How To Turn Off PHP Errors In WordPress

There are numerous reasons why you might get a PHP error message. However, the most common reason is that there is an outdated plugin or theme being used by your website. This will happen, more often than not, when there has been a massive update to the core WordPress programming and when the theme/plugin isn’t updated regularly enough.

Another option is that themes and plugins can sometimes conflict. Sometimes it is two plugins that are incompatible with each other. This is because most plugins have different developers and developers don’t always use the same syntax.

The warnings are not always present when the site is broken. They can just look very ugly, or off putting, to any visitor and this can lower conversion rates. A typical PHP error message will look like:

“/wp-content/plugins/siteplugin.php on line 30”

Developers can create an update to fix the warning, but it isn’t always a speedy resolution. But you could disable the warning yourself by following the steps below.

It’s always best if you backup your site before you make any changes. If you are changing the code, this process will protect you. You can use a backup plugin or copy all the WordPress website files using an FTP client and then backup your server database.

Assuming you used a plugin, then the next step should be to access your website using an FTP application, like FileZilla, to access the website files.

Now you need to find the wp-config.php file. You should then right click and click on the ‘Edit’ option or download it into a text editor (not Word).

Inside the document you need to find the line of code that says:

define(‘WP_DEBUG’, false);

You might notice that it says ‘true’ instead of ‘false’. This doesn’t matter. All you need to do is to replace this line with this:

ini_set(‘display_errors’,’Off’);
ini_set(‘error_reporting’, E_ALL );
define(‘WP_DEBUG’, false);
define(‘WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY’, false);

Then all you need to do is save the document. If you downloaded the document onto your desktop and then made the changes, then you need to re-upload the document, replacing the original file.

Now test your website to ensure that the error message isn’t displaying again and the site works.