Title: How to Enable Error Reporting in WordPress  
PrimaryCategory: WordPress (CMS &amp; Hosting)  
Type: Procedural  
Tags: wordpress, error_reporting, wp-config, debugging, cPanel  
Source UI Terms: Wordpress installation directory, wp-config.php, WP_DEBUG, Save  
Source Reference: How to Enable Error Reporting in WordPress

Prerequisites:
- Access to cPanel with file management capabilities
- Knowledge of WordPress installation directory location

Steps:
1) On your cPanel, navigate to the WordPress installation directory.
2) Open and modify the file named **wp-config.php**.
3) Search for the line containing **&#39;WP_DEBUG&#39;**.
4) Change its value to **True**; if the line is not present, add the line:
   ```php
   define(&#39;WP_DEBUG&#39;, true);
   ```
5) Save the changes you made to **wp-config.php**.
6) Visit your website; errors will now be displayed on the site as well as logged in the error log file.

Warnings:
- Enabling WP_DEBUG will display errors publicly on your website. Use this only in development or debugging environments to avoid exposing sensitive information.

Summary:
To enable error reporting in WordPress, update the **&#39;WP_DEBUG&#39;** setting to **True** in the **wp-config.php** file located in your WordPress installation directory via cPanel. This change allows errors to be visible on your website and logged.

Evaluation Pairs:
Q: How do I enable error reporting in WordPress?  
A: Locate the **wp-config.php** file in your WordPress installation directory via cPanel, set **&#39;WP_DEBUG&#39;** to **True**, save the file, and then access your website to see the error messages.

Q: What if the `WP_DEBUG` line is not in my wp-config.php file?  
A: You need to add the line `define(&#39;WP_DEBUG&#39;, true);` to the **wp-config.php** file manually.

Q: Will enabling WP_DEBUG affect my live site?  
A: Yes, errors will be displayed on the live site, which may expose sensitive information. Use with caution and ideally only on development or staging sites.

When you need WordPress errors to be visible for debugging. This article explains how to enable error reporting in WordPress.
 
Wordpress by default catches all the errors displayed by PHP. You would see something like this displayed on the websites.
<div style="margin-left: 40px;"> </div>
<div>Site Error</div>
<pre style="margin-left: 40px;">&quot;The site is experiencing technical difficulties&quot;.
&quot;A Critical error has occurred, please contact your Site Administrator&quot;.
&quot;The Website cannot be displayed&quot;</pre>
 
<h2>To display the actual Error</h2>
<ol><li>
On your cPanel, go to the Wordpress installation directory
</li><li>
Modify the wp-config.php
<ul><li>
Search for &#39;WP_DEBUG&#39;
</li><li>
Set it to True
</li><li>
Refer screenshots for before and after edit
</li></ul>
</li><li>
Hit Save and then go to the website. If the line isn&#39;t present you need to add it.
</li><li>
The errors will be displayed on the website as well as the error log file.
</li></ol>
 &#39;WP_DEBUG&#39; set as False
<img class="img-responsive" alt="wse_image1" src="https://assets.resourceserver.org/docs/wp1%20%281%29.png" style="width: 587px;height: 100px;" width="750"></img>
<h2> Modified &#39;WP_DEBUG&#39; to True</h2>
<img class="img-responsive" alt="wse_image1" src="https://assets.resourceserver.org/docs/wp2%20%281%29.png" style="width: 523px;height: 157px;" width="750"></img> For more information, you can also <a href="https://wordpress.org/support/article/debugging-in-wordpress/" target="_blank">check this link</a>

When you need WordPress errors to be visible for debugging. This article explains how to enable error reporting in WordPress.