Is the website down, or just you?
500 Internal Server Error is the server's generic "something went wrong" message. The website received your request but hit an unexpected problem while building the page, such as a bug, a failed database connection or a bad configuration change.
It's a fault on the website's side. Sometimes it affects only one page or one action, such as logging in or checking out.
What you can do
- Reload the page. A one-off glitch often clears immediately.
- Go back and try again if the error came after submitting a form. Check whether your order or payment went through before trying again, to avoid paying twice.
- Clear cookies for the site or try Incognito mode. A corrupted session cookie can cause repeated 500 errors.
- Check if the site is down for everyone with our website checker or its page in our status list.
If you run the website
- Read the application and web server error logs; the real error is there, not on the 500 page.
- Roll back the most recent deployment, plugin update or configuration change if the errors started right after it.
- On WordPress, rename the
pluginsfolder to rule out a broken plugin, and check.htaccess. - Check file permissions, PHP memory limits and the database connection.
Questions
Is a 500 Internal Server Error my fault?
No. It's an error on the website's server. Clearing cookies can occasionally help if a broken session is involved.
How long do 500 errors last?
It depends on the cause. A failed deployment can be rolled back in minutes; a bigger outage can last hours.