– Corrupted files in WordPress installation.
– Corrupted database
– Issues with database server
– Corrupted .htaccess file and PHP memory limit.
– third-party plugins and themes
– Exhausted PHP memory limit on your server.
– Wrong file or folder permissions.
Above are possible causes of 500 internal server errors, One of the most common causes is a corrupted .htaccess file. In this guide, we will discuss on specifically .htaccess file.
What is a .htaccess file ?
The .htaccess file is a small text file that provides instructions to the server on how to handle aspects of website. If this file is corrupted, your site will not be able to function properly.
Create a new .htaccess file
Fortunately, fixing this problem is not too difficult and you can do it simply by creating a new .htaccess file. To do this:
1. Log into cPanel account.
2. Navigate to the Files section and click on File Manager.
3. If you only have one domain, the .htaccess file will be in the home folder. If you have multiple domains, select the affected domain and you will find its .htaccess file in the top-level folder for that domain.
4. If you can’t see the .htaccess file, it’s probably hidden. To make it visible, click the Settings button at the top right of the cPanel screen and when the dialog box opens, check the Show hidden files (dotfiles) option. The .htaccess file should now appear in the list of files.
5. Now you can see .htaccess file. the next step is to rename it. Do not delete it, instead, right-click on the file and rename it to something like .htaccess-old.
6. Now try to view your website in your browser. If your website looks normal and there is no 500 internal server error notification, the issue has been resolved.
7. To complete the task of creating a new .htaccess file, you need to log in to your website’s WordPress admin panel.
8. When logged in, navigate to Settings > Permalinks.
9. On the Permalinks page, scroll to the bottom and click the Save Settings button. Doing this, without making any changes to the permalink settings, will create a new .htaccess file that works correctly.
A corrupted .htaccess file might not have been the cause of your internal server error. If your website continues to display the 500 internal server error notification, the next steps are to increase the PHP memory limit and, if that doesn’t work, deactivate all your plugins and reactivate them one at a time to see if any are causing the issue.
Also Read : How To Increase The Memory Limit Of PHP and WordPress?