Free WordPress Troubleshooting Plugins: Expert Solutions

Key highlights

• Identify faulty wordpress plugins quickly using diagnostic tools that scan your entire site for conflicts and performance issues
• Monitor your site’s health continuously with automated plugins that track uptime, speed and security vulnerabilities in real-time
• Debug wordpress plugin errors efficiently by enabling detailed error logging and step-by-step conflict detection
• Resolve troubleshooting wordpress issues faster with plugins that provide clear, actionable recommendations for fixing common problems
• Prevent future site problems by implementing comprehensive wordpress debugging tools that catch issues before they affect your visitors

Creating the perfect website design involves hours of meticulous work. But sometimes, despite all your efforts, you may encounter an error message when you activate a new theme plugin. Such issues are common in website management—even the best-designed sites can face bugs or errors.

These glitches can come from various sources: a theme update conflicting with a plugin, a coding issue, or a problem with the database. This is where troubleshooting becomes crucial for website management. It’s an essential skill for anyone managing a website and luckily, some plugins can make this process much smoother.

In this guide, we’ll explore some of the best free plugins to help you troubleshoot your WordPress website. We’ll discuss the key features of each plugin and how they can become an essential part of your website maintenance routine. 

Why should you use a WordPress troubleshooting plugin?

Every WordPress developer knows how challenging it can be to identify and fix bugs.  Typically, you would need to edit the wp-config.php file to enable debugging, which can be tedious, especially if you are handling multiple sites. Luckily, debugging plugins makes this task a lot easier, so you can spend less time troubleshooting and more time building.

These plugins eliminate the need to tinker with core files. They handle setting adjustments automatically and even save your original settings for easy restoration when you’re done.

Simply put, debugging plugins can save you a lot of time. These plugins help you find the exact root of an issue quickly. With a user-friendly interface, they let you easily identify and troubleshoot issues, even if you don’t have deep technical expertise. Plus, they give you detailed information on memory usage, script behavior and database queries, so you know exactly what’s happening behind the scenes.

And let’s be honest, who wouldn’t want such a smoother debugging experience? Plugins streamline the process, so you can focus on making your website user-friendly and reliable.

Troubleshooting WordPress: quick checks before you debug

Before diving into WordPress troubleshooting plugins, you should perform several quick diagnostic checks that can save you time and often resolve issues immediately. Start by confirming the problem is reproducible—refresh your browser, clear your browser cache and test the issue in an incognito window. If you recently updated WordPress, installed a new plugin, or activated a theme, these changes are likely culprits. Document what you changed and when, as this information will guide your troubleshooting process.

Next, verify your WordPress and PHP versions are compatible with your current plugins and theme. Outdated software often causes conflicts that appear as mysterious errors. Clear any caching systems you’re using, including CDN caches, as cached content can mask both problems and solutions. Test whether the issue occurs for logged-out users by viewing your site in a private browser window—this helps identify admin-specific problems versus visitor-facing issues.

For a quick diagnostic test, temporarily switch to a default WordPress theme like Twenty Twenty-Four. If the problem disappears, your theme is the source. Remember to switch back immediately after testing. These preliminary checks are completely reversible and often reveal the root cause without needing additional tools. Once you’ve ruled out these common sources, you can confidently move forward with specialized WordPress troubleshooting plugins to dig deeper into more complex issues.

Troubleshooting flow & backup best practices

When troubleshooting WordPress issues, always prioritize safety by following a structured diagnostic flow that protects your live site. Start by creating a complete backup of your website and database before making any changes—this ensures you can quickly restore your site if something goes wrong. If possible, test all troubleshooting steps in a staging environment first, then apply successful fixes to your live site during off-peak hours when fewer visitors are active.

Follow this systematic order of operations: capture detailed error messages and screenshots, enable WordPress debug logging to identify specific issues, then isolate potential conflicts by deactivating plugins one by one and switching to a default theme temporarily. Test for performance bottlenecks using tools like Query Monitor and document every change you make along the way. Once you’ve identified the root cause, implement the fix and immediately revert any temporary changes like debug mode or test themes.

For small business owners and content creators, backups and staging environments are essential safety nets that prevent costly downtime and lost revenue. These practices ensure you can troubleshoot confidently without risking your online presence, while Bluehost’s 24/7 support and expert assistance provide additional peace of mind when technical issues arise. Remember to disable debug tools after troubleshooting to maintain optimal site performance and security.

Top 6 WordPress troubleshooting plugins for free

1. Transients Manager

Your WordPress website relies on temporary data, called transients, to run smoothly. These transients act like a cache, storing information that speeds up your site for visitors. However, if transients build up over time, they can slow your website down. That’s where the Transients Manager plugin helps. 

This free plugin provides a user-friendly interface for managing transients on your WordPress site. You can easily see all the temporary data stored in your database. The plugin also allows you to search for specific transients by name, which can be helpful if you’re troubleshooting an issue.

