The "database connection error" is probably one of the most common and frightening errors that WordPress users can come across. It is certainly closely related to the White Screen of Death (WSOD). This error means that your website can no longer communicate with or access the WordPress database, which causes the whole website to crash. This should not be taken lightly and you should try to fix this issue right away as it can directly impact your sales, traffic and analytics.
But don't worry, today we are going to discuss some common scenarios that caused this error as well as some easy ways to get your website up and running in no time.
What causes a database connection error in WordPress?
The "database connection error" issue can be caused by incorrect database information in your WordPress settings, a corrupted database, or an unresponsive database server. A database is software that allows you to easily store, organize, and retrieve data in other software.
As a content management system, WordPress uses a database to store all of your content and other website data. It then connects to the database every time someone visits your website.
The following information is required to connect to the WordPress database:
- database name
- database username
- database password
- database server
This information is stored in your WordPress configuration file called wp-config.php.
If any of these items are incorrect, WordPress will not be able to connect to your database server and you will receive a "Database Connection Error" error message.
This is one of the most common WordPress errors. Besides incorrect credentials, this error can also appear when the database server is down or the database files are corrupted.
Let's see how to fix a WordPress database connection error with a step-by-step troubleshooting guide.
How to fix a WordPress database connection error
Since we value your time, we'll first recommend a method that's likely to fix the problem quickly. Then we will show you how to do all the troubleshooting manually.
Contact your hosting provider
If your website was online a minute (or a day) ago and is no longer working, it may be the fault of your web host. These days, all quality hosts offer some form of quick help, usually via live chat.
First, contact this live chat, say you have "database connection error" (insert sentence) and ask:
- if the database server is running without problems and
- if there are currently no bursts of activity or traffic on the server.
In most cases, when you report your error, it will either tell you exactly what caused it or fix it for you.
More importantly, they tell you if your database is okay and if there is any suspicious activity on the server.
Make sure your plugin or theme files are not corrupted
Your WordPress files can get corrupted by a number of unfortunate events.
For example, you updated a plugin or theme and it's gone? Maybe you connected the site to an external service? Maybe you changed some folders manually?
If any of the above conditions apply, you are probably the culprit. If you haven't done either of these things, skip this step.
That's how it's done:
1.) Connect to your host via FTP
To connect, you need a username and password for your FTP account. If you don't know where they are, the easiest way to find them is in the emails you received from your host when you registered. You can also ask a support agent in the chat room for these details.
Once you get them, log into the server and go to the WordPress root directory. This is usually called "public_html" or "www., or you're already there when you connect to FTP. Normally, if you see subfolders like "wp-content" and "wp-admin", you're in the WordPress root.
2.) Go to "wp-content" and rename the "plugins" folder to something else (any name as long as it's not "plugins"):
3.) Go back to your site and have a look whether there is still an error.
If not, you now know it was caused by a plugin. Go back to FTP, rename the folder to "Plugins". Enter and SwitchGet the folder names of each plugin one by one.
The easiest way is to add an underscore at the end: "_". Keep visiting your site to see when the error appears or disappears. Once you've narrowed it down to a specific plugin, you've found the troublemaker. Either delete it or go online to see if the fix has been documented.
- If the error persists after renaming the plugins folder, do the same with the themes folder.
- If that doesn't help, rename both folders to "Plugins" and "Themes". The error is caused by something else.
Make sure your database is not corrupted
The WordPress database is quite a complicated thing, and there are many little cogs that need to work perfectly together to avoid problems. Sometimes things get out of control and that's when you see an error connecting to the database.
- The first thing to check is to go to your WordPress dashboard-YOURSITE.com/wp-admin.
If you get the same basic "Database connection error" error, skip this step.
- Second, if you see something different, pay close attention to what WordPress is suggesting to you. WordPress has expanded its troubleshooting service in new versions, so you might find some good tips there.
Another possibility is that you see a message that starts with "One or more database tables are not available [...]". This means that you are the one who needs to "fix" the database.
