Fixing WordPress Memory Limit Exhausted Errors
The consensus is to identify the specific plugin or script causing the memory leak rather than simply increasing the PHP memory limit indefinitely.
Based on 8 community reports.
Linked sources: 9.
Known Issues
- Plugin memory leaks
- Incorrect PHP configuration
- Server-level memory restrictions
- Theme function conflicts
Community Q&A
How do I increase the WordPress memory limit?
You can increase the limit by adding define(‘WP_MEMORY_LIMIT’, ‘256M’); to your wp-config.php file or by updating the memory_limit value in your php.ini file.
Why does my site still show memory exhausted errors after increasing the limit?
If the error persists, a plugin or theme may have a memory leak that consumes all available resources, or your hosting provider may have a hard cap on memory usage.
How can I find which plugin is causing memory exhaustion?
Disable all plugins and re-enable them one by one while monitoring your site’s performance to identify which specific plugin triggers the memory error.
Reddit Sources
- Really stuck - 500 Errors on WP site - even on other sites in same hoster (r/Wordpress)
- Can’t access Wordpress admin page due to plugin update. (r/Wordpress)
- Anyone using PHP 8.3 JIT Compiler with WordPress/WooCommerce without issues? (r/Wordpress)
- Can’t add new page or post in WordPress - Warning: Attempt to read property “post_type” on null in… (r/Wordpress)
- Site Health Memory error and I can’t make it stop! (r/Wordpress)
- Memory size exhausted (r/Wordpress)
- (Fatal error: Allowed memory size…) How to fix this issue? (r/Wordpress)
- Word Press (r/Wordpress)
- How to Fix WordPress White Screen of Death (r/Wordpress)