Updating WordPress should make your website safer and more reliable. But sometimes, an update causes the opposite.
Your homepage might stop loading. Your layout could suddenly look different. A contact form might disappear, or your entire website could show a blank screen.
If your WordPress website broke after an update, don't panic or immediately reinstall everything. Most update-related problems can be fixed once you identify what changed.
Here's how to find the problem, restore your website, and prevent similar issues in the future.
1. Check what stopped working
Before changing anything, find out how much of your website is affected.
Try opening your homepage, a few internal pages, and your WordPress admin dashboard.
Look for these common problems:
- A completely blank or white screen
- A message saying there has been a critical error
- Broken images or missing page sections
- Contact forms that no longer work
- A checkout page that won't load
- An error when accessing
/wp-admin
If only one feature stopped working, the problem may be connected to a specific plugin.
If your entire website is down, the cause could be a plugin conflict, theme error, PHP incompatibility, or a failed update.
Tip: Write down the exact error message and when the issue started. This makes troubleshooting much easier.
2. Make a backup before changing anything
Even if your website is already broken, take a backup before attempting repairs.
A backup protects the current database, uploaded files, themes, and plugins. It also gives you a way to return to the current state if troubleshooting makes things worse.
You can usually create or download a backup through your hosting provider.
If your host offers automatic backups, check whether a recent restore point is available.
Don't restore the site immediately unless necessary. A full restoration may overwrite orders, contact submissions, customer accounts, or content added since the backup was created.
For an online store, this is especially important.
3. Identify the plugin that caused the error
Plugin conflicts are a common reason WordPress websites stop working after updates.
If you can still access your dashboard, open Plugins → Installed Plugins.
Check which plugins were recently updated. If you know which update caused the issue, start there.
Disable the suspected plugin temporarily and check whether your website works again.
If your dashboard is unavailable, you can use your hosting file manager or SFTP connection.
Find the plugin folder inside:
wp-content/plugins/
Rename the suspected plugin's folder temporarily. WordPress will no longer be able to load that plugin.
Check your website again.
If it starts working, you've found a likely cause.
Avoid disabling every plugin at once on a live store unless necessary, because doing so can interrupt payments, subscriptions, shipping calculations, and other important features.
4. Check whether your theme is causing the problem
Sometimes an update doesn't break WordPress itself. Instead, it exposes a problem with your theme.
For example, an older theme may use functions that are no longer supported by the installed PHP version.
You might notice:
- Missing headers or footers
- Broken navigation menus
- A page layout that suddenly changes
- PHP warnings appearing on your website
- Fatal errors involving theme files
If possible, test the problem on a staging website before changing your live theme.
Temporarily switching to a default WordPress theme can help determine whether your active theme is responsible.
However, switching themes may change layouts, widgets, menus, and other settings.
If your website has significant customizations, ask a developer to check the errors before changing the live theme.
5. Check your PHP version
WordPress relies on PHP to run.
Your hosting provider may update PHP automatically, or you may have upgraded it yourself.
Unfortunately, older plugins and themes sometimes contain code that doesn't work correctly with newer PHP versions.
For example, a plugin developed several years ago may trigger warnings or fatal errors after a PHP upgrade.
Check the PHP version in your hosting control panel.
Then compare it with the requirements of WordPress and your installed plugins.
If your website stopped working immediately after a PHP upgrade, a compatibility issue is worth investigating.
Temporarily returning to a previously working, still-supported PHP version may help restore access, but it should not be your permanent solution. Outdated PHP versions can create security risks.
The better approach is to update or replace incompatible code.
6. Enable WordPress debugging
If the error isn't obvious, WordPress has a built-in debugging feature.
This can help identify which file or plugin is causing the problem.
Debugging is controlled through the wp-config.php file.
A developer can configure WordPress to write errors to a private log instead of displaying them publicly.
The error log may reveal a specific plugin, theme file, or PHP function that's failing.
Avoid showing detailed debugging errors to website visitors because they can expose information about your server.
Ask your host to restrict access to log files, which can contain private information. Once the problem has been fixed, disable unnecessary debugging and remove unneeded logs.
7. Restore the website carefully
If troubleshooting doesn't solve the issue, restoring a known working backup may be the safest option.
Before restoring, confirm the backup's date.
For informational websites, restoring yesterday's version might be straightforward.
For WooCommerce stores, however, restoring the database could remove recent purchases, customer details, or payment information.
You may need to restore only affected files rather than the entire database.
After restoration, test your website thoroughly.
Check important pages, contact forms, menus, login functions, and checkout processes.
Make sure everything works on both desktop and mobile devices.
8. Prevent future WordPress update problems
WordPress updates are important. The goal isn't to avoid them but to make the process safer.
Here are a few habits worth following:
- Create a fresh backup before major updates.
- Test updates on a staging website when possible.
- Keep plugins, themes, WordPress, and PHP compatible.
- Remove abandoned or unnecessary plugins.
- Review change logs before major updates.
- Check important website features after updating.
- Keep a simple record of what changed.
For more regular maintenance advice, read my monthly website maintenance checklist.
A few minutes of preparation can prevent hours of troubleshooting later.
When should you hire a WordPress developer?
Some update problems are simple. Others involve custom code, database errors, PHP compatibility, or multiple plugins affecting each other.
Professional help makes sense when your website handles payments, bookings, memberships, or important customer information.
It can also save time when you've already tried basic troubleshooting without finding the cause.
A developer should identify the real problem, make a safe backup, fix the issue, and test the website before considering the work complete.
Fix the cause and check the site
A broken WordPress website doesn't always mean something serious has happened.
Often, the issue comes from one incompatible plugin, an outdated theme, or a PHP error.
The important thing is to troubleshoot carefully instead of making random changes.
Start with a backup, identify what changed, check the error logs, and test each fix before moving on.
Need help fixing your WordPress website?
I help businesses troubleshoot broken websites, repair plugin conflicts, improve performance, and maintain WordPress installations.
Explore my website maintenance and fixes service or reach out to discuss what's happening with your site.
