The "White Screen of Death" (WSOD) is a common issue in WordPress that can occur due to various reasons. When it happens on a WordPress Multisite installation, it can be a bit more complex to troubleshoot. Here are steps you can take to address this issue:
-
Enable Debugging:
In your
wp-config.php
file setWP_DEBUG
totrue
:php
-
define( 'WP_DEBUG', true ); define( 'WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false );
This will display any PHP errors. Check if there are any error messages displayed on the screen.
-
Check for Plugin Conflicts:
Disable all plugins by renaming the
plugins
folder insidewp-content
(e.g., toplugins-old
). Then, enable them one by one to identify if a specific plugin is causing the issue. -
Check for Theme Issues:
Switch to a default theme (like Twenty Twenty-One) to see if the issue is related to the theme. If the site loads, it indicates a problem with your theme.
-
Check File Permissions:
Ensure that the files and directories have correct permissions. Incorrect permissions can cause issues. Generally, folders should be set to 755, and files should be set to 644.
-
Check Memory Limit:
Multisite installations may require more memory. Increase the memory limit in your
wp-config.php
file:php -
define( 'WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M' );
-
Check
.htaccess
file:Make sure your
.htaccess
file is correctly configured for a Multisite installation. You can compare it with a fresh WordPress Multisite.htaccess
file. -
Check
wp-config.php
:Ensure that your
wp-config.php
file is correctly set up for Multisite. It should have the following lines:php
-
define( 'MULTISITE', true ); define( 'SUBDOMAIN_INSTALL', false ); define( 'DOMAIN_CURRENT_SITE', 'yourdomain.com' ); define( 'PATH_CURRENT_SITE', '/' ); define( 'SITE_ID_CURRENT_SITE', 1 ); define( 'BLOG_ID_CURRENT_SITE', 1 );
Adjust the above constants according to your setup.
-
Check for Database Issues:
Sometimes, database corruption or misconfiguration can cause issues. Use a plugin
WP-DBManager
to repair and optimize the database. -
Check Server Logs:
Look at your server's error logs. They might contain information about what's causing the issue.
-
Check for PHP Version Compatibility:
Ensure that your server is running a compatible version of PHP for your WordPress and its plugins/themes.
-
Contact Hosting Provider:
If none of the above steps work, consider reaching out to your hosting provider for assistance. They might be able to identify any server-specific issues.
Remember to take backups before making any major changes, especially if you're modifying core files or the database. This way, you can easily revert to a working state if something goes wrong.