WP Plugins Tech Support

WordPress Plugin Support FAQ

When a plugin stops working, it can feel frustrating. The good news is that most plugin problems have simple causes you can fix yourself. This FAQ will walk you through the most common checks. Doing these first will save you time and help you get better support if you still need it.

First Steps to Try Right Away

Clear all caches

Cached files can make it look like a plugin is broken when it is actually working fine. Clear these three things:

1. Your browser cache. Press Ctrl + Shift + R on Windows or Cmd + Shift + R on Mac.
2. Your WordPress cache plugin. If you use a caching plugin like WP Rocket or LiteSpeed Cache, click the “Purge All” or “Clear Cache” button.
3. Your CDN cache. If you use a service like Cloudflare, log in there and clear the cache too.

After clearing all caches, check if your issue is resolved. Sometimes that is all it takes.

Try a different browser or device

Sometimes the problem is only on your computer or phone. Try opening your site in a different browser or on a different device. If the plugin works fine elsewhere, the issue is likely with your browser settings, not the plugin itself.

Check for updates and compatibility

Outdated software is one of the most common reasons plugins break. Go to your WordPress dashboard and check the “Updates” page. Install any available updates for WordPress itself, your plugins, and your theme.

Warning: Before updating, make a backup. Avoid updating everything at once. Update a few plugins at a time and check your site after each batch. If something breaks, you will know which update caused it.

Also confirm your PHP version. WordPress recommends PHP 7.4 or higher. For best results and security, PHP 8.1 or 8.2 is better. Check your PHP version in your hosting control panel. Most hosts let you change it with one click.

Some plugins also require a minimum version of WordPress. Check the plugin’s description page to see what version it requires. If needed, update WordPress first.

Check for plugin and theme conflicts

This is the single most useful troubleshooting step you can take. Plugins are made by thousands of different developers, and sometimes two plugins try to do the same thing at the same time, or one plugin’s code does not play nicely with another’s. The same applies to themes.

1. Make a backup first. Use your hosting provider’s backup tool or a backup plugin. If anything goes wrong, you can restore your site.
2. Deactivate all plugins. Go to your WordPress dashboard, click “Plugins,” check the box at the top to select all, choose “Deactivate” from the dropdown, and click Apply.
3. Check if the problem is gone. Visit your site and see if the issue still happens. If the problem disappears, you know a plugin was causing it.
4. Reactivate plugins one by one. Turn plugins back on one at a time. After each one, check your site. When the problem comes back, you have found the plugin causing the conflict.

Important tip: Activate your security and caching plugins last. They often interact with many other parts of your site.

If the problem remains even with all plugins off, the issue is probably not a plugin conflict. It could be your theme, your PHP version, or something with your hosting server.

To test your theme, go to “Appearance” and then “Themes” in your dashboard, temporarily activate a default WordPress theme like Twenty Twenty-Four, and check if the plugin issue is resolved. If the plugin works with the default theme, your original theme is causing the conflict. Contact the theme developer for help, or consider switching themes.

Common Error Symptoms and What They Mean

White screen of death or locked out of admin

If your site shows a completely blank white page, this is called the White Screen of Death. It usually means a plugin or theme has caused a fatal error. This can also lock you out of your admin area.

You can often fix this by renaming the plugin folder. Use your hosting file manager or FTP to go to wp-content/plugins/. Find the folder for the plugin you suspect and rename it. For example, change woocommerce to woocommerce-disabled. WordPress will automatically deactivate that plugin, and your site should come back. Then you can rename it back and delete it properly.

If you also need more memory, add this to wp-config.php:

define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M');

Buttons do not work or sliders will not move

This is usually a JavaScript error. JavaScript makes interactive parts of your site work. To see what is wrong, open your browser’s developer console by pressing F12 or Ctrl + Shift + I. Look for red error messages. They will often show which plugin file is causing the problem.

500 Internal Server Error or critical error message

A 500 error is a general server error. Try these steps:

1. Go to Settings and then Permalinks. Click “Save Changes” without changing anything. This can fix some errors.
2. If that does not work, rename your entire plugins folder to plugins-old. If your site comes back, you know a plugin is causing the issue. Rename the folder back and deactivate plugins one by one to find the culprit.

“Sorry, you are not allowed to access this page” error

This is usually caused by insufficient user permissions or a security plugin restriction.

1. Ensure you are logged in as an Administrator.
2. If you use a security plugin (e.g., Wordfence, iThemes Security), check its logs to see if it blocked access. Temporarily disable it to test.
3. Reset your permalinks by going to Settings then Permalinks and clicking “Save Changes” (this flushes rewrite rules).

