Currently unable to handle this request (HTTP error 500)

The “Currently unable to handle this request” error is a common problem in WordPress. However, it is an annoying issue for many users. To help everyone solve this problem, we are going to provide you with 7 helpful solutions. Now, let’s check them out.

Why do you get the “Currently unable to handle this request” error (HTTP error 500)?

As we mentioned earlier, this is a common problem that many users encounter. Additionally, there is no single known cause of this issue. However, we can speculate that this trouble can be caused by an incorrect operation in the back end of your website. It can also be related to your third-party themes and plugins, browser cache, a broken .htaccess file, or PHP memory limit.

So, how do you handle this issue? In today’s blog, we will bring you 7 great solutions that can help you address your trouble without effort.

How to tackle the “Currently unable to handle this request” error

Solution 1: Enable the debugging feature

WordPress comes with a useful debugger that will help you easily identify what is going on with your site. Although it doesn’t help you fix this problem, it will report what went wrong on your site. Thanks to that, you can quickly find a reasonable solution.

By default, this debugger is disabled, so you need to enable it to look for bugs. To do that, follow the steps below.

1. Firstly, access your website by using FTP
2. Then, open your public_html folder and right-click on the wp-config.php file, and select View/edit
3. Copy the following code and paste it into wp-config.php file

define( 'WP_DEBUG', true );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_LOG', true );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false );
Logs are usually found in the /wp-content directory.

Solution 2: Deactivate all plugins

One of your installed plugins may be causing this error, so you need to deactivate all plugins.

Now, you can try the following:

1. Log into your WordPress dashboard
2. Go to Plugins > Installed plugins
3. Check the box next to the “plugin” to choose all plugins
4. Click on the Bulk Actions drop-down menu and choose the Deactivate option. Then click on the “Apply” button.

All your plugins have just been deactivated. Now, you can reload your site and check whether the error still appears or not. If the error disappears, it means that the problem is caused by one of your plugins.

Then you need to enable each plugin one by one and test how each plugin works on your site. After that, if the “Currently unable to handle this request” message appears again, you know the error is caused by the plugin that you have just reactivated.

In contrast, if the plugins are not the cause, try the next solution.

Solution 3: Deactivate your current theme

The theme that you are using may also be the cause, so you need to deactivate your current theme or replace it with another theme. First of all, you need to log in to your admin dashboard, then follow the steps below:

1. Navigate to Appearance > Themes
2. Click on the “Activate” button on any default WP theme. This will automatically deactivate your current theme.

Then refresh your site. If your site loads without the error, your current theme caused the internal server error. Now, you need to contact the theme developer about the problem and ask them for the latest version of the theme.

Solution 4: Check your .htaccess file

The .htaccess is a file in the WordPress root directory of your web hosting. This file holds a lot of instructions for your host server to follow such as enabling password protection for webpages and redirecting URLs.

An incorrect modification in .htaccess can also cause your problem. Therefore, you need to check this file to make sure it is working. To do that, you can try the steps below:

1. Connect to your website via FTP or your cPanel dashboard
2. Open your site’s root directory (usually the public_html folder)
3. Locate the .htacesss file. If you cannot find the .htaccess file, it might be hidden by your server by default. In that case, change the view settings to see it. Then rename your .htaccess file to something else, for example .htaccess_old.
4. After that, in order to regenerate this file, you need to resave the permalinks from your WordPress dashboard by going to Settings > Permalinks.
5. Click the “Save Changes” button
6. Visit your site in the front end to check whether the error has been handled.

If you no longer see the error, your .htaccess file is the source of the error. Otherwise, you have to try the next solution.

Solution 5: Increase your PHP memory limit

The 500 internal server error can also be caused by your PHP memory limit if your site exceeds its memory capacity. It’s time for you to increase your PHP memory limit by implementing the following steps:

1. Access your server files via an FTP client or in the web hosting control panel
2. Open the WP-config.php file which is located in the root folder of your WP site
3. Find the code “WP_MEMORY_LIMIT“. If you can find this code in the file, change its value to “64M“. Otherwise, copy the following code and paste it at the bottom of the file:

define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '64M')

When you’re done, don’t forget to save all your changes and upload the wp-confg.php file to the server. Now, the PHP memory capacity will be increased to 64MB.

Now, you can visit your website to check the error. If your site works properly, your PHP memory limit is the cause.

However, this is only a temporary solution. You need to determine the main cause of your resource depletion. It can be caused by your plugins or theme. You need to contact your hosting provider and ask them for a report of resource usage.

Solution 6: Replace your WordPress core files

If you have tried all the above solutions but the error is not gone, your core files might be broken. In order to fix this error, you need to replace your corrupted core files with clean and unmodified ones.

All you need to do is follow the steps below.

1. Go to the WordPress site and download the latest version of WP
2. By default, it will be saved as a zip file. So, after downloading, you need to extract this file on your device
3. In the main WP folder, you need to remove the wp-config-sample.php and the wp-content folder. This will prevent them from overwriting your current site data
4. Access your FTP client and upload the new WordPress core files to your hosting. Then replace the current files.

Finally, go to your website and check whether the error has gone away.

Solution 7: Ask your hosting provider

All methods that we have just mentioned above are the most common solutions to help you handle the “Currently unable to handle this request” error (HTTP error 500). However, if for any reason your problem remains unresolved, seeking professional help from your hosting provider is the last resort.

The error could be caused by a server issue like a PHP timeout or a fatal PHP error. The hosting provider will give you a reasonable solution to fix this error. In the worst case, you may need to switch to another hosting server to get better customer service as well as run your WordPress site better.

Summary

To conclude, the “Currently unable to handle this request” error is so frustrating because there are so many factors that can cause this error. It can take a lot of time to find the cause and resolve it properly. Anyway, we hope that all provided solutions can help you tackle your issue effectively. In addition, if you have any difficulties, don’t hesitate to leave a comment below. We will support you as soon as possible.

By the way, you can spend a little time visiting our Free WordPress Themes where there is a collection of easy-to-use, responsive, stunning designs for various topics. Thanks for reading.