How to check my website error logs

WordPress can log PHP errors to a file on your server, which is essential for diagnosing problems like broken plugins, theme errors, or unexpected site behaviour. This article explains how to enable logging, where to find the log file, and what to do with the information.

How debug logging works

WordPress has a built-in debugging system controlled by the WP_DEBUG setting. When enabled, WordPress records PHP errors, warnings, and notices to a file called debug.log inside your wp-content folder.

On Web60, debug logging is configured with WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY set to false. This is an important detail: it means errors are written to the log file only and are never displayed in the browser. Your visitors will not see any error messages, even with debug mode active.

Step 1: Enable debug mode

Open the Web60 portal and navigate to your site.
Go to the Advanced section.
Find the Debug Mode toggle and turn it on.

Debug mode takes effect immediately. You do not need to restart anything or wait for a deployment.

Step 2: Reproduce the error

Once debug mode is enabled, visit the page or perform the action that is causing the problem. WordPress will write any PHP errors to the log file as they occur. If you are troubleshooting an intermittent issue, you may need to leave debug mode on for a period and check the log later.

Step 3: View the debug log

Using File Manager

Open File Manager from the Web60 portal.
Navigate to the wp-content folder.
Open the debug.log file.

The most recent errors are at the bottom of the file. Each entry includes a timestamp, the error type, the error message, and the file path where the error occurred. The file path usually tells you which plugin or theme is responsible.

Using SFTP

For large log files, downloading via SFTP is more practical than viewing in File Manager. Connect to your site using your SFTP credentials from the Web60 portal, navigate to wp-content, and download debug.log to your computer. You can then open it in any text editor and search through it easily.

Step 4: Disable debug mode

After you have gathered the information you need, go back to Advanced in the Web60 portal and turn off Debug Mode. This is important because the log file grows continuously while debug mode is active. On a busy site with recurring errors, it can reach a significant size within hours.

If the debug.log file has grown large, you can safely delete it through File Manager or SFTP. WordPress will create a fresh file the next time debug mode is enabled and an error occurs.

Reading the log entries

A typical debug log entry looks like this:

[04-Apr-2026 10:23:15 UTC] PHP Fatal error: Allowed memory size of 134217728 bytes exhausted in /var/www/yoursite.com/wp-content/plugins/example-plugin/includes/class-main.php on line 42

This tells you the date and time, the error type (Fatal error), what went wrong (memory exhausted), and the exact file and line number. In this case, the plugin called example-plugin is using more memory than allowed.

FAQ

Q: Will enabling debug mode show errors to my visitors?

A: No. Web60 sets WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY to false, which means PHP errors are written to the log file only. Your visitors will never see raw error messages in their browser, even with debug mode turned on.

Q: How large can the debug.log file get?

A: There is no automatic size limit. On a site with frequent errors, the file can grow to hundreds of megabytes over days or weeks. This is why you should disable debug mode as soon as you have finished diagnosing the problem. If the file is already very large, you can delete it safely and WordPress will create a new one.

Q: Can I view error logs without enabling debug mode?

A: Debug mode must be enabled for WordPress to write PHP errors to the log file. Without it, most errors are silently suppressed. If you are seeing a specific error on your site, enable debug mode, reproduce the error, then check the log. There is no way to view past errors that occurred before debug mode was turned on.