Issue
A ‘500 – Internal Server Error’ error can occur while you are trying to save the content on your website. There are multiple possible causes behind this error, such as the memory limit, plugin/theme conflicts, input buffer size, post_max_size, improper file permissions, or an old PHP version.
Solution
There are multiple ways you can try and fix this.
- Ruling out plugin/theme conflicts
- Updating WordPress/themes/plugins
- Checking Security Settings
- Asking Hosting Company to Increase Memory Limit
- Check the PHP Version
Ruling out plugin/theme conflicts
You can check if the error is caused by a plugin or a theme conflict by deactivating each of them one by one for a few minutes. This way, you can see if a plugin/theme conflict is indeed the root of the problem.
Note: This is only for debugging purposes, to see if deactivating the plugins/theme really solves the issue. You do not have to leave the plugins/theme deactivated.
If deactivating a plugin/theme solved the issue, then you should reach out to the developers of the respective plugin/theme and let them know about the error. You can also send them the steps to replicate it.
Updating themes/plugins/WordPress
Make sure the plugins, the theme, and the WordPress version your website is using are all up-to-date. If the error is caused by an outdated plugin/theme or WordPress version, then updating these to the latest versions should solve the issue.
For Thrive Products, please consult our change-log here, to check if you have the latest versions. If not, please update them.
Checking security settings
Sometimes the server firewall or other security settings return the ‘500 – Internal Server Error’ instead of the ‘403-Forbidden’ error. You can check the security settings on your website to see if there is some setting that can block the request of saving the content.
However, if you are unaware of any such settings, or you are not familiar with handling the security settings of your website; then, it is best if you contact the company that provides your web hosting.
Let them know about the error you have encountered and tell them how to replicate it. They should be able to figure out the root of the error and help you with a solution for it as well.
Asking hosting company to increase memory limit
The issue might also be caused by server limitations, like the memory limit or the max post size being too small. Therefore, you should get in touch with your hosting company and ask them to increase the server limitations on your website.
The ideal settings would be as follows:
the PHP memory limit set to 512MB
the max post size bigger or equal to 50MB
the WP-memory limit set to 128/256 MB
the max upload size should be 50 MB
the max input vars 2500
and ideally, the max execution time should be around 300.
If you need more details on how to do this, please check out this article.
Check the PHP version
Please check with your host what PHP version your website is using. If it is older PHP version, you’ll need to update it to a newer version, that is supported by the Thrive products.
For best results, we recommend using PHP 7.4 or the versions that are above it.
Nevertheless, if you still need assistance, you can get in touch with our support team by opening a support conversation here.