A 500 Internal Server Error means the server encountered a problem and couldn’t complete the request, but the problem was too general for the server to give you a more specific code. The browser got a 500 response and that’s all it knows. The actual cause is on the server side, and Loupely captures most of the signals that identify it.
How Loupely helps with 500 errors #
If the 500 error is happening on a specific page or action (a specific URL, clicking a specific button, submitting a form), you may be able to trigger and capture it. Navigate to the page that produces the 500 error, trigger the action, and open the Loupely popup to run a diagnosis before navigating away. The PHP error and Hook Execution data in the capture will often contain the exact line that caused the server-side failure.
If the 500 error affects your entire site including wp-admin, Loupely can’t help directly because there’s no page to capture from. Follow the manual steps below instead.
The 4 most common causes #
Corrupted .htaccess file #
The .htaccess file controls how your server handles requests. A bad plugin update, a failed migration, or manual editing can corrupt it. The fix: access your site’s root directory via your hosting file manager or FTP, rename .htaccess to .htaccess_old, then log into WordPress Admin and go to Settings > Permalinks and click Save. WordPress regenerates a clean .htaccess file automatically. If the 500 error disappears after renaming, the .htaccess file was the cause.
PHP Memory Limit exhausted #
A plugin consumed all available PHP memory mid-request. Add define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M'); to wp-config.php. If the 500 error stops, contact your hosting provider about permanently increasing the PHP Memory Limit.
Plugin or theme fatal error #
The same cause as the White Screen of Death. If the 500 error appeared immediately after a plugin update, deactivating that plugin (via hosting file manager if you can’t reach wp-admin) is the fastest fix. See Site Broke After a Plugin Update for the full walkthrough.
PHP version incompatibility #
Your hosting provider may have updated PHP, and a plugin or theme isn’t compatible with the new version. Check Tools > Site Health > Info > Server for the current PHP version, then check the plugin or theme’s compatibility requirements. Your hosting provider can revert the PHP version temporarily while you update or replace the incompatible plugin.
After identifying the cause #
If the Loupely capture identified a specific PHP file and line number, include that in your developer handoff or plugin support request. It removes the guessing and typically cuts resolution time from hours to minutes.