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Support / GuardPress / White Screen / Fatal Error

White Screen or Fatal Error

If your site shows a white screen (WSOD) or fatal error after enabling a GuardPress feature, follow these steps to recover and fix the issue.

Can't Access Your Site?

If you're completely locked out, skip to Step 1: Disable via FTP below to regain access first.

Common Causes

PHP Version Incompatibility

Some hardening features require PHP 7.4+. Older PHP versions may crash.

Fix: Upgrade to PHP 7.4 or higher in your hosting panel.

Memory Limit Too Low

Security scans and firewall rules need adequate memory. Default 64MB may not be enough.

Fix: Increase WordPress memory limit to 256MB.

Plugin Conflict

Another security plugin or caching plugin may conflict with the same hooks.

Fix: Disable other security plugins. Use only one.

.htaccess Corruption

Hardening rules written to .htaccess may conflict with existing rules.

Fix: Restore .htaccess from backup or regenerate via Permalinks.

File Permission Issues

The plugin can't write to required files (wp-config.php, .htaccess).

Fix: Ensure proper file permissions (644 for files, 755 for directories).

Step 1: Disable the Plugin via FTP

First, regain access to your site by temporarily disabling GuardPress.

Connect via FTP/SFTP

Use FileZilla, Cyberduck, or your hosting's file manager to connect to your server.

Navigate to the plugins folder

Go to /wp-content/plugins/

Rename the GuardPress folder

Rename guardpress (or guardpress-lite) to guardpress-disabled

Access your site

Your site should now load. Log into WordPress admin.

Step 2: Check the Error Log

Before re-enabling the plugin, find out what caused the crash.

Enable WordPress Debug Mode

Add these lines to your wp-config.php file (before "That's all, stop editing!"):

define( 'WP_DEBUG', true ); define( 'WP_DEBUG_LOG', true ); define( 'WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false );

View the Debug Log

Check /wp-content/debug.log for error messages. Look for lines mentioning "guardpress" or "fatal error".

Check Server Error Logs

Your hosting control panel usually has an "Error Logs" section. Check there for PHP fatal errors.

Step 3: Fix the Issue

Based on the error message, apply the appropriate fix:

PHP Version Error

If you see errors about unsupported syntax or missing functions:

  1. Log into your hosting control panel
  2. Find PHP version settings (often under "Software" or "PHP Selector")
  3. Switch to PHP 7.4 or higher (8.0+ recommended)
  4. Clear any caching and test your site

Memory Limit Error

If you see "Allowed memory size exhausted":

// Add to wp-config.php define( 'WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M' );

Or add to .htaccess:

php_value memory_limit 256M

.htaccess Corruption

If the error mentions .htaccess or mod_rewrite:

Backup current .htaccess

Rename .htaccess to .htaccess.backup

Create fresh .htaccess

Go to WordPress → Settings → Permalinks and click "Save Changes" to regenerate.

Test your site

If it works, the old .htaccess had conflicting rules.

Plugin Conflict

If the error mentions another plugin:

  1. Disable all other security plugins (Wordfence, Sucuri, iThemes, etc.)
  2. Disable caching plugins temporarily
  3. Re-enable GuardPress
  4. Test - if it works, the conflict was with the other plugin

Step 4: Re-enable GuardPress

Once you've fixed the underlying issue:

Rename the plugin folder back

Via FTP, rename guardpress-disabled back to guardpress

Activate the plugin

Go to Plugins in WordPress admin and activate GuardPress.

Enable features one at a time

Don't enable all features at once. Turn on one feature, test, then add the next.

Disable debug mode

Set WP_DEBUG back to false in wp-config.php.

Enable Features Gradually

If you're not sure which feature caused the crash, enable them one at a time. This helps identify problematic configurations on your specific server setup.

Still Having Issues?

Back to GuardPress Docs Locked Out Recovery