This is actually quite simple. First, reconnect to your site via FTP. Go to your WordPress root directory and download the "wp-config.php" file to your desktop.
Edit this file in Notepad, add an extra line at the end (just before "So, finish editing"):
define(`WP_ALLOW_REPAIR`, true) ;
Now upload the file to your site (via FTP) and overwrite the old version.
Go to YOURSITE.com/wp-admin/maint/repair.php
Click on one of the two buttons. After the automatic repair completes, return to your website and check if there is an error.
If there are no more mistakes, all the better! However, you still need to revert your wp-config.php file to its previous state. Delete the line you just added and download the file again.
Check your database credentials
As mentioned, WordPress uses a special username and password to connect to the database. Usually, these credentials don't change by themselves. However, strange scenarios can occur after making changes to your site files, hosting environment or other things. And with the wrong credentials, a "database connection error" occurs!
The fix is made in the wp-config.php file.
We're talking specifically about these strings here:
Define(`DB_NAME`, `some_db`) ;
Define(`DB_USER`, `some_username`) ;
Define(`DB_PASSWORD`, `some_password`)
Define(`DB_HOST`, `localhost`) ;
These contain all the information WordPress needs to connect to the database. If any of this data is incorrect, the connection will not be established.
Note that there is a manual way to solve this problem, but honestly it requires multiple steps and can be very confusing depending on the host and the interface you are using. In other words, everything we say only applies to a small group of users who use the same host as us anyway, so we have a much more universal solution for you:
Take these four lines from the wp-config.php file, just copy them to the clipboard, contact your host's support again, paste these lines into the chat window and ask if they "right" can connect to your database.
The support agent will review everything and then give you feedback. More often than not, if something has changed, he will update you on the exact details.
All you have to do is take the new credentials and put them in your `wp-config.php` file where the old ones were.
define(`DB_NAME`, `some_db`);/* the name of your WordPress database */
define(`DB_USER`, `some_username`) ;
Define(`DB_PASSWORD`, `some_pass`);
define(`DB_HOST`, `localhost`);/* this is the web address of the database server */
Finally, download the file again via FTP. At this point, you can go back to your website and check if the error occurred or is resolved.
Restore default WordPress files
As mentioned earlier, core WordPress files can become corrupted for a number of reasons. Maybe someone tried to hack your website, maybe you accidentally changed some files, maybe a malicious plugin made the change.
In any case, you can always restore the default WordPress source files. The easiest way is to download a clean version of WordPress from WordPress.org and copy it over the current version.
Download the latest version to your desktop. unpack. Go through the unzipped archive and delete the "wp-content" folder.
Then log into your site via FTP, go to the WordPress root directory and download the new WordPress files. Overwrite the previous files. When the upload is complete, return to your website and see the effect. This is the last resort to fix the problem.
If that doesn't work for you, you have no choice but to contact your web host's support team again, tell them everything you've done, and ask for help. At this point you've pretty much-exhausted everything you could have done to solve the problem yourself, and now it's the host's turn.
frequently asked Questions
How do I fix a database connection error in WordPress?
- Contact your hosting provider.
- Make sure your plugin or theme files are not corrupted.
- Make sure your database is not corrupted.
- Check your database links.
- Restore WordPress default files.
What does a database connection error mean?
A "database connection error" is probably one of the most common and scariest errors WordPress users can come across. This error means that your website can no longer communicate with or access the WordPress database, which causes the whole website to crash.
How do I connect the WordPress database?
With phpMyAdmin you can also easily import your WordPress database. Just run phpMyAdmin and select your WordPress database. Then you need to click on the "Import" link in the top menu. On the next screen, click "Choose File" and then select the backup file of your database that you downloaded earlier.
Why am I getting a "Database Connection Error"?
The "database connection error" issue can be caused by incorrect database information in your WordPress settings, a corrupted database, or an unresponsive server. A database is software that allows you to easily store, organize, and retrieve data in other software.
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