How to Fix the 500 Internal Server Error in WordPress

The 500 Internal Server Error is a catch-all server fault that hides the real cause. On WordPress it is most often a broken .htaccess file, a plugin conflict, or exhausted memory.

Reset the .htaccess File

A corrupted rewrite file is the most common trigger.

1. In cPanel File Manager, enable Show Hidden Files.
2. Rename .htaccess to .htaccess_old.
3. Reload the site. If it works, the file was the problem.
4. Recreate clean rules by saving Permalinks in Settings > Permalinks, or paste the default block:

# BEGIN WordPress
RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /
RewriteRule ^index\.php$ - [L]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule . /index.php [L]
# END WordPress

Check Plugins and Memory

1. Rename wp-content/plugins to plugins_off to disable all plugins, then reload.
2. If that fixes it, restore the folder and re-enable plugins one by one.
3. If memory is the cause, add define( 'WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M' ); to wp-config.php.

Read the Error Log

Open Metrics > Errors in cPanel, or check the error_log file in your site directory. It usually names the exact file and line that failed, which removes the guesswork.

Switching to a supported PHP version under Select PHP Version also clears 500 errors caused by deprecated code.