Transients Manager allows you to take control of your transients. With a few clicks, you can delete expired transients that are no longer useful. You can also delete specific transients you know you don’t need anymore. There’s even an option to wipe the slate clean and delete all transients, regardless of their expiry date.

To access the Transients Manager plugin, go to the Tools section of your WordPress dashboard and then click on Transients and you’ll have a complete overview of all your temporary data.

While the Transients Manager plugin is great for cleaning up temporary data, you can also use it for testing purposes. You can use it to experiment with different transient values and see how they affect your website’s performance. This can help you optimize your site for speed and efficiency.

2. Debug Log Manager

Websites occasionally malfunction and identifying the cause can be frustrating. Error logs serve as a record of your website’s activity, pinpointing potential issues. The Debug Log Manager plugin streamlines this process for WordPress users.

Normally, enabling WordPress’s debug mode requires editing the wp-config.php file. This plugin offers a one-click solution, eliminating the need for manual code changes.

After installing and activating the plugin, it automatically creates a debug.log file in a unique location on your server. To add an extra layer of security, you can choose a custom file name for this log file. This helps prevent unauthorized users from accessing potentially sensitive information stored within the log.

The plugin also makes it easy to migrate your existing error data. By copying the contents of your old debug file and pasting it into the new custom file, you can ensure a smooth transition without losing any important information.

Whenever your website encounters an issue, you can use the Debug Log Manager plugin to parse the debug file. This essentially means analyzing the file to identify errors and the time they occurred. The plugin presents this information in a more user-friendly format compared to the raw log file, which might be cluttered with repetitive entries. This makes troubleshooting much faster and easier.

3. WP Debug Log

If you constantly struggle with troubleshooting problems on your WordPress website, the WP Debug Log plugin can be your best friend. 

Similar to other debugging tools, it allows you to view error logs directly from your WordPress dashboard. This eliminates the need to manually edit the wp-config.php file, which can be daunting for users with less technical expertise. With WP Debug Log, you can simply click a button to turn debug settings on or off. 

This WordPress troubleshooting plugin lets you configure email notifications. This way, you’ll be instantly alerted whenever an issue arises on your website. Once you’re done troubleshooting, you can simply deactivate the plugin and everything will revert to its original state.

Another advantage of WP Debug Log is that it’s open-source. This means many developers contribute to its features and updates. Open-source plugins also get regular security updates. With more than 2,000 active users, WP Debug Log has become a trusted tool in the WordPress community.

4. Plugin Detective

Problematic plugins often cause many WordPress errors. Fortunately, Plugin Detective can pinpoint the exact issue without manually checking and disabling each plugin one by one.

This plugin is a favorite among many developers because it can detect hidden plugin problems. It eliminates the need for time-consuming manual checks and FTP access, quickly identifying the problem and reducing site downtime.

Moreover, this effective tool can resolve certain issues automatically, without you even needing to lift a finger.

Besides identifying plugin problems, Plugin Detective can also perform other tasks if you provide the necessary details, which makes it a valuable asset for any WordPress user.

5. WordPress Hosting Benchmark Tool

WordPress Hosting Benchmark is a free, open-source plugin that helps you evaluate your server’s capabilities by running unified tests. It measures how long each test takes and presents you with a performance score. This score indicates how well your server can handle your specific project.

One of the benefits of WordPress Hosting Benchmark is it doesn’t require any additional software to work its magic. It utilizes PHP to assess various aspects of your server’s performance, including the processing power (CPU), memory bandwidth, disk speed, object caching capabilities and even your network’s download speed. Since version 1.2, it includes reverse connectivity tests, which analyze the impact that different tasks have on your website’s loading time.

Before you install the plugin, there’s one thing to keep in mind. To ensure smooth operation, your hosting provider needs to meet the plugin’s requirements. These include having at least 500MB of free disk space and a database server that can handle multiple queries.

6. Query Monitor

Query Monitor is like Chrome Developer tools, but made specifically for WordPress. You can think of it as a toolbox for fixing your WordPress website. It can pinpoint issues with everything from how your site talks to its database (queries) to special features like Ajax calls, PHP errors and more. It even helps you identify poorly coded themes and plugins that are slowing down your site.

Query Monitor keeps things simple. It gives you a quick overview in the admin toolbar and then lets you dig deeper into specific areas with detailed panels. All this information appears conveniently on the same page you’re working on, so you can see the problem and the solution side-by-side.

While it can’t track past performance trends, Query Monitor is a fantastic free tool to have in your WordPress developer toolbox. It’s a one-stop shop for debugging performance and development issues.

