My site shows a 500 error

A 500 is the server saying your application stopped and did not say why to the visitor. It is almost always the last thing that changed.

1. Read the error log

Sites → your site → Statistics → Access and error logs. The newest entry names the file and the line. That one line usually is the answer — a missing function, a syntax error, a call to something that no longer exists.

2. Think about what changed

A plugin update, a theme edit, a PHP version change, an edited config file. If the site was fine an hour ago, the cause is in that hour.

3. Undo the most recent thing

Disable the plugin you just updated, or restore the file you just edited. If you cannot reach the admin area, rename the plugin's folder over SFTP — WordPress disables a plugin it cannot find.

4. Check the PHP version

Code written for an older PHP can stop dead on a newer one. Sites → your site → PHP shows the current version and lets you move it back while you fix the code. ⚠️ Moving back is a breathing space, not a fix — old PHP versions stop getting security patches.

5. Out of memory

If the log says "allowed memory size exhausted", the site needs more memory than it has. Raise the PHP memory limit on the same PHP screen.

If the log is empty and the site still 500s, open a ticket with the exact time — we can see things in the server logs that a site's own log never receives.