How to Fix Error 500 On WordPress with Elementor

Error 500, or the "Internal Server Error", is a generic catch-all error message when something went wrong on the web server hosting your WordPress website, but the server could not be more specific on what the exact problem is. It may be caused by a variety of things such as PHP memory limit, corrupt .htaccess file, plugin or theme errors, or even issues in your WordPress hosting server.

Here are some steps you can take to fix Error 500 on WordPress:

Before proceeding with any of the steps below, completely back up your website. You can use a WordPress backup plugin like UpdraftPlus.

Step 1: Cleaning the Database using WP-Optimize Plugin

1: Install WP-Optimize Plugin

1. Log in to your WordPress Admin area.

2. Navigate to Plugins » Add New.

3. Search for "WP-Optimize".

4. Install and activate the plugin.

2: Optimize your Database

1. Once activated, navigate to WP-Optimize » Database.

2. You'll see a list of potential optimizations, including clearing post revisions, removing transient options, and cleaning orphaned post meta.

3. Click 'Run optimization' next to each item you want to clean up.

4. The plugin will perform the optimization and show a success message when it's done.

Remember, it's essential to back up your database before running any cleanup or optimization tasks.

Step 2: Increasing PHP Memory Limit

Sometimes this error can happen if you are exhausting your PHP memory limit.

1. Connect to your website using an FTP client or File Manager in cPanel.

2. Go to the root folder of your WordPress install (usually it's the public_html folder).

3. Locate the 'wp-config.php' file, right-click and select 'Edit'.

4. Add the following line inside the main PHP tag: define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '128M');.

5. Save and close the file.

Step 3: Deactivate all Plugins

If none of the above solutions worked, the error might be caused by a specific plugin.

1. Using your FTP client or the File Manager, navigate to the /wp-content/ folder.

2. You will see a folder named 'plugins'. Rename the plugins folder to something like "plugins_old".

3. Try reloading your site to see if this resolves the error.

4. If it does, then this means one of the plugins on your website was causing the error.

Now, let's proceed with cleaning the database using a plugin. A good choice for this purpose is the WP-Optimize plugin.

By following these steps, you can fix Error 500 and clean your WordPress database. However, if the problem persists, you may need to contact your hosting provider for further assistance. They can check the server logs and pinpoint the exact cause of the error.