Imagine opening your WordPress website and instead of seeing your homepage you see nothing. No error, no text just a blank white screen. This is commonly known as the White Screen of Death (WSOD) in WordPress, and it can be frustrating. But don’t panic! It’s usually caused by simple issues like exhausted memory limits, plugin/theme conflicts, or code errors.
If your website is hosted on cPanel, you have all the tools needed to fix this yourself even without technical skills.

What Is the WordPress White Screen of Death?

The Blank White Screen is when WordPress fails to load due to a critical error but instead of showing an error message, it just shows a white screen. This can happen on the homepage, wp-admin area, or both.

Common Causes of the White Screen in WordPress

1. Plugin or theme conflicts

2. PHP errors (like a bad function in functions.php)

3. Exhausted PHP memory limit

4. Corrupted or missing core files

5. File permission issues

Let’s walk through how you can fix each one using cPanel.

Step-by-Step Fix Using cPanel

Step 1: Log in to cPanel

Start by accessing your hosting dashboard. Look for File Manager, phpMyAdmin, and Select PHP Version or MultiPHP Manager.

Step 2: Disable All Plugins

A faulty plugin is one of the top reasons for a blank screen.

How to disable plugins manually:

1. Go to Files > File Manager

2. Navigate to: public_html/wp-content/

3. Find the plugins folder and rename it to plugins-old

This disables all plugins.

Now, reload your site:

• If it works, one of the plugins was causing the issue.

• Rename the folder back to plugins and rename each plugin inside one by one to find the problematic one.

Step 3: Switch to the Default Theme

A corrupted or poorly-coded theme may cause the site to crash.

To switch themes manually:

1. Go to wp-content/themes/

2. Rename your current theme’s folder (e.g., astra → astra-broken)

3. WordPress will automatically fall back to a default theme like twentytwentyfour if it’s installed.

If no default theme is present, download it from WordPress.org and upload it using File Manager.

Step 4: Increase PHP Memory Limit

WordPress needs a minimum amount of memory to function. If it runs out, it might crash silently.

How to increase it:

1. In File Manager, open wp-config.php (found in public_html)

2. Add this line before the “That’s all, stop editing!” comment:

3. Save the file and reload your website.

Step 5: Enable Debug Mode

To see what’s causing the crash, you can enable debug mode.

Steps:

1. Open wp-config.php

2. Look for this line:

3. Replace it with:

Now, any errors will be logged in a file called debug.log located in wp-content/. Open it using File Manager and look for clues.

Step 6: Repair Corrupted Core Files

If a WordPress core file is missing or corrupted, your site may crash.

To repair:

1. Download the latest version of WordPress from wordpress.org

2. Unzip it on your computer

3. Upload everything except the wp-content folder to your public_html/ using File Manager

4. Overwrite existing files

This replaces core files without touching your content.

Step 7: Check File Permissions

Wrong file or folder permissions can also cause blank pages.

• Files should be set to 644

• Folders should be set to 755

Fix in File Manager:

1. Right-click any file/folder > Permissions

2. Apply the correct values

3. Use “Apply to all subdirectories” if needed

Step 8: Clear Browser and Site Cache

Sometimes the white screen is cached.

• Clear your browser cache

• If you use a caching plugin (like W3 Total Cache), clear it manually from wp-content/cache/ if needed

Still Not Working?

If none of these steps solve it:

• Review the debug.log file again

• Restore a recent backup if available

• Contact your hosting provider they can check for deeper server issues

Tips to Prevent the White Screen in the Future

• Always test new plugins and themes on a staging version of your site

• Don’t edit functions.php directly unless necessary

• Keep WordPress, plugins, and themes updated

• Use backups regularly (many cPanel hosts offer automatic backups)

• Monitor PHP limits, especially if you have a large site

Final Thoughts

The WordPress White Screen can feel like a dead end, but with the right steps in cPanel, you can track down and fix the issue quickly. Whether it’s a plugin conflict, theme error, or memory limitation, most causes are easy to resolve even for non-technical users.
By understanding the common reasons and using cPanel’s tools wisely, you stay in control of your website and avoid panic the next time the screen turns white.