How to find and access WordPress error logs

How to enable WordPress error logs manually

By default, WordPress doesn’t show or save error logs unless you turn on debugging. You can do this by editing a file called wp-config.php.

1. Access your WordPress files

You’ll need to connect to your site’s files either through your hosting control panel or using an FTP client.

Option A: Use cPanel’s File Manager

1. Log in to your hosting dashboard (like cPanel).
2. Open the File Manager.
3. Navigate to your WordPress root directory (usually called public_html or the name of your site).

Option B: Use an FTP client like FileZilla

1. Download and install FileZilla.
2. Connect to your website using your FTP credentials (you’ll get these from your web host).
3. Navigate to the root folder where WordPress is installed.

2. Edit the wp-config.php file

Look for a file named wp-config.php. It’s located in the root of your WordPress install—right alongside folders like wp-content and files like index.php.

Right-click the file and choose Edit or View/Edit, depending on your tool.

3. Add debugging code

Before the line that says
/* That’s all, stop editing! Happy publishing. */
paste in this code:

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

This does three things:

• Turns on debugging mode.
• Saves errors to a file instead of displaying them on your site.
• Hides error messages from public view, so your visitors don’t see them.

4. Save and re-upload

If you’re using FileZilla, you’ll be prompted to upload the edited file. If you’re using File Manager, just hit Save Changes.

That’s it! Now WordPress will begin logging errors to a file you can read later.