It is not uncommon for Windows users to encounter black, blue, green, or white screens of death from time to time.
Although the errors themselves provide very little information about what is causing them, there are several troubleshooting methods available to assist you in resolving them.
If all else fails, it is recommended that you notify the Microsoft support team about the problem so that an official fix can be launched.
FAQs
Is a white screen projector good?
In fact, white screens reflect light far better than black screens.
As a result, they end up producing very clear images for the audience.
White projector screens have been around for a long time and are very popular among many users.
White screen on monitor?
However, the main problem could be due to faulty graphics hardware.
The following solutions will assist you in resolving the White screen on a Windows computer: Manually inspect the Graphics Card hardware. Graphics Card Driver Update or Reinstallation
How do you fix a white screen on a monitor?
Ctrl + Alt + Delete will be pressed. Users claim that a keyboard shortcut can be used to resolve the white screen issue.
Several users claim that once the white screen appeared, they simply pressed Ctrl + Alt + Delete to resolve the issue. This keyboard shortcut resolved the issue, so give it a shot.
White Screen Test – How do I check my screen color test?
Simply use your browser to navigate to testmyscreen.com.
Choose a test, then click or touch anywhere on the screen to cycle through the various colours.
What does white drifting screen fortnite mean?
Fortnite players can frequently eliminate the white screen error by restarting the game as a first step. Relaunching Fortnite should automatically log the player into the lobby.
If the white screen error persists, the next best thing to do is to uninstall and reinstall the game.
What does a white blank screen mean?
They are usually caused by hardware failure, but they can also be caused by various software conflicts.
Running a clean boot, updating your graphics driver, unplugging your hardware components, running Windows Update, or uninstalling recent Windows updates can all help you resolve WSOD errors.
Fortnite chapter 3 white screen, what does it mean?
There is currently a widespread white screen error in Fortnite Chapter 3.
Players must restart the game or download new patches to resolve the issue.
Elden ring white screen crash?
If everything else fails to resolve the white screen crash error, the last option is to reinstall the Elden Ring. If the game files are corrupted and cannot be repaired, the Elden Ring must be reinstalled.
Why do I get a blank white screen?
White screen issues are frequently caused by plugins. If you were installing, updating, or working with a plugin at the time of the white screen, that plugin could have caused the issue.
Steps for troubleshooting: Deactivate the plugin you were using prior to the white screen problem.
How do I fix white screen on laptop?
Ctrl + Alt + Delete will be pressed.
Users claim that a keyboard shortcut can be used to resolve the white screen issue.
Several users claim that once the white screen appeared, they simply pressed Ctrl + Alt + Delete to resolve the issue.
This keyboard shortcut resolved the issue, so give it a shot.
Why am I getting a white screen on YouTube?
As we all know, the browsing history and cookies are saved by a default file storage system known as Cache.
The more you browse, the less free space the storage has, which leads to bad experiences like YouTube white screen.
If this is the case, you should immediately clear the YouTube cache.
Conclusion
We hope that after reading our WSOD problem and solution guide, you were able to resolve the issue on your computer.
You will find at least a couple of solutions that may work in your case because we have provided a number of solutions for the problem.
To solve the problem quickly, we recommend that you try each of these solutions one at a time. If none of the solutions work, you should have your computer hardware checked by a professional and any damaged parts replaced.
