What is 414 Request URI Too Long Error and How to Fix It

Have you ever encountered a 414 request URI too long error on your WordPress website?

The error is usually caused when there is a critical error between your web browser and a server. You’ll see this error when clicking on a link or any action performed by a WordPress plugin.

In this article, we will show you what is the ‘414 request URI too long’ error and how to fix it.

What is 414 request URI too long error and how to fix it

What is 414 Request URI Too Long Error?

A 414 request URI too long error occurs when a URL or an action you’re requesting is too long for the server to handle.

Do note that there is a difference between URI and URL. A URI or Uniform Resource Identifier can be a resource’s name, location, or both. On the other hand, a URL or Uniform Resource Locator can only be the location of a resource.

Both terms are usually used interchangeably because URL is part of URI. However, the 414 error can be triggered by both components, so let’s look at the causes.

What Causes 414 Request URI Too Long Error?

You might see the 414 error when you click on the link, and the server is unable to process it because it’s too long.

One situation where a link might to very long is using UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) parameters. If you’re using UTM codes to track conversions on your WordPress website and there are a lot of parameters in the URL, then it can cause this error.

Another situation that can cause a 414 error is a redirect loop. This is when a misconfiguration or a setting in a WordPress plugin causes a lot of redirect requests.

As a result, you get incredibly long URLs and 414 requests URI too long error.

Similarly, some plugins can also generate lengthy URIs as part of their functionality. You’re most likely to encounter this error if you have all-in-one WordPress security plugins installed on your site.

In a rare event, a developer-side issue can also trigger a 414 error when a POST request converts into a GET request with query information being too long. Lastly, cyber attacks on your website server can also result in 414 URI too long issues.

That said, let’s see how you can fix the 414 error on your WordPress website.

Fixing 414 Request URI Too Long Error

A quick way to fix this issue is by increasing the size of the URI your website server can process.

Before we move forward, we recommend creating a WordPress backup. That’s because fixing the 414 error involves editing the website configuration files. In case anything goes wrong, you’ll have a backup copy of your site ready to restore.

For more details, please see our guide on how to backup a WordPress site.

Determine if Your Website is Using Apache or Nginx

First, you’ll need to find out the type of server your WordPress website is using. There are 2 main types of servers, which includes Apache and Nginx.

A simple way to do that is by opening your site in a browser. After that, you can right-click on the homepage and select the ‘Inspect’ option.

Open inspect element

Next, you’ll need to switch to the ‘Network’ tab at the top.

From here, you can select any element under the Name column. After that, you will need to scroll down to the ‘Response Headers’ section and see the ‘Server’ details.

View server type of your site

This will show you whether your site is using Nginx or Apache.

If you’re still unsure which server type to use, then you can reach out to your WordPress hosting provider to get more details.

Once you’ve determined the server type, let’s look at how to fix the 414 request URI too long error for Apache and Nginx.

Fixing 414 Request URI Too Long Error in Nginx

First, you’ll need an FTP or file transfer protocol client to access website configuration files.

There are many FTP clients you can use. For this tutorial, we will use Filezilla. If you need help setting up FTP and accessing website files, then please see our guide on how to use FTP to upload files to WordPress.

Once you’re logged in, you’ll need to download the ‘nginx.conf’ file. You can access this by following this path: /etc/nginx/nginx.conf

Access Nginx file

After locating the file, go ahead and download it on your computer and then open it in a notepad software.

From here, you can search for large_client_header_buffers 4 8K settings. If it’s not there, then simply add it to the end of the file.

You will see 2 sets of values, which relate to a number and size. Simply edit the size from 8K to 128K. This will increase the URI size and allow the site server to process long URLs.

Increase URI size in Nginx

Once you’re done, simply save the text file and reupload it to your website using the FTP client.

For more details, please see our guide on how to use FTP to upload files to WordPress.

Fixing 414 Request URI Too Long Error in Apache

If you’re using the Apache server type, then the process is similar to that of Nginx. First, you’ll need an FTP client to access website files.

Once you’re logged in, you’ll need to locate the ‘apache2.conf’ file. Simply head to the following path using the FTP client: /etc/apache2/apache2.conf

Access apache config files

Next, you’ll need to download the file and open it in notepad software.

After that, you can look for LimitRequestLine 128000 settings. If you don’t see one, then simply add it to the end of the file.

Usually, LimitRequestLine is set to 128000. However, you can increase this to 256000 or higher to remove the 414 error. Just make sure that the value you set is a multiple of 2.

Increase URI size in apache

Once you’re done, simply upload the file back to the website using the FTP client. This should help resolve the 414 error on your WordPress website.

