Sometimes your WordPress site may start showing errors—like pages not loading, layouts breaking, or certain features such as sliders or forms not working correctly. These issues can be tricky to diagnose, especially when you're unsure whether a plugin or theme is causing the conflict. The Health Check & Troubleshooting plugin is a free and beginner-friendly tool that helps you safely identify the root of the problem—without making any changes visible to your site visitors.
This plugin allows you to:
- Monitor your website’s health, including details like the WordPress version, PHP version, and recommended settings.
- Safely test for conflicts between plugins or themes without affecting what your visitors see.
- Access useful technical information to share with your hosting provider or developer if you need assistance.
- Temporarily disable all plugins and switch to a default theme, but only for your user session.
- Test plugins and themes individually to pinpoint the cause of an error.
- Keep your live site functioning normally for visitors while you troubleshoot.
How to use the plugin
Step 1: Install and activate the plugin
- Log into your WordPress dashboard.
- Go to Plugins > Add New.
- Search for Health Check & Troubleshooting.
- Click Install Now, then Activate.
- You’ll now find it under Tools > Site Health.
Step 2: Open troubleshooting mode
- Go to Tools > Site Health
- Click on the Troubleshooting tab
- Click Enable Troubleshooting Mode
Note:
When you do this all active plugins will be disabled, but only for your user session and your visitors won’t see any changes.
Note:
You can directly click on “Troubleshoot” under any of your plugins to enable the Troubleshooting Mode with only that plugin enabled.
Step 3: Turn on the plugin you want to test
If you suspect a problem with any plugin:
- Go to the Plugins page.
- Click Enable while troubleshooting next to the plugin you want to test.
- Try the feature that wasn’t working.
- If it works now, the plugin itself is probably fine.
Step 4: Re-enable plugins one-by-one
- Still in the Plugins list, click Enable while troubleshooting for each plugin, one at a time.
- Check your site after enabling each one.
- Eventually, the problem will reappear—this tells you which plugin is causing the issue.
Step 5: Test for theme conflicts
If none of the plugins are causing the problem, your theme might be.
- Use the admin bar at the top to switch to a different theme.
- Check if the issue disappears.
If everything works fine with the default theme, then your original theme may be the cause. Contact the theme’s developer for help.
Step 6: Exit Troubleshooting Mode
Once you're done testing:
- Click Disable Troubleshooting Mode from the admin bar.
- Your plugins and theme will go back to normal (as they were before).
Step 7: Fix the issue
- If you found the plugin that caused the problem, go to Plugins > Deactivate to disable it.
- If it’s something you need, contact the developer or check for updates.
- If your theme is the issue, reach out to the theme provider for a fix or switch themes if necessary
Note:
Always backup your site before doing any troubleshooting.