My site shows a critical error after a PressConduit update

You may see this message on your site:

There has been a critical error on this website.

It means a plugin crashed WordPress. If PressConduit just updated, it might be the cause. Most of the time PressConduit fixes this by itself in a few seconds. This page shows what happens and what to do if it doesn't.

What PressConduit does by itself

PressConduit watches for its own crashes. If a new version crashes your site, it tries three things, in this order:

1. Put back the last working copy. Before an update, PressConduit saves a copy of the version that was working. It puts that copy back. This takes about 1 to 2 seconds.
2. Download the trusted version. If there's no saved copy, it downloads the trusted version from the PressConduit hub. It checks the file is real before it installs it. This takes about 5 seconds.
3. Switch itself off. If both of those fail, it turns PressConduit off so the rest of your site stays up.

In steps 1 and 2, PressConduit stays on. The bad version is blocked, so your site doesn't update straight back into it. The full story is on the Crash protection page.

What you see

• For a few seconds, the critical error page. Reload the page after about 10 seconds.
• If the site is back, check the Plugins page in wp-admin. If PressConduit was switched off (step 3), you'll see a notice there.
• Open the PressConduit screen and click the Recovery log tab. It lists what happened.

If the site is still down

Wait a minute and reload first. Clear your cache if you use a caching plugin or a service like Cloudflare, because it can show you an old error page.

If the error is still there, bring the site back by hand. You need your host's File Manager, or an SFTP program like FileZilla.

1. Log in to your host's File Manager, or connect with SFTP.
2. Open the wp-content/plugins folder.
3. Find the folder named pressconduit.
4. Rename it to pressconduit-off.
5. Reload your site. WordPress can't load a plugin it can't find, so the crash stops.
6. Log in to wp-admin and go to Plugins. PressConduit will show as missing or deactivated. That's expected.
7. Install the plugin again. Then open the PressConduit screen and connect the site again if it asks.
8. Once the site works, you can delete the pressconduit-off folder.

Renaming a folder doesn't delete anything. Your pages, posts and settings are safe. They live in the database, not in the plugin folder.

If the crash happens as soon as you reinstall, stop there and contact support. Don't keep trying.

When PressConduit can't help

PressConduit runs on your site. If the site can't run at all, it can't fix anything. This happens when:

• Your host has suspended the site.
• A firewall or security service is blocking the site.
• Your host is showing a captcha or error page before WordPress even starts.

Those need a fix from your host. Contact them first.

When to contact support

Open a ticket if:

• The site is still down after you renamed the folder.
• The crash comes back after you reinstall.
• You can't tell if the problem is PressConduit or your host.

Include the site address and the version you were updating to. If you can reach wp-admin, download the log from the Recovery log tab and attach it. It has no passwords or tokens in it.