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Plugin troubleshooting: what to try first

By Hannah Voss, Editor · Reviewed September 2026 · 3 min read

Quick answer

When a plugin misbehaves, clear every cache, update everything, then test for a conflict by disabling other plugins and switching to a default theme on a staging copy. Turn on debug logging to capture errors. If the admin is a blank page, use the recovery mode email or rename the plugin's folder over SFTP to disable it.

On this page
  1. Try this first
  2. When the admin is a blank page
  3. Reset a plugin's settings
  4. Performance complaints
  5. Questions

Try this first

  1. Clear caches

    Page cache, object cache, CDN cache and your browser. A surprising share of "broken" settings are cached pages.

  2. Update

    WordPress core, the plugin, the theme and PHP compatibility. Read the plugin's changelog for known issues.

  3. Reproduce

    Write down the exact steps and the page where it happens, logged in and logged out.

  4. Test for conflicts

    On staging, deactivate all other plugins and switch to a default theme. If the problem goes, re-enable one at a time.

  5. Log errors

    Enable WP_DEBUG and WP_DEBUG_LOG and read wp-content/debug.log.

The old knowledge base on this domain had an article titled "try this first before troubleshooting" and a troubleshooting category that attracted links from support threads. The order above is the same advice, current for 2026.

When the admin is a blank page

A white screen or "There has been a critical error" message after activating or deactivating a plugin usually means a PHP fatal error. Since WordPress 5.2, the site emails the admin a recovery mode link that lets you log in with the faulty plugin paused. If the email does not arrive, disable the plugin by renaming its folder in wp-content/plugins over SFTP or your host's file manager; WordPress deactivates a plugin whose folder it cannot find.

// wp-config.php: log errors without showing them to visitors
define( 'WP_DEBUG', true );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_LOG', true );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false );

Reset a plugin's settings

Many plugins offer a way to load default settings. If yours does not, its settings live in the options table; export them before deleting so you can restore them. Resetting is a last resort after conflicts and caches are ruled out.

Performance complaints

If a plugin is blamed for slowness, measure with and without it rather than trusting a single profiler. A query monitoring plugin shows slow queries and remote requests per page, which is usually where the time goes.

Plugin troubleshooting order01Caches clearedfirst02Everything updatedsecond03Conflict test on stagingthird04Debug log readfourth05Recovery or rename folderif admin is down
Most problems end at the first or second step.

Questions

How do I disable a plugin without the dashboard?

Rename its folder in wp-content/plugins over SFTP or your host's file manager, or use the recovery mode link WordPress emails.

Where is the WordPress debug log?

In wp-content/debug.log once WP_DEBUG and WP_DEBUG_LOG are enabled.

How do I find a plugin conflict?

On a staging copy, deactivate all other plugins and use a default theme, then re-enable one at a time until the problem returns.

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Hannah Voss, Editor. Checks every guide against a working WordPress install and the networks' current documentation. Last reviewed September 2026.

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