How to Enable WordPress Debug Mode (WP Debugging)

Enabling WP Debugging is needed to troubleshoot the issues on your site. If you're experiencing errors or performance problems, learning to enable WordPress Debug can help you pinpoint the root cause. This article will guide you through enabling WordPress Debug by modifying the wp-config file, ensuring you have the tools to identify and resolve any issues.

Enable WordPress Debug

To enable WordPress debugging, follow these steps:

1. Log in to your Blueshost Account Manager.
2. Click the Websites tab on the left navigation menu.

   

   • If you have only one website package, you will go directly to its Overview page.
   • If you have multiple websites, all the websites will be listed. Click Settings to access the Overview menu of the desired site.

     

3. From the horizontal menu, select the FILES & ACCESS.

   

4. Navigate to the File Manager section, and click on the MANAGE button.

   

5. The File Manager will open a new tab, highlight the wp-config.php file, and right-click your mouse to show a drop-down menu, and then click the Edit icon from the Toolbar.

   

6. A pop-up window for the Character Encoding Verification dialogue box will appear, and then click the Edit button again.

   

    
   Note: Depending on your File Manager settings, the Character Encoding Verification may not appear.
7. Scroll down to locate the define( 'WP_DEBUG') setting.

   

8. Make sure to update the define( 'WP_DEBUG'), setting to reflect this:

   define('WP_DEBUG', true);

9. Click the Save Changes button located at the upper right side. button located at the upper right side.

   

    
   Note: Once you identify the error based on the result, you may start troubleshooting. Refer to the How to Troubleshoot Website Issues on Bluehost article. Once you are done with troubleshooting, make sure to switch the define ( 'WP_DEBUG') from true to false.

   define('WP_DEBUG', false)

Alternative Way to Access File Manager

Aside from the Websites tab via File Manager, the File Manager can be accessed through the FTP client.

See FTP Create and Manage FTP Accounts for your Website for more information.

Summary

Anyone who wants to properly troubleshoot their website must know how to enable WordPress Debug. WP Debugging enables you to identify and fix errors that could disrupt the functionality of your website. Remember to update the wp-config file as outlined in this guide.