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To debug a WordPress failure without exposing details to visitors, enable WP_DEBUG, write diagnostics to a protected log, and keep display errors disabled. Add the constants to wp-config.php before the “That’s all, stop editing!” line, reproduce the failure, then inspect the newest entries in wp-content/debug.log. Use the file, line number, severity, and first plugin or theme function named in the trace to identify the component that needs testing.
The safe WordPress debugging setup
WordPress debugging has three separate controls, but one of them is the master switch:
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WP_DEBUG_LOG and WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY do nothing unless WP_DEBUG is true. For a live-facing site, the usual diagnostic combination is debugging enabled, logging enabled, and display disabled. The PHP display_errors setting should also be off.
| Setting | What it changes | Safe default while diagnosing a public site |
|---|---|---|
WP_DEBUG |
Turns WordPress debugging and broad PHP reporting on or off. | true temporarily, then restore false. |
WP_DEBUG_LOG |
Sends diagnostics to the default log or a valid custom file path. | true, with protected storage. |
WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY |
Prints diagnostics inside the generated response. | false. |
display_errors |
PHP-level control over printing errors in responses. | Force off with @ini_set( 'display_errors', 0 );. |
Before editing wp-config.php
Back up or use staging
A syntax mistake in wp-config.php can prevent WordPress from loading. Download a copy of the file or create a hosting snapshot first. If the site has a staging environment, perform the first test there and promote only the confirmed fix.
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Choose an authenticated way to reach the files
Use SSH, SFTP, or the hosting provider’s authenticated file manager. Do not assume that a browser request to a guessed log URL is safe: a debug log can contain file paths, SQL details, request data, and other information that should not be public.
Use real PHP booleans
Write true and false without quotation marks. In PHP, the string 'false' is truthy, so quoting it can turn a setting on rather than off.
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Add the constants in the correct location
Open wp-config.php and place this block before the comment /* That's all, stop editing! Happy blogging. */:
define( 'WP_DEBUG', true );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_LOG', true );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false );
@ini_set( 'display_errors', 0 );Save the file, then load the site once to confirm that the configuration still parses. With this setup, WordPress writes to wp-content/debug.log by default while keeping messages out of normal HTML responses.
Use a custom log path when the default location is unsuitable
Instead of true, WP_DEBUG_LOG can be a valid file path. A custom location is useful when the web root is publicly reachable or when your host centralizes logs outside wp-content. The directory must exist and be writable by the PHP process. Keep the path outside public access when the hosting layout permits it, and restrict permissions to the administrators or service account that needs to inspect it.
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define( 'WP_DEBUG_LOG', '/path/managed-by-your-host/wordpress-debug.log' );The exact path is environment-dependent; do not copy the example path literally unless it exists on your server. After changing it, generate a fresh test error and verify that entries arrive in the intended file.
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What each line does
WP_DEBUG: activates WordPress’s debug mode and broad PHP reporting. Without it, the companion constants are inert.WP_DEBUG_LOG: records errors, warnings, notices, and calls made through PHP’serror_log(). A value oftrueselectswp-content/debug.log; a valid path selects that file.WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY: prevents WordPress from placing diagnostics in generated HTML when set tofalse.display_errors: the PHP-level safeguard that keeps server-generated errors from being printed even if another configuration layer would display them.
Reproduce the failure deliberately
A log is useful only when it contains entries from the failing request. After saving the configuration, repeat the exact action that breaks: open the affected page, submit the form, run the Ajax action, call the REST endpoint, or wait for the scheduled task. Record the approximate time and the account or URL involved so you can match the request to the correct log lines.
- Clear your browser’s assumptions about the failure: use a private window or sign out if permissions might change the code path.
- Perform one failing action at a time. Avoid refreshing repeatedly while you are trying to identify the first event.
- For Ajax, REST, and WP-Cron problems, check the log even when the page looks normal; these requests may never render the error in visible HTML.
- Repeat the action once after noting the first result. A repeatable entry is easier to distinguish from an unrelated warning generated by another request.
Find and read wp-content/debug.log
Open the newest entries first
Through SSH, SFTP, or the hosting file manager, open wp-content/debug.log, unless you configured a custom path. Start at the bottom or use your log viewer’s newest-first option. Note the timestamp, severity, file, line number, message, and stack trace.
