How to Access and Monitor WordPress Error Logs

As WordPress error logs are your website’s black box recorder, finding and accessing them is one of the most frequently discussed topics among WordPress users.  

The following guide will walk you through every useful method for using cPanel, File Manager, FTP, and WP_DEBUG to check WordPress logs.  

In brief, the debug.log WordPress file is located in /wp-content/debug.log, whereas the primary WordPress error log route is /public_html/error_log. These can be accessed via File Manager, FTP, cPanel WordPress logs, or by turning on WP_DEBUG for further logging options. 

 

What Are WordPress Error Logs?

WordPress error logs are files that record problems happening on your website’s backend. They help you quickly understand what’s going wrong without guessing. These logs track various issues, like PHP errors, database connection problems, missing files, or conflicts with plugins and themes. 

By checking these error logs, you can find the source of the issue, which can help troubleshoot and ensure that you resolve the issue more efficiently. 

 

Types of Logs You’ll Commonly Use:

• Error Log – Shows PHP errors and warnings generated by your site.
• Debug Log – Created when WP_DEBUG is turned on in WordPress.
• Access Log – Track all visitors, hits, bots and requests.
• Server Log – Records Apache/NGINX server-side errors.
• Plugin Logs – Some plugins create logs inside their own folders.

 

Quick Lookup Table – Where Logs Are Stored

Log Type	Location	Filename
PHP Error Log	/public_html/	error_log
WP Debug Log	/wp-content/	debug.log
Raw Access Logs	cPanel >> Raw Access	access.log
Plugin Logs	/wp-content/plugins/plugin-name/logs/	log.txt

 

Checklist Before You Start Troubleshoot

Before accessing logs, make sure you have: 

• Access to your cPanel 
• FTP credentials (optional) 
• Basic knowledge of navigating File Manager 
• A text editor (Notepad/VS Code) 
• Backup of your wp-config.php file 
• Caching disabled temporarily (if logs don’t update)

 

How to Enable WordPress Debug Mode

To enable WordPress debug mode, edit wp–config.php and add WP_DEBUG and WP_DEBUG_LOG as true. This generates a debug.log file inside wp–content.

 

Steps to Enable Debug Mode

Steps:

1. Log in to your cPanel.
   
2. Select the ‘File Manager’ option.
3. Go to your WordPress folder. 
4. Open and edit the wp-config.php file.
5. Add the following lines before That’s all, stop editing!
   1. define(‘WP_DEBUG’, true);
   2. define(‘WP_DEBUG_LOG’, true);
   3. define(‘WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY’, false);
6. Save the file.
7. Visit your site again – WordPress will create /wp–content/debug.lo 

 

How to Access WordPress Error Logs

 

1. View Error Logs Directly in cPanel:

Steps:

1. Log in to your cPanel.
2. Click ‘Errors’ under the Metrics section.
3. Here you’ll see recent: 
   1. PHP warnings
   2. Fatal errors 
   3. Theme/plugin issues 
   4. Missing file errors

 

2. View Log Files Using File Manager

Steps:

1. Go to cPanel and open File Manager.
2. Open public_html
   
3. Look for: 
   1. error_log 
   2. php_errorlog
   3. debug.log (if WP_DEBUG is on)
4. Open the file and read the latest errors.

 

3. Access Logs Through FTP

Steps:

1. Open FileZilla or any FTP client
2. Connect using your FTP credentials
3. Open public_html
4. Download the error_log or debug.log file
5. Review the entries in your text editor

 

4. Access Server & Raw Access Logs via cPanel

Steps:

1. Go to cPanel >> Metrics.
2. Click Raw Access.
3. Download the .gz log file.
4. Extract and open it with a text editor.

 

Common WordPress Errors Found in Logs

Error Type	Example Message	What It Means
Fatal Error	Call to undefined function	Plugin or theme conflict
Memory Exhausted	Allowed memory size exhausted	Need to increase PHP memory
Deprecated Warning	Function xyz is deprecated	Old code used in theme/plugin
Database Error	Error establishing DB connection	Wrong DB credentials or DB down

 

Best Practices for Managing WordPress Logs

• Delete old logs regularly to keep space clean.
• Disable WP_DEBUG after troubleshooting.
• Keep WordPress updated.
• Maintain backups.
• Use a staging environment before making major changes.

 

Helpful Reference Links:

• WordPress Debugging Guide
• Common WordPress errors

 

Conclusion

By revealing the exact fault that is causing problems on your website, WordPress error logs make troubleshooting much simpler. Regardless of whether you use cPanel, File Manager, FTP, or WP_DEBUG, these logs serve as a guide to rapidly identify and resolve technical issues.  

You can preserve the features of your WordPress website and confidently diagnose issues by following the above instructions.