A 500 Internal Server Error means something went wrong on the web server while it was trying to process your request.
Unlike errors such as 404 Not Found or 403 Forbidden, a 500 error does not identify one specific problem. It is a general server-side error that can be caused by website code, configuration files, plugins, permissions, PHP errors, resource limits, or other server issues.
In many cases, the website owner or hosting provider will need to investigate the server logs to determine the exact cause.
What Causes a 500 Internal Server Error?
A 500 error can occur for several reasons, including:
- Incorrect
.htaccessrules - PHP errors or fatal application errors
- WordPress plugin or theme conflicts
- Incorrect file or directory permissions
- PHP memory limits being exceeded
- Server resource limits
- Missing or corrupted website files
- Incorrect PHP configuration
- Web server configuration problems
- Database or application errors
- ModSecurity or firewall-related issues
The exact cause can vary significantly depending on the website, application, and hosting environment.
How to Fix a 500 Internal Server Error
1. Refresh the Page
Start by refreshing the page.
A temporary server or application problem may sometimes cause a 500 error that resolves on its own.
Wait a few moments and reload the page before trying additional troubleshooting steps.
2. Try Another Page on the Website
Visit the website’s homepage or another page.
If only one page returns a 500 error, the problem may be related to that specific page, script, plugin, or application function.
If the entire website is affected, the problem may be related to the server or website configuration.
3. Clear Your Browser Cache
A 500 error is usually generated by the server, but clearing your browser cache can help eliminate outdated cached content as a possible cause.
After clearing the cache, reload the website and try again.
4. Try a Private or Incognito Window
Open the website in a private or incognito browser window.
If the website works normally there, cached files, cookies, or an existing browser session may be contributing to the issue.
5. Try Another Device or Network
Try accessing the website from another computer, phone, browser, or internet connection.
If the error occurs everywhere, the problem is most likely on the website or server rather than your local device.
6. Contact the Website Owner
If you are a visitor and the 500 error continues, contact the website owner or administrator.
Because a 500 error normally indicates a server-side problem, there may be little you can do from your browser to resolve it.
What If You Own the Website?
If you own the website, server logs should usually be your first place to look.
Website owners should investigate:
- Web server error logs
- PHP error logs
- WordPress debug logs
.htaccessconfiguration- File and directory permissions
- PHP memory limits
- PHP version compatibility
- Plugins and themes
- Database connectivity
- Recent website or server changes
The server logs will often contain a more detailed error message that identifies the script, file, plugin, or configuration responsible for the problem.
Check Your .htaccess File
On Apache web servers, an incorrect or corrupted .htaccess file is a common cause of 500 errors.
Problems may include:
- Invalid directives
- Broken rewrite rules
- Unsupported configuration options
- Incorrect security rules
- Syntax errors
If the error started after editing your .htaccess file, temporarily restore the previous version or reverse the recent changes.
WordPress users can also temporarily rename the .htaccess file to determine whether it is causing the error.
Check WordPress Plugins
If the website uses WordPress, a plugin conflict or PHP error can cause a 500 Internal Server Error.
If the error started after installing or updating a plugin, temporarily disable that plugin and test the website again.
If you cannot access the WordPress dashboard, plugins can often be disabled through FTP, SFTP, SSH, or your hosting file manager by renaming the plugin directory.
Check the WordPress Theme
A broken or incompatible WordPress theme can also cause a 500 error.
If the problem began after installing, updating, or modifying a theme, temporarily switch to a default WordPress theme to determine whether the theme is responsible.
Check PHP Errors
PHP errors are one of the most common causes of 500 Internal Server Errors.
Examples include:
- Fatal PHP errors
- Missing PHP extensions
- Unsupported PHP functions
- PHP version incompatibility
- Syntax errors
- Application exceptions
Review the PHP error log for messages that occurred at the same time as the 500 error.
Check the PHP Memory Limit
A website can return a 500 error when a PHP application exceeds its available memory.