Understand the information in an entry
- Severity:
PHP Fatal errornormally stops the request; warnings and notices may allow it to continue; deprecations often identify code that needs updating but may not explain the immediate outage. - File and line: the location where PHP reported the problem. It can be a symptom rather than the original cause, especially when the file belongs to WordPress core.
- Message: describes the failed operation, missing class or function, invalid argument, type mismatch, or other condition.
- Trace: shows the calls that led to the failure. The first plugin or theme function in that chain is often the most useful lead.
Do not automatically blame the file named in the final line. A plugin may pass bad data into a core function, so read upward through the trace and identify the first non-core component involved. Compare the timestamp with the action you just performed before changing anything.
Confirm which plugin, theme, or custom code is responsible
Use controlled isolation on staging
Once the log names a component, test the hypothesis in staging rather than making several production changes at once:
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- Make a copy or restore point so you can return to the failing state.
- Deactivate the implicated plugin, or switch to a known-good theme if the trace points there.
- Repeat the same page load, form submission, Ajax call, REST request, or scheduled action.
- Compare the new log entries and response. If the failure disappears, reactivate or switch components one at a time to confirm the boundary.
- Apply the smallest corrective change, update, configuration adjustment, or rollback that resolves the confirmed cause.
Isolation is stronger evidence than a filename alone. A component can appear in a trace because it is the caller, while an incompatible extension, theme hook, or earlier data error is the real trigger.
When the error occurs before normal administration loads
If the dashboard cannot load, use the hosting file manager or SFTP to rename the implicated plugin directory temporarily, or use another server-side method your host provides to disable it. Treat that as a recovery action, not a diagnosis: restore the original name after staging confirms the cause, and avoid deleting files during an investigation.
Diagnose fatal errors and Recovery Mode
WordPress 5.2 introduced Recovery Mode to keep a fatal plugin or theme error from permanently locking users out. When WordPress detects a qualifying fatal, it can pause the faulty component for the recovery session and provide an administrative route to investigate it.
Use Recovery Mode as a way back in
- Use the recovery link delivered by WordPress, if available, to enter the dashboard with the failing component paused.
- Read the newest log entry while the failure is fresh.
- Update, disable, or correct the named component in staging first, then retest the original request.
When development needs the original fatal behavior
Recovery Mode can intercept the fatal that a developer is trying to inspect. In a development environment, the wp-config handbook documents:
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define( 'WP_DISABLE_FATAL_ERROR_HANDLER', true );This keeps the full fatal visible for development diagnosis. Do not enable it casually on a public production site: removing the safety net can leave visitors facing an unrecoverable error instead of a controlled recovery path.
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Keep errors hidden from visitors while collecting evidence
Displaying a stack trace in page HTML can reveal server paths, database details, usernames, request data, and implementation clues. A public site should therefore log diagnostics without printing them:
define( 'WP_DEBUG', true );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_LOG', true );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false );
@ini_set( 'display_errors', 0 );Check both layers. Setting WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY to false controls WordPress output, while display_errors prevents PHP itself from emitting messages. If a hosting control panel or another configuration file overrides PHP settings, verify the resulting behavior with an authenticated test rather than assuming the override was accepted.
Protect the debug log
Why the file is sensitive
wp-content/debug.log may record paths, function names, request context, warnings, and data supplied to failing code. If the file is reachable through the web server, anyone who discovers its URL could read information intended for administrators. Site Health treats visitor-visible errors and logs in potentially public locations as security risks.
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- Inspect logs through SSH, SFTP, or an authenticated file manager instead of linking them from a public page.
- Use a protected custom path outside the public web root when your host supports it.
- Limit file and directory permissions to the accounts that require access.
- Do not paste unredacted log entries into public support forums; remove paths, credentials, tokens, email addresses, and submitted form data.
- Delete or securely archive the log after the diagnosis, according to your organization’s retention policy.
Common debugging situations
The site shows “There has been a critical error”
Keep display errors disabled, reproduce the page request, and inspect the newest fatal entry. Record the file, line, message, and first plugin or theme function in the trace. Use Recovery Mode if WordPress offers it; otherwise isolate the named component in staging or temporarily disable it through an authenticated server method.