Troubleshooting your site: plugin and theme conflicts

Plugin and theme conflicts occur when two or more WordPress components interfere with each other’s code, creating compatibility issues that can disrupt your site’s functionality. Common symptoms include the dreaded White Screen of Death (WSOD), 500 internal server errors, broken page layouts, missing content, or inability to access your WordPress admin dashboard. These conflicts often arise after installing new plugins, updating existing ones, or switching themes.

To isolate the problematic component, start by deactivating all plugins at once through your WordPress admin panel. If your site returns to normal, reactivate plugins one by one until the issue reappears—this identifies the conflicting plugin. If deactivating plugins doesn’t resolve the problem, temporarily switch to a default WordPress theme like Twenty Twenty-Four to test if your theme is the culprit. Tools like Plugin Detective from our list can automate this process and help pinpoint conflicts more efficiently, while Query Monitor can provide detailed insights into plugin interactions and performance bottlenecks.

Always perform these troubleshooting steps on a staging site or create a complete backup before making changes to your live website. Remember the backup and staging best practices from the troubleshooting flow section—working on a copy of your site prevents visitors from experiencing downtime while you diagnose issues. Once you’ve identified the problematic plugin or theme, you can either find an alternative solution or contact the developer for support.

Resolving WordPress plugin issues without access to the WordPress Admin

When you can’t access your WordPress admin dashboard due to issues like the White Screen of Death (WSOD) or fatal plugin errors, you’ll need to work outside the dashboard to restore access. The safest approach is to temporarily disable plugins through your hosting control panel’s File Manager or FTP client. Navigate to your website’s root directory, locate the /wp-content/plugins/ folder and rename it to something like “plugins-disabled.” This immediately deactivates all plugins and should restore dashboard access in most cases.

Once you regain access, you can systematically identify the problematic plugin by renaming the folder back to “plugins,” then individually renaming each plugin subfolder to isolate the culprit. For suspected theme conflicts, rename the active theme folder in /wp-content/themes/ to force WordPress to use a default theme. As a last resort, you can switch themes through your hosting provider’s database management tool (like phpMyAdmin), but this requires extreme caution and should only be attempted if you’re comfortable with database modifications.

Don’t forget to check your hosting provider’s error logs through cPanel or your hosting dashboard—these often reveal the exact file and line number causing the issue. Once you’ve restored dashboard access, you can leverage WordPress troubleshooting plugins and Bluehost’s 24/7 expert support to prevent future conflicts and maintain your site’s stability.

Best WordPress troubleshooting plugins – Comparison table

Plugin	Key features
Transients Manager	• Easy-to-use interface for managing transients • View and search transients directly within your WordPress dashboard. • Easily delete expired, unexpired, or selected transients in one go. You can even delete all transients if needed. • Edit the value, name, or expiration date of any transient for managing accurately.
Debug Log Manager	• Turn WP_Debug on or off with a single click, no more manual code editing. • Existing logs are automatically transferred to a new file to maintain continuity. • Filter and identify error sources effortlessly, saving you troubleshooting time. • Debug logs stay current, reflecting changes as they happen. • Get a quick overview of the latest errors with a dedicated dashboard widget.
WP Debug Log	• See debug logs directly from your dashboard for quick troubleshooting. • Configure admin email notifications for log updates • Control the display of debug messages within HTML pages • Customize log file paths • Access all debugging functionalities conveniently from the admin top navigation bar.
Plugin Detective	• Guides you through troubleshooting with Detective Otto Bot • Automates finding and fixing plugin conflicts • Sends admin email alerts when issues are detected.  • Enables and disables debug settings quickly. • Works even when the admin page is inaccessible, such as during a White Screen of Death (WSOD)
WordPress Hosting Benchmark Tool	• Open-source software • Conducts unified tests for server performance assessment • Tests CPU, memory bandwidth, disk speed, cache and network download speed • Outputs a performance score to determine if a server upgrade is necessary
Query Monitor	• Identify errors in database queries, PHP code and more. • Gain deep insights into Ajax, REST API calls, and user permissions. • Pinpoint performance bottlenecks by plugin or theme. • Access debugging information directly from your admin toolbar. • Stay informed with key environment details like PHP and WordPress versions.

Final thoughts

WordPress troubleshooting doesn’t have to be a daunting technical challenge when you have the right tools at your disposal. These six free plugins provide comprehensive solutions for identifying conflicts, monitoring performance and resolving common WordPress issues before they impact your visitors’ experience. By implementing these debugging tools as part of your regular maintenance routine, you can catch problems early, reduce downtime and maintain a professional, reliable website that keeps your audience engaged. Remember to always follow proper backup procedures and test changes in a staging environment to protect your live site during troubleshooting. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced developer, these plugins streamline the debugging process and help you focus on what matters most—creating exceptional content and user experiences. For additional peace of mind, consider pairing these tools with reliable Bluehost hosting solutions, which offers 24/7 expert support to assist you when complex technical issues arise.

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