How to Resolve WordPress 500 Error: New .htaccess Fix

A 500 internal server error stops your website from functioning, often caused by issues like a corrupted .htaccess file, plugin conflicts, or low PHP memory. This error prevents your site from displaying, showing users a blank page with the 500 error message, and can even block access to your WordPress admin. The .htaccess file, crucial for WordPress site configuration, may need to be recreated to fix the issue.

Follow the steps:

Log into your cPanel account.
Navigate to the Files section and click on File Manager.
If you have only one domain, the .htaccess file will be in the Home folder. If you have multiple domains, choose the affected domain and you will find its .htaccess file in the top-level folder for that domain.
The .htaccess file will be hidden if you can’t see it. To make it visible, click on the Settings button at the top right of the cPanel screen and when the dialogue box opens, check the Show Hidden Files (dotfiles) option. The .htaccess file should now be visible in the list of files.
Now the .htaccess file has been located, the next step is to rename it. Do not delete it, instead, right-click on the file and rename it to something like .htaccess-old.
Now try to view your website in your browser. If your website appears normal and there is no 500 internal server error notification, the issue has been fixed.
To complete the task of creating a new .htaccess file, you now need to log in to your website’s WordPress admin panel.
When logged in, navigate to Settings > Permalinks.
On the Permalinks page, scroll to the bottom and click the Save Changes button. Doing this, without making any changes to the permalink settings, will create a new .htaccess file that works correctly.

Note: A corrupted .htaccess file might not have been the cause of your internal server error. If your website continues to display the 500 internal server error notification, the next steps are to increase the PHP memory limit and, if that doesn’t work, deactivate all your plugins and reactivate them one at a time to see if any are causing the issue.