WordPress debug mode is an essential tool for developers and site administrators. It lets you identify and fix problems on your site, such as code errors, plugin or theme conflicts, and much more. This article walks you through the steps to enable debug mode in WordPress.
What is WordPress debug mode?
Debug mode, also known as «debugging mode», is a WordPress feature that shows detailed error messages instead of hiding them. These messages will help you identify problems on your website and provide useful information to resolve them.
Steps to enable debug mode:
- Access your WordPress site: Log in to the WordPress admin panel.
- Open the wp-config.php file: The next step is to access the wp-config.php file on your site. You can do this via an FTP client or using the file manager in your hosting control panel.
- Edit the wp-config.php file: Once you have located wp-config.php, edit it with a text editor or code editor. Look for the line containing the following statement:
define(‘WP_DEBUG’, false);
4. Change the value to true: Modify the line above so it reads as follows:
define(‘WP_DEBUG’, true);
This will activate debug mode in WordPress.
5. Define a log directory (optional): You can specify a directory where debug logs will be saved. To do this, add the following line just below the line you just modified:
define(‘WP_DEBUG_LOG’, true); define(‘WP_DEBUG_LOG’, ‘/path/to/logs/directory/’);
Make sure to replace /path/to/logs/directory/ with the desired location for your log files.
6. Display errors on screen (optional): If you also want errors to be displayed on screen, add the following line:
define(‘WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY’, true);
7. Save the changes: Save the wp-config.php file after making all modifications.
8. Verify debug mode: Now that you have enabled debug mode, visit your website. You will see detailed error messages if any problems exist. These messages will give you clues about where and how to fix the issues.
9. Disable debug mode (optional): Once you have resolved the problems, it is advisable to disable debug mode to prevent error messages from being displayed publicly. To do this, simply go back to wp-config.php and change the line define('WP_DEBUG', true); back to define('WP_DEBUG', false);.