With so many plugins available on WordPress, things are bound to go wrong every now and then.
They can seriously enhance the effectiveness, efficiency and functionality of your site.
Though, if there are too many, issues are likely to crop up.
For those who aren’t familiar with WordPress errors and conflicts, this guide can help you understand in a user-friendly way.
(If you’re not sure if this is the issue you’re facing, check out these Five Quick Fixes.)
What are Plugin Conflicts?
When you install and activate multiple plugins on WordPress, they tend to interact with each other.
And just like with people, some of these interactions lead to conflict.
They cause various issues, like broken functionality, errors or even crashes.
Noticing the Signs
If you’re new to WordPress, you might not be familiar with its error codes, but recognising the following signs can help you figure out the conflicts:
- White Screen of Death (WSOD): The entire screen becomes blank and you can’t access your website or dashboard.
- Unresponsive Website: Certain features or the entire thing stops responding.
- Error Messages: Messages like “Internal Server Error” or “Fatal Error.”
- Broken Features: Specific functionalities or features of your site that no longer work.
- Conflicting Styles: Elements on your website may appear misaligned or have broken layouts.
Steps to Identify Plugin Conflicts
If you notice any of the signs mentioned above, follow these steps to help you identify the plugin:
Deactivate All Plugins:
Go to your WordPress dashboard, navigate to Plugins, and select Deactivate for all installed plugins.
Active Plugins One by One:
Start reactivating plugins one at a time and visit your website after activating each one.
Continue this process until you encounter the issue again.
Note the Conflicting Plugin:
The plugin you recently activated, which triggered the issue, is the likely culprit.
Resolving Plugin Conflicts
Once you’ve identified the conflicting plugin, try any of these to try and fix the problem.
Update Plugins:
Make sure all your plugins are up to date, as outdated ones can often lead to conflicts.
Always use the latest versions to maintain compatibility.
Check Plugin Documentation:
Visit the plugin’s website or documentation.
See if there are any known conflicts or troubleshooting steps for the issue you’re having.
Reach Out to the Plugin Developer:
If you can’t find a solution, try contacting the plugin’s developer or a support team.
They’ll be able to help internally.
Use Alternative Plugins:
If the conflicting plugin isn’t essential, search for alternative plugins that provide similar functionality without the conflict.
Disable Conflicting Features:
Some plugins allow you to disable specific features.
If only a part of the plugin is causing conflict, disabling that feature might be a viable solution.
Preventing Future Conflicts
Prevention is better than cure, and the same applies to WordPress plugin conflicts:
Limit Plugin Usage:
Only install plugins you genuinely need.
The more you have, the higher the chances of conflicts.
Regular Backups:
Back up your WordPress site!
If a conflict occurs it means you can restore it to a previous version.
Test Plugins in Staging Environments:
Before installing new plugins on your live site, test them externally to ensure they won’t conflict.
We are Here to Help
WordPress plugin conflicts can be incredibly frustrating to fix.
But with the right support, it becomes a super manageable task.
Here at Toast, we can offer you and your WordPress site professional support that’s fully managed by us.
Our WP Experts will ensure any technical issues will be resolved as soon as possible (time depending on your support plan).
Your website will thank you, so get in touch.
