If the public site or wp-admin fails after a plugin/theme change, use the least destructive path to regain access.
- Check for a WordPress Recovery Mode email and use that path first when available.
- Review debug/error logs for the component causing the fatal error.
- If plugins are suspected and wp-admin cannot load, rename the
wp-content/pluginsdirectory through File Manager to deactivate plugins, then restore the directory name and reactivate plugins individually. - If the active theme is implicated, switch to a known-good theme when possible.
- Do not reset the database or reinstall WordPress before identifying whether the failure is simply a plugin/theme fatal error.
Preserve a backup before making filesystem or database changes.
