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The standard WordPress debug log is wp-content/debug.log. It is created only when WP_DEBUG is enabled and WP_DEBUG_LOG is enabled (or set to a custom path). To record problems without showing PHP warnings to visitors, place these constants in wp-config.php, above the “That’s all, stop editing! Happy blogging.” line:
define( 'WP_DEBUG', true );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_LOG', true );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false );Then retrieve the file with your host’s file manager, SFTP, or SSH. A missing entry does not prove that nothing failed: PHP and web-server logs are separate sources and may contain failures that never reach the WordPress log.
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For a conventional WordPress installation, the file is in the content directory:
/wp-content/debug.logThe file is written only while WordPress debugging is configured correctly. WP_DEBUG_LOG is a companion to WP_DEBUG; setting the former while leaving the latter disabled does not start logging. WordPress documents the default location as /wp-content/debug.log and allows WP_DEBUG_LOG to contain a valid custom file path instead. See the WordPress debugging documentation.
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When the file is not in wp-content
Check wp-config.php for a definition such as:
define( 'WP_DEBUG_LOG', '/var/log/my-wordpress-debug.log' );In that case, use the configured path rather than looking for wp-content/debug.log. The path may be relative to the WordPress installation or an absolute server path, depending on how it was configured; follow the value shown in your file exactly.
What “critical error log” means in practice
WordPress does not create a separate universal file named “critical-error.log.” A critical error shown by WordPress is commonly associated with a PHP fatal error, and the details normally appear in debug.log when WordPress debugging is active. If the fatal error occurs before WordPress can initialize, look in the hosting account’s PHP error log and, when relevant, its web-server error log.
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How to enable WordPress logging
Use this configuration for diagnosis when you need a record but do not want diagnostic text inserted into page HTML:
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- Make a backup of
wp-config.phpbefore editing it. - Open the file in the WordPress installation’s top-level directory.
- Insert the three
define()statements below the database and other configuration values, but above the line that says “That’s all, stop editing! Happy blogging.”:
define( 'WP_DEBUG', true );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_LOG', true );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false );- Save the file and reproduce the problem once. For example, load the failing page, submit the form, or repeat the administration action that triggered the warning.
- Retrieve
wp-content/debug.log, or the custom path specified byWP_DEBUG_LOG.
WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY set to false keeps warnings, notices, and other diagnostic output out of the response sent to visitors while logging continues. This is preferable whenever a site must remain usable during diagnosis. WordPress’s official configuration guidance is available in the debugging handbook.
Development and production considerations
WordPress describes its debugging tools primarily as development and staging tools. Enable verbose logging for the shortest practical troubleshooting window, collect the evidence you need, and then turn it off. Leaving debug mode active can fill storage with repeated notices and can expose implementation details if display settings or file permissions are wrong.
Where to open or download the log
You do not normally read debug.log from a public web address. Use an authenticated server-access method instead.
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Host file manager
- Sign in to the hosting control panel.
- Open the file manager and navigate to the directory containing
wp-config.php. - Open
wp-content, then selectdebug.log. - Use the editor for a quick inspection or download the file and open it in a text editor that handles large plain-text files.
If logging uses a custom path, navigate to that location rather than the content directory.
FTP or SFTP
- Connect with the account and server details supplied by your host; prefer SFTP when it is available.
- Open the WordPress installation directory and then
wp-content. - Download
debug.logfor local searching, or open it with the client’s text-viewing function. - For a custom
WP_DEBUG_LOGpath, browse to the configured directory.
SSH
With shell access, change to the configured directory and use a pager or text-search command supplied by your server environment. Do not make the log executable or edit entries in place; copy it first if you need to annotate evidence.
WordPress.com
WordPress.com’s Site Logs documentation says its site logs record PHP errors and web-server requests. If you create custom WP_DEBUG_LOG or error_log files there, the documentation directs you to retrieve them with SFTP or SSH. The dashboard’s site-log view and a custom file are therefore not necessarily the same stream.
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Which WordPress log should you read?
