Restoring a WordPress website using the popular backup plugin UpdraftPlus often promises convenience and peace of mind. However, when things go awry, as they occasionally do, the process can bring a site to its knees. One particularly frustrating issue users sometimes experience is the sudden appearance of a 500 Internal Server Error immediately after a restoration completes. Thankfully, the root of the problem often boils down to just a few misconfigured files — namely incorrect file permissions and a broken .htaccess file.
TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read)
After restoring a WordPress site with UpdraftPlus, the website may fail to load and throw a 500 Internal Server Error. In many cases, this issue can be fixed by resetting file and folder permissions to standard values (typically 755 for folders and 644 for files) and recreating a clean .htaccess file. A few well-placed terminal commands and some tweaks from within the WordPress admin area can bring your site back flawlessly.
500 Internal Server Error Following UpdraftPlus Restore
When using UpdraftPlus to restore a site, the plugin replaces your existing files and database with those from the backup. While it’s designed to be seamless, certain environments—especially on shared hosting or complex custom setups—can suffer from permission mismatches or missing configuration values. These cause the webserver to panic, resulting in the dreaded:
500 Internal Server Error — The server encountered an internal error or misconfiguration and was unable to complete your request.
Why Does This Error Happen?
There are multiple causes of a 500 Internal Server Error after a restore, but the most common include:
- Incorrect file or folder permissions: The files restored by UpdraftPlus may not inherit proper permissions, especially if uploaded via FTP or another user account.
- Corrupted or missing
.htaccessfile: The restore process might overwrite or remove this key configuration file, causing WordPress to route requests improperly. - PHP limits or server misconfigurations: If custom PHP settings were not preserved, the site might exhaust memory or time limits.
Fortunately, the fix in many cases is simpler than expected—just a matter of resetting permissions and rewriting the .htaccess rules.
Step-by-Step Fix: Restoring Order
1. Adjusting File and Folder Permissions
The first step is to access your website’s file system via FTP or through your hosting control panel’s file manager. You’ll need to recursively set standard permissions:
- Folders: 755 (
drwxr-xr-x) - Files: 644 (
-rw-r--r--)
You can use the following commands in the terminal if SSH access is available:
find /path-to-your-site/ -type d -exec chmod 755 {} \;
find /path-to-your-site/ -type f -exec chmod 644 {} \;
Replace /path-to-your-site/ with your actual website directory path. These commands ensure every folder and file is readable and executable as needed, without exposing undue risk from overly permissive settings like 777.
2. Rebuilding the .htaccess File
If your .htaccess file was corrupted or deleted during the restoration, it can break WordPress’s URL rewriting and permalink structure, typically resulting in errors. To recreate it, follow these steps:
- Login to your WordPress dashboard (if accessible).
- Go to Settings > Permalinks.
- Without changing any settings, click Save Changes.
This action prompts WordPress to generate a clean .htaccess file with proper rules. If you can’t access the dashboard, manually create the file in the root directory of your WordPress install and add the default content:
# BEGIN WordPress
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /
RewriteRule ^index\.php$ - [L]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule . /index.php [L]
</IfModule>
# END WordPress
3. Check PHP Configuration and Logs
While less common, it’s worth checking PHP error logs and adjusting settings if the site continues to crash. Look for ini settings like:
memory_limitmax_execution_timemax_input_vars
Check your server’s error_log file, usually found in your site’s root directory or your host’s control panel. These logs can provide clues if the issue is beyond file permissions or .htaccess.
Preventing Future Issues
To minimize future interruptions after restoring from UpdraftPlus or similar plugins, consider the following tips:
- Always test restores in a staging environment first if possible.
- Use hosting providers that allow SSH, as terminal access simplifies fixes.
- Keep backups of essential configuration files such as
.htaccess,wp-config.php, andphp.ini. - Add post-restore steps into your workflow, such as resetting permissions and verifying permalink functionality.
Conclusion
While encountering a 500 Internal Server Error right after an UpdraftPlus restore can be alarming, it’s rarely a catastrophic failure. More often than not, the issue ties back to file permission inconsistencies or issues in your .htaccess file. With some straightforward terminal commands and minor configuration file tweaking, your site can be up and running again in minutes.
Being proactive by understanding your environment and making a few precautions before and after a restore can spare you from unnecessary downtime in the future.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- What is a 500 Internal Server Error in WordPress?
- It’s a generic error indicating something has gone wrong on the server, often relating to coding or configuration issues like broken permissions or configuration files.
- Does UpdraftPlus change file permissions during restore?
- Not forcibly, but depending on hosting or FTP/SFTP methods used, files may restore with inappropriate permissions due to user ownership differences.
- Can I restore a site without affecting permissions?
- Restoring via the WordPress dashboard generally preserves permissions better than FTP uploads. Using a dedicated staging environment also prevents mismatches.
- How do I know if my .htaccess file is faulty?
- If pretty permalinks break or you receive 404 errors after restore, chances are your .htaccess file needs to be rewritten or restored properly.
- Is this issue specific to UpdraftPlus?
- No, this problem can occur with any backup and restore plugin or manual migration that doesn’t respect Unix-style permissions and config nuances.
