How Can I Check WordPress Error Logs?

A WordPress problem is often like a warning light on a car dashboard. You know something needs attention, but the warning itself does not tell you exactly what failed.

The site might still load, but a feature stops working. The admin area might behave strangely, or a form might submit one minute and fail the next.

WordPress error logs are where you look for the details behind these symptoms.

Understanding the Role of WordPress Error Logs

The point of checking logs is not to read every line from beginning to end. The point is to find the entries that match the issue you are troubleshooting.

A useful log entry can help answer questions like:

• What error happened?
• When did it happen?
• Which file was involved?
• Did the error come from a plugin, theme, or custom code?
• Did the same message repeat several times?

Once you have that information, you can troubleshoot with evidence instead of guessing.

Enable the WordPress Debug Log

WordPress can create its own debug log, but it usually needs to be enabled first.

To do this manually, open your site’s wp-config.php file. This file is normally located in the root folder of your WordPress installation, alongside folders such as wp-admin, wp-content, and wp-includes.

Before editing it, download a backup copy, then find this line:

/* That's all, stop editing! Happy publishing. */

Add this code above it:

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

Here is what this setup does:

WP_DEBUG turns WordPress debugging on.

WP_DEBUG_LOG tells WordPress to save errors to a log file.

WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY keeps raw error messages from appearing publicly on your site.

This is usually the safest setup for a live site because the errors are logged privately instead of being shown to visitors.

Reproduce the Problem

Before checking the logs, try to reproduce the issue. For example, reload the broken page, run the failed import, or repeat the admin action that triggered the warning.

This step matters because logs are time-based. If you know the problem happened at a specific time, you can look for entries from that same moment. This helps you avoid chasing old warnings that may have nothing to do with the current issue.

Where to Find the WordPress Debug Log

The debug log is normally found here:

/wp-content/debug.log

You can access it through FTP, SFTP, SSH, your hosting file manager, or another file access tool provided by your host.

If debug.log is not there, WordPress may not have recorded an error yet. Try triggering the issue again and then check the folder once more.

If the file still does not appear, your server may not allow WordPress to create it, or the error may be happening outside the part of WordPress that can write to the debug log.

How to Read the Log Entries

Once you find a log, start with the entries around the time you reproduced the problem.

A typical error entry may include a timestamp, error type, message, file path, and line number.

For example, a log entry might point to a file inside:

/wp-content/plugins/

That usually means a plugin is involved.

If the path includes:

/wp-content/themes/

The issue may involve your active theme or child theme.

If the path points to WordPress core, be careful. The core may be where the error appeared, but the underlying cause can still be a plugin, theme, or custom function that passed bad data into a WordPress function.

Focus on recent entries, fatal errors, repeated messages, and anything that appears right after you reproduce the problem.

What if the Log Is Too Noisy?

Some WordPress logs contain many old warnings and repeated notices.

If the log is hard to read, download a backup copy, then clear the current log file. After that, reproduce the issue again.

Now the log should contain only the latest messages, making it easier to see what happened during your test.

This is especially helpful when a site has been logging warnings for a long time and you need to separate the current problem from older noise.

Use WP Debug Toolkit for an Easier Workflow

You can check WordPress error logs manually, but it’s not always convenient. You may have to edit wp-config.php, open server files, download logs, and scan raw text.

A plugin such as WP Debug Toolkit gives you a much more efficient way of handling debugging:

Its Error Log Viewer lets you read, search, and analyze WordPress error logs in a cleaner interface instead of working through a raw debug.log file:

It also includes a Query Viewer for investigating database-related problems, such as slow queries, repeated query patterns, and possible bottlenecks.

Finally, WP Debug Toolkit can monitor your site for errors and provide crash recovery tools for managing plugins and themes when normal wp-admin access is unavailable.

Turn Debugging Off When Finished

If you enabled debugging manually, turn it off when you are done troubleshooting.

Change this:

define( 'WP_DEBUG', true );

To this:

define( 'WP_DEBUG', false );

You can also remove or disable the other debugging lines if you no longer need them.

If you’re using WP Debug Toolkit, you can do this from within the Dashboard without any coding.

Leaving debugging enabled indefinitely on a live site can create unnecessary log files and may expose technical information if display settings are changed later.

Final Answer

How can you check WordPress error logs?

Enable logging, reproduce the issue, and check the newest entries in /wp-content/debug.log.

The goal is to find the error message that matches the problem you just triggered, then use its timestamp, file path, and line number to identify where to investigate next.

For a cleaner workflow, WP Debug Toolkit lets you examine the error log directly from the WordPress dashboard.

For other options, see the 5 Top WordPress Debug Plugins.