Use the source that matches the layer where the failure occurs. A plugin warning may be visible in the WordPress debug file, while a request rejected by the web server may appear only in server logs.
| Log | Typical location or access | What it can show | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| WordPress/PHP debug log | wp-content/debug.log or the path set in WP_DEBUG_LOG |
PHP errors, warnings, notices, and messages sent through PHP’s error_log() while WordPress debugging is enabled |
A plugin, theme, WordPress hook, or PHP-level problem that reaches WordPress |
| Host PHP error log | Hosting dashboard, file system, or provider-specific location | PHP failures that may occur outside the normal WordPress debug-file workflow | The site shows a fatal error but debug.log is empty, or the failure happens during early PHP startup |
| Web-server log | Managed-host dashboard or the Apache/Nginx request and error-log locations | Requests, routing failures, server responses, and web-server errors | 404/5xx responses, rewrite or routing issues, blocked requests, and failures before PHP handles the request |
Paths and dashboard names for PHP and web-server logs vary by provider. A managed WordPress host may expose both streams in one interface, but they remain different evidence sources.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to read a WordPress log entry
Start at the newest entries generated immediately after you reproduce the problem. A useful reading order is:
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- Timestamp: establish when the event occurred and match it to your test.
- Severity: distinguish a
Fatal errorfrom aWarning,Notice, or another level. A fatal error generally stops the affected request; a notice may indicate a compatibility or coding issue without stopping the page. - Message: read the full text, including the undefined function, missing class, invalid argument, or other specific condition.
- File and line: note the path and line number. The named file often identifies the plugin, theme, or core component involved.
- Stack trace: follow the sequence of calls to see how the request reached the reported line. The first third-party component in the trace is a useful investigation lead, not automatic proof of responsibility.
After recording the original entry, reproduce the failure again and compare only the new lines. This separates the event you are investigating from old, repeated notices. Treat repeated messages as clues and confirm that they occur during the request that actually fails before changing code or disabling a component.
Example of a practical investigation
- Clear your immediate working view by downloading the current file or moving to its end.
- Record the time, URL or administration action, and the account or browser action that triggered the problem.
- Perform that action once.
- Refresh the log and isolate entries with the matching timestamp.
- Identify the component path, then check whether the same component appears in the surrounding stack trace.
- Repeat once after the suspected change. A different error may indicate that the first issue was only the earliest failure.
What to do when debug.log is missing or empty
| Symptom | Likely explanation | Next check |
|---|---|---|
No file appears in wp-content |
WP_DEBUG is not true, WP_DEBUG_LOG is disabled, or logging points elsewhere |
Inspect both constants in wp-config.php, including any later definition that overrides an earlier one, and check for a custom path |
| The site fails but the WordPress file remains empty | The failure occurs before WordPress logging starts or is recorded by the host instead | Open the host PHP error log, then the web-server error log |
| The file exists but does not change | Your test did not reach the failing code, or the server cannot write to the configured location | Reproduce the exact request, verify the configured path, and ask the host to confirm log-write permissions and PHP configuration |
| Entries appear but not on the page | WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY is false |
Read the file; hidden browser output is expected with this safer setting |
| Only old entries are present | The current request generated no new message, or you are reading a rotated or different file | Note the file path, check its modification time, and compare it with the host’s PHP and web-server logs |
When requesting help from a host, provide the timestamp, request URL, severity, and the relevant message rather than publishing the entire file. This gives support enough context to locate the matching server request while limiting disclosure.
Protect logs and disable debugging after diagnosis
A log can contain file-system paths, plugin names, request details, and data included in error messages. Do not make debug.log reachable through a normal public URL. The wp-config.php handbook warns that publicly accessible log files are a security risk and recommends placing logs above the public root when possible. If that is not possible, restrict access and permissions.
Quick Recap
- Keep
WP_DEBUG_DISPLAYset tofalsewhile collecting evidence on a live site. - Use an authenticated file-manager, SFTP, or SSH session rather than a browser URL.
- Remove or protect old logs after preserving the lines needed for the incident record.
- Set
WP_DEBUGandWP_DEBUG_LOGback to their normal production values when troubleshooting is complete. - Check that a custom path is outside the public document root whenever your hosting layout allows it.
A quick decision path
- Need a WordPress/PHP message? Enable
WP_DEBUGandWP_DEBUG_LOG, leave display disabled, reproduce the issue, and read the configured file. - Need to know why a critical-error page appears? Check the newest fatal entry in the WordPress debug file; if none exists, move to the host PHP log.
- Seeing a 404, 403, or 5xx response without a PHP entry? Inspect the web-server request and error logs.
- Using WordPress.com? Start with Site Logs, then use SFTP or SSH for custom log files as described in its documentation.
- Finished? Disable verbose debugging and secure or remove the log.
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