The page looks fine, but an Ajax feature fails
Repeat the action and immediately inspect the log. Ajax failures often happen in a separate request, so the diagnostic message may never appear in the page HTML. Match the timestamp to the browser’s request and then test the implicated component independently.
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A scheduled task fails with no visitor-facing symptom
Trigger or wait for the scheduled event, note its execution time, and read the corresponding log entries. Because WP-Cron activity is off-screen, a log is often the only record of a warning or fatal generated by the task.
You see only notices or deprecations
A notice or deprecation is not automatically the cause of a visible outage. Correlate it with the failing request, then look for the first fatal or warning at the same time. If the site works, plan a controlled update or code change rather than suppressing the message blindly.
The log remains empty
- Confirm that
WP_DEBUGis the unquoted booleantrue. - Confirm that
WP_DEBUG_LOGis also enabled and that you are checking the configured path. - Verify the directory and file are writable by the PHP process.
- Generate a fresh, known failing request; an old page load will not create a new entry.
- Check whether the host routes PHP errors to a separate server log or blocks writes to the selected location.
Visitors see PHP errors despite the configuration
Recheck that WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY is the real boolean false, not the string 'false', and that @ini_set( 'display_errors', 0 ); is present. Look for another configuration layer that turns PHP display errors back on. Test with an authenticated request and remove any public output before continuing.
Optional tools for deeper investigation
The basic log is the starting point, not the only diagnostic instrument. For database-query analysis, script and CSS debugging, or code-level work, the official WordPress debugging handbook covers additional options such as SCRIPT_DEBUG, SAVEQUERIES, debugging plugins, automated tests, and step debugging. Enable only the tool needed for the question you are answering, and keep performance-heavy instrumentation on staging whenever possible.
When to move beyond the log
- Use query-focused instrumentation when the symptom is a slow or incorrect database result rather than a PHP exception.
- Use script debugging when a non-minified asset or source-map detail is needed to understand a browser-side failure.
- Use a debugger or automated test when the same code path must be inspected repeatedly with controlled inputs.
Restore production-safe settings
Debugging is temporary. Once the cause is understood and the fix is verified:
- Set
WP_DEBUGback tofalse. - Remove temporary overrides such as
WP_DISABLE_FATAL_ERROR_HANDLERand the PHP display setting. - Delete or securely archive
wp-content/debug.logor the custom log file. - Confirm that visitors no longer receive diagnostic HTML and that the affected request still works.
- Check the file location and permissions so an abandoned log cannot remain publicly readable.
Leaving debug mode enabled indefinitely increases the chance of exposing internals and fills the log with unrelated warnings. The finished state should be a tested fix, no visitor-visible diagnostics, and no casually accessible historical log.
Quick Recap
Quick reference: which approach fits the situation?
| Approach | Errors displayed? | Where evidence goes | Best use | Main caution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Debug on, display on | Yes, in generated responses | Page output and possibly logs | Short-lived local development inspection | Can disclose sensitive details; unsuitable for public traffic. |
| Debug on, log on, display off | No | wp-content/debug.log or a valid custom path |
Controlled diagnosis on a live-facing site | Protect and remove the log after use. |
| Debug off | No debug output | No WordPress debug log from these settings | Normal production operation after the issue is resolved | You lose diagnostic detail until logging is deliberately re-enabled. |
| Recovery Mode | Uses a controlled recovery flow | WordPress log plus recovery notice | Regaining administrative access after a fatal plugin or theme error | It can pause the component, so confirm the fix separately in staging. |
Final diagnostic checklist
- Back up the site or switch to staging before editing configuration.
- Place the constants before the “That’s all, stop editing!” comment.
- Use unquoted
trueandfalse. - Keep
WP_DEBUG_DISPLAYfalse and PHPdisplay_errorsoff when visitors may reach the site. - Reproduce the exact page, form, Ajax, REST, or cron failure.
- Read the newest entry in
wp-content/debug.log, or the configured custom path. - Record severity, timestamp, file, line, message, and the first plugin or theme function in the trace.
- Confirm the suspected component by isolating it one change at a time in staging.
- Protect the log while it exists, then restore production settings and remove the file.
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