Plugin causes the site to load slowly

This can be caused by resource intensive operations, hosting limitations, or conflict with caching.

1. Check if your hosting environment meets the plugin’s minimum requirements (PHP 7.4+, sufficient memory).
2. Clear all caching (plugin, CDN, server level) after installing or updating.
3. If the plugin processes large datasets (e.g., imports, reports), consider running these operations during off peak hours.
4. Enable object caching (Redis or Memcached) if your hosting supports it.

Emails sent by the plugin are not arriving

WordPress does not send emails reliably, and hosting mail servers have limitations.

1. Install an SMTP plugin (e.g., WP Mail SMTP) and configure it to send emails via a transactional email service (SendGrid, Postmark, etc.) or your hosting’s authenticated SMTP.
2. Check your spam or junk folder.
3. Verify the plugin’s email settings are correctly configured with the recipient address.

Reinstalling the Plugin

Sometimes a plugin file gets corrupted during installation or an update. This can make the plugin behave strangely. To fix this:

1. Deactivate the plugin (do not delete it yet).
2. Delete it.
3. Download a fresh copy from the official WordPress plugin directory or the developer’s website.
4. Install the fresh copy.

Never use “nulled” or pirated plugins. They often contain malware and are a major security risk.

Customisations and Updates

Any customisations should be added via a child theme or a separate custom plugin, never directly to the main plugin files. If you added custom code directly to the plugin and it disappeared after an update, it was overwritten. You will need to re-apply it using the proper method (filters, hooks, or a child theme). Check the changelog for any breaking changes or new requirements introduced in the update.

Rolling Back to a Previous Version

If an update causes issues, you can revert safely:

1. Use the WP Rollback plugin (free) to revert to any previous version with one click.
2. Alternatively, download the older version from your account dashboard (if available) and upload it via FTP, overwriting the current files.
3. After rolling back, contact support so we can help resolve the issue before you update again.

License Key or Purchase Recovery

1. Check the email address used at checkout. Search for Pro Web Design or PayFast.
2. Log in to your account on our website at https://prowebdesign.co.za/client-portal/#licenses . All licenses are available under “My Account” then “Downloads” or “Licenses”.
3. If you still cannot locate it, contact us with your order number or the email address used for purchase.

Support for Customisations and Third Party Integrations

Standard Support: No. Our standard support covers installation, configuration, and defect resolution for the plugin’s documented features.

Custom Work: If you need custom development, theme conflicts resolved, or third party integrations beyond our documentation, we offer paid consulting services. Contact our support team for a quote.

Debug Mode

Debug mode makes WordPress create a log file that shows exactly what is going wrong. Here is how to turn it on:

1. Use your hosting file manager or FTP to open the file wp-config.php in your site’s main folder.
2. Find this line: define(‘WP_DEBUG’, false);
3. Change it to true. If that line is not there, add these lines:

   define('WP_DEBUG', true);
   define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true);
   define('WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false);

4. Save the file.
5. Visit your site to trigger the error.
6. Look for a file called debug.log in the wp-content folder. Open it to see what errors occurred.

The log will often name the exact plugin or file causing the problem.

Important: Turn debug mode off when you are done. Detailed error logs on a live site can be a security risk.

Quick Reference: Most Common Issues and First Fixes

Information to Include When Opening a Support Ticket

If you have tried everything above and still need help, you will get faster and better support by including:

• A clear subject line. “Plugin breaks when WooCommerce is active” is much better than “Help me!!!” or “Urgent problem”.
• Your site URL.
• What you expected to happen and what actually happens. Describe the steps to reproduce the problem.
• What you have already tried. Mention the troubleshooting steps you completed.
• Screenshots if helpful.
• Your WordPress version, PHP version, and plugin version.
• List of active plugins.
• Any error logs from /wp-content/debug.log or your hosting panel.

Use the official support channel for the plugin. This is usually a support page on the developer’s website or the WordPress.org plugin support forum.

A Final Note

Most plugin problems are caused by conflicts, outdated software, or caching issues. Working through the steps above will solve the majority of problems you encounter. Remember to always make a backup before making changes to your site. It is your safety net.

Still Stuck?

If none of the above resolves your issue, gather the following and contact us:

• WordPress version
• PHP version
• Plugin version
• List of active plugins
• Any error logs from /wp-content/debug.log or your hosting panel

Contact us at support@prowebdesign.co.za or open a ticket here. We aim to respond within 48 business hours.