The 500 Internal Server Error occurs when there is something wrong with website’s server, but the server could not figure out the exact problem.
The error can occur on any browser or in any operating system. It can even occur on your Smartphone. The 500 Error is displayed inside the Internet Browser Window, in the same way as web pages.
If you too have encountered 500 Internal Server Error, there is no need to panic. Here, we list out the ways by which you can resolve this error.
As a matter of fact, the 500 Internal Server Error can occur because of many reasons. It is because each website is allowed to customize the message.
Here are some of the most common errors messages which give because of 500 Internal Server Error:
“500 Internal Server Error”
“Internal Server Error”
“HTTP 500 – Internal Server Error”
“Temporary Error (500)”
“500 Error”
“HTTP Error 500”
“500. That’s an Error”
“HTTP 500 Internal Error”
Cause of HTTP 500 Error
The 500 Internal Server Error occurs when there is a problem with the website’s server. So it is a server-side error, and there is nothing wrong with your computer or Internet Connection.
Fixing HTTP 500 Internal Error
We will try to do the simple things first to correct the 500 Internal Server Error. We will look whether there is something wrong at your end and try to correct it.
- Reload the web page: Most of the time, the issue is only temporarily and can be corrected by trying the page again. You can use the refresh/reload button, pressing F5, or by trying the URL again from the address bar.
- Clear your Browser’s Cache: Sometimes cached version of the page causes HTTP 500 issues. So, clear the cache. It’s an easy and harmless thing to do. So, give it a try. The error might go away, once the cache is cleared.
- Delete your Browser’s Cookies: Sometimes cookies associated with your site cause 500 Internal Server Error. So, remove the cookies, restart the browser, and try again. Hopefully, doing this will solve the error.
- Troubleshoot as a 504 Gateway Timeout error: Sometimes servers show up the message 500 Internal Server Error when the real cause of the problem is 504 Gateway Timeout.
- Check the Error Logs: You should check Apache and PHP error logs for your server. It will provide valuable information regarding any code failures or reasons for a site failure.
- Check .htaccess configuration: It might happen that .htaccess file is interfering with the web page that you are trying to load into your browser. A misconfiguration of .htaccess file can cause 500 Internal Server Error. So, check the .htaccess configuration. You should remove or rename the .htaccess file and then try to reload the web page.
- PHP Coding with Timeout Rules: Sometimes “500 Internal Server Error” occur due to network connections time out. To prevent timeouts and errors, code the PHP scripts with some timeout rules.
- Check your CGI/PERL Script for Errors: Sometimes .cgi or .pl web page produces the 500 Internal Server Error. So you should check your scripts for error. Here, we provide certain guidelines for CGI Script:
Use a plain text editor for editing your CGI Script
Upload your CGI Script in ASCII mode into the CGI-bin directory
Set the file permissions on the CGI Script should be set to chmod 755
Check if the Perl modules that you require for your script is supported
Fixing 500 Internal Server Error in WordPress
500 Internal Server Error is one of the most common errors in WordPress that can put any WordPress user in panic mode. However, the good thing is that it is fixable. We will list all the possible solutions for fixing the internal server error in WordPress.
Plugin or theme functions often cause this problem. It is also caused due to corrupted .htaccess file and PHP memory limit.
Let us learn how to troubleshoot the Internal Server Error in WordPress.
Check the Corrupt .htaccess file
When you get the 500 Internal Server Error in WordPress, you should check for the corrupted .htaccess file. You should rename your main .htaccess file. For this, you have to log in to your site using the FTP. You will find the .htaccess file in the directory which holds the folders such as wp-content, wp-includes, and wp-admin. After renaming the .htaccess file, reload your site to see that the error is solved or not. You should also click on the Save Button on Settings >> Permalinks. It will generate a new .htaccess file and will ensure that your pages do not return a 404.
Increasing the PHP Memory Limit
Sometimes the 500 Internal Server Error occurs when PHP Memory Limit is exhausted.
So, you have to increase your PHP Memory Limit in WordPress and refresh your site to check whether it is causing the Internal Server Error.
For this, you have to open the root directory and locate the wp-config.php file. Then download the file to your computer. You have to open the file in a text editor and add the following code after the opening PHP tag:
define (‘WP_MEMORY_LIMIT’, ’64M’);
Save the file and reload it to the root directory, overwriting the original file. Then you have to refresh your client and refresh your site.
If you don’t see the error, it was due to PHP Memory Limit.
However, you must know that increasing the PHP Memory Limit fixes the problem temporarily. You have to figure out why the memory limit is getting exhausted. It could be due to a poorly coded plugin, or it can be due to theme function. We recommend checking out your server logs to figure out the exact diagnostics.
Deactivate the Plugins
Sometimes it happens that a plugin or a combination of plugins is causing the 500 Internal Server Errors. In this case, you have to deactivate all the WordPress Plugins. If deactivating the plugins fixed the error, then you know that there is a plugin that caused the error. Now, reactivate one plugin at a time to find out the plugin that caused the error. Simply get rid of that plugin.
Re-uploading the Core Files
If deactivating the plugins didn’t fix the internal server error, then you have to consider re-uploading the core files. So, you have to re-upload the wp-admin and WP-includes folder from a new WordPress install. Doing this may solve the problem if any file was corrupted.
Get in touch with your Hosting Provider
If none of the above methods solved the internal server error, then you need to contact your hosting provider. They will drill down the server logs to access the cause of the problem and recommend an appropriate solution.
These were all the possible solutions for fixing the 500 Internal Server Errors. Hopefully, one of the above solutions fixes the problem for you. Do let us know if any of the above solutions helped you to fix the internal server error.