You may see an error similar to:
PHP Fatal error: Allowed memory size exhaustedIf this occurs, you may need to increase the PHP memory limit or determine why the application is consuming excessive memory.
Simply increasing the memory limit may temporarily resolve the problem, but unusually high memory usage can also indicate a poorly configured plugin, theme, or application.
Check File and Directory Permissions
Incorrect permissions can prevent the web server or PHP process from reading or executing required files.
Common permissions on many Linux hosting environments are:
- Directories:
755 - Files:
644
The correct values can vary depending on the server configuration, so verify the requirements for your hosting environment.
Avoid using 777 permissions unless you fully understand the security implications.
Check File Ownership
Incorrect ownership can also prevent website files from being accessed properly.
This commonly happens after:
- Server migrations
- Manual file uploads
- Backup restorations
- Command-line maintenance
- Moving files between hosting accounts
Confirm that website files and directories are owned by the correct system user and group.
Check Your PHP Version
Applications, WordPress plugins, and themes may require a specific PHP version.
A website that works on one PHP version may return a 500 error after being switched to an incompatible version.
If the problem began after changing PHP versions, review the application requirements and your PHP error logs.
Check Server Resource Limits
Hosting accounts and servers may limit resources such as:
- PHP memory
- CPU usage
- Process limits
- Execution time
- PHP-FPM workers
- File descriptors
If the website is exceeding its available resources, requests may fail and generate server errors.
Review your hosting resource usage and server logs for signs of resource exhaustion.
Check ModSecurity and Firewall Rules
Web application firewalls such as ModSecurity are normally designed to return a 403 response when blocking a request, but certain application or server configurations can result in unexpected server errors.
Review your ModSecurity audit log and web server error log if the problem occurs only during a specific action, such as saving a WordPress page, submitting a form, or uploading a file.
If a legitimate request triggers a security rule, create the narrowest possible exclusion rather than disabling the entire firewall.
Check the Database Connection
Some applications may return a 500 error when they cannot communicate properly with their database.
Check:
- Database server availability
- Database hostname
- Database username and password
- User privileges
- Database connection limits
- Application configuration files
WordPress typically displays a separate database connection error, but plugins and custom applications may instead return a generic 500 response.
Check Recent Website Changes
If the 500 error appeared suddenly, think about what changed immediately before the problem started.
Recent changes may include:
- Installing or updating a plugin
- Updating a theme
- Changing PHP versions
- Editing
.htaccess - Changing server settings
- Restoring a backup
- Updating application code
- Changing file permissions
Temporarily reversing the most recent change can often help identify the cause.
What’s the Difference Between a 500 and 503 Error?
A 500 Internal Server Error means the server encountered an unexpected problem while processing the request.
A 503 Service Unavailable error usually means the server or application is temporarily unable to handle the request, often because of maintenance, high traffic, or unavailable backend services.
In simple terms:
500: Something unexpectedly failed while processing the request.
503: The service is temporarily unavailable.
What’s the Difference Between a 405 and 500 Error?
A 405 Method Not Allowed error means the server understands the request, but the HTTP method being used is not permitted.
A 500 Internal Server Error means the server encountered an unexpected error while processing an otherwise valid request.
Still Getting a 500 Error?
If you continue receiving a 500 Internal Server Error, contact the website owner or hosting provider.
When requesting assistance, include:
- The affected domain name
- The exact URL producing the error
- What you were doing when the error occurred
- The approximate time of the error
- Any recent website or server changes
- A screenshot of the error, if available
The exact time of the error is especially useful because it allows support staff to compare your report with entries in the web server and PHP logs.
Need Help With Your Charter Hosting Website?
If your website is hosted with Charter Hosting and you are experiencing repeated 500 errors, our support team can help investigate the problem.
Sign in to the
Charter Hosting Client Area
and
open a support ticket
with the affected domain name and a description of the issue.
We’ll help determine whether the 500 error is being caused by WordPress, PHP, file permissions, server configuration, resource limits, security rules, or another hosting-related problem.
