Experiencing a critical error on your WordPress network site can be frustrating, especially when traditional troubleshooting methods don’t seem to work. However, with some strategic troubleshooting and careful adjustments, you can often pinpoint the root cause of the issue and implement a solution. In this guide, we’ll explore one such scenario where disabling themes and renaming plugins folders failed to resolve the critical error, and how adjusting theme-related settings proved to be the key to fixing the issue.

I had access to the network site, but when I disabled the themes, it didn’t fix the issue. It also didn’t work to change the name of the plugins folder, which generally eliminates the possibility of the problem being in a broken plugin. I was able to fix it by going into settings and changing several settings to the name of a new theme: template, stylesheet, and current_theme

Identify the Critical Error: The first step in resolving any critical error on your WordPress network site is to identify the specific nature of the problem. Critical errors can manifest in various ways, including white screens of death, error messages, or complete site unavailability. In this case, despite attempting to disable themes and rename plugins folders, the issue persisted, indicating that the problem might be related to the site’s theme configuration. You can switch the debug mode to true by opening the section of the wp-config.php file that contains debugging settings.

define( ‘WP_DEBUG’, false );

Set that to true.

Strategic Troubleshooting: When traditional troubleshooting methods fail to resolve a critical error, it’s essential to take a more strategic approach. In this scenario, since disabling themes and renaming plugins folders didn’t yield results, it’s time to focus on the theme-related settings. One effective strategy is to access the site’s settings and review the theme-related configurations.

Adjusting Theme Settings: Access the WordPress dashboard of your network site and navigate to the theme settings. Look for options related to the theme template, stylesheet, and current theme. These settings determine which theme files are loaded and displayed on your site. In some cases, discrepancies or errors in these settings can lead to critical errors.

Implementing the Solution: Once you’ve identified the theme-related settings, carefully review them for any inconsistencies or inaccuracies. If necessary, make adjustments to ensure that the settings accurately reflect the theme you intend to use. In this scenario, changing the template, stylesheet, and current theme settings to match a known stable theme can often resolve the critical error.

Testing and Verification: After implementing the changes to the theme settings, it’s crucial to test the site thoroughly to ensure that the critical error has been resolved. Visit different pages, perform various actions, and monitor for any signs of recurrence of the error. If the site functions as expected without any errors, it indicates that the issue has been successfully resolved.

Conclusion: Encountering a critical error on your WordPress network site can be a challenging ordeal, but with the right troubleshooting approach and persistence, most issues can be resolved effectively. By strategically reviewing theme-related settings and making necessary adjustments, you can often address critical errors that persist despite conventional troubleshooting methods. Remember to test the site thoroughly after implementing changes to verify that the issue has been resolved satisfactorily.