WordPress WP_DEBUG Code Generator for wp-config.php

Turn on the debug log without breaking your live site

Runs in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.

Where is this site?

This changes the recommendation, not just the wording. The safe configuration on a live site is genuinely different from the useful one on your laptop.

Live site Local / staging

Verdict

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Options

WP_DEBUG — turn debugging onMakes WordPress report PHP notices, warnings and deprecations it would otherwise swallow. WP_DEBUG_LOG — write to a fileErrors go to wp-content/debug.log instead of the screen. This is the constant that makes debugging on a live site safe. WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY false — hide errors from visitorsWithout this, WP_DEBUG prints PHP errors into your pages. Turning it off is the single most important line on this page. Write the log outside the web rootwp-content/debug.log is publicly readable on many hosts — anyone can just fetch it. Moving it above the web root fixes that. Adjust the path to match your server. SAVEQUERIES — log every database queryUseful for hunting a slow page. Costs memory on EVERY request, so turn it off again afterwards. SCRIPT_DEBUG — load unminified core JS/CSSOnly useful if you are debugging the block editor or core scripts.

wp-config.php

Paste these ABOVE the line that says /* That's all, stop editing! */ — anything below it is ignored, which is why so many people report that WP_DEBUG 'does nothing'.

About the WordPress WP_DEBUG Code Generator for wp-config.php

A free WP_DEBUG code generator for wp-config.php: it builds the WP_DEBUG constants that write errors to a log file instead of printing them to your visitors. The default WP_DEBUG snippet most sites copy will display PHP errors publicly — this one will not.

New to debug mode? Our WordPress debug mode guide explains what WP_DEBUG, WP_DEBUG_LOG and WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY each do, and how to turn debug mode off again.

When you need it

Use it when something breaks and WordPress will not say why: a white screen, a "critical error" email, a plugin that stops saving settings. WP_DEBUG is off by default, so most PHP warnings and notices are never recorded anywhere until you turn it on.

How to use it

Pick live or local/staging above, then copy the constants.
Open wp-config.php and paste them above the line that says "That's all, stop editing! Happy publishing." (older installs say "Happy blogging") Anything below that line is too late to count.
Reproduce the problem by loading the broken page again.
Open wp-content/debug.log, or the custom path you set, and read the newest lines at the bottom. Our debug.log location guide covers hosts that put it somewhere else.

Common mistakes

Writing 'false' in quotes. WordPress reads a quoted string as true, so debugging stays on.
Turning on WP_DEBUG without setting WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY to false. Its default is true, which prints errors, including file paths, into your pages.
Leaving it all on afterwards. The WordPress handbook says these tools are meant for local and staging sites, and SAVEQUERIES slows every request.
Leaving debug.log in wp-content. If your server does not block it, anyone who guesses the URL can read it.

WordPress PHP Fatal Error Decoder

Paste the error. We name the plugin.

wp-config.php Generator

Build a correct wp-config.php without copy-pasting from a 2014 blog post

FAQ

Questions

Is it safe to enable WP_DEBUG on a live site?

Only with WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY set to false. On its own, WP_DEBUG prints PHP notices and warnings — including your server's absolute file paths — directly into pages your visitors load. Almost every tutorial hands you that one line and stops. Pair it with WP_DEBUG_LOG and WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY false and it is safe.

Where does the WordPress debug log go?

wp-content/debug.log by default. Worth knowing: on many hosts that file is publicly fetchable — anyone can request it in a browser. You can pass a path to WP_DEBUG_LOG instead and write the log above the web root, which this tool will generate for you.

I set WP_DEBUG to true and nothing happened. Why?

Almost always because the constant was added BELOW the line that says "That's all, stop editing!" in wp-config.php. Everything after that line is ignored. Move it above.