We hope this article helped you learn about what is 414 request URI too long error and how to fix it. You may also want to see our guide on WordPress security and the most common WordPress errors.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post What is 414 Request URI Too Long Error and How to Fix It first appeared on WPBeginner.

How to Fix ERR_CONNECTION_RESET Error in WordPress

Are you seeing the ERR_CONNECTION_RESET error message when trying to access your WordPress site or someone else’s?

This error message appears in Chrome when your browser cannot connect to the website you’ve requested. Other browsers use different messages to display this error.

In this article, we’ll show you how to fix the ERR_CONNECTION_RESET error in WordPress.

How to Fix ERR_CONNECTION_RESET Error in WordPress

What Is the Fix ERR_CONNECTION_RESET Error in WordPress?

The ERR_CONNECTION_RESET error is a Google Chrome error message.

It is shown when your web browser can contact a website but is unable to properly set up the connection to receive data from the site. As a result, your browser automatically resets the connection, but this stops the server from sending data to the browser.

The ERR_CONNECTION_RESET Error

Other web browsers use different wording when displaying this message, such as “The connection was reset.”

There are lots of common WordPress errors, but this message is vague and doesn’t tell you what to do next. The error may even stop you from visiting your own website and logging in to the WordPress admin area.

Usually, this error means that the WordPress website is working, but something is stopping the browser from accessing it. In most cases, you will only need to fix a problem with your own browser or internet connection.

With that said, let’s see how to troubleshoot and fix the ERR_CONNECTION_RESET error in WordPress. You can follow these troubleshooting steps in order or use the quick links below.

Make Sure the Website Is Working

When you see the ERR_CONNECTION_RESET message, the problem is usually with your computer. However, in rare cases it can be caused by a problem with the website, so you should check to see if the website is actually working using IsItWP’s free uptime checker tool.

Simply visit the Website Uptime Status Checker website, then enter the URL of your own site.

IsItWP Uptime Checker Tool

The Uptime Uptime Status Checker tool will quickly check your website.

You’ll get a message letting you know if it is up or down.

Uptime Checker Tool Result

If the site is actually down, then you will need to wait until it is back up to address the issue.

If it is your own site, then you should contact your WordPress hosting provider to let them know your website is down.

For more detailed instructions and to learn how to get automatic alerts when your website goes down, see our guide on how to monitor your WordPress website server uptime.

However, if the website is up and working, then the problem is with your own computer or network, and you should follow the troubleshooting steps below.

Restart Your Internet Connection

The simplest way to start troubleshotting is to restart your internet connection.

You should shut down your computer and turn off your internet modem and router. After that, you should wait for at least one minute before turning everything back on.

You can then try visiting the website again to see whether this has fixed the error.

Clear Your Browser’s Cache

Your web browser stores files and data from the websites you visit, so it doesn’t have to download them again. However, this can cause problems if the cached files become outdated or corrupt.

Luckily, it’s simple to clear your browser’s cache so that the data is downloaded again.

First, you can try reloading the page and bypassing the browser cache. If you’re on Windows, you can do this by pressing the CTRL, SHIFT, and R keys at the same time. On a Mac, it will be CMD, SHIFT, and R.

If that doesn’t work, then you need to clear the cache completely.

To do this with Google Chrome, simply click on the three-dotted icon in the upper-right corner and select ‘More Tools’ and then ‘Clear Browsing Data….’

How to clear the browser cache in Google Chrome

A popup will appear. You should check the box next to ‘Cached images and files.’

Google Chrome will clear the entire cache by default. Another option is to open the ‘Time Range’ dropdown and tell Chrome to only clear content that was cached during a particular time period.

Fixing the site can't be reached error in WordPress

Next, you can check or uncheck any of the other options.

For example, if you only want to clear the cached files, then you can uncheck the ‘Browsing history’ and ‘Cookies and other site data’ boxes.

Emptying the Chrome cache

When you’re ready, click on the ‘Clear data’ button and Chrome will empty the browser cache. Once it’s finished, try revisiting the website to check whether you still get an error.

If you’re using a different browser, then you can see our beginner’s guide on how to clear the browser cache in any browser.

Turn Off Experimental Chrome Features

If you’ve enabled any of Chrome’s experimental features, then it’s possible that one of those may be causing the error.

To turn them off, navigate to chrome://flags/ in Chrome. After that, click the ‘Reset all’ button at the top of the page.

Turn Off Experimental Features in Chrome

Now try to visit the website. If you still see the error message, then you should move on to the next solution.

Disable Your Computer’s Firewall and Antivirus

Installing antivirus and firewall software on your computer can keep you safe by blocking malware, but sometimes they may block trustworthy websites as well.

To test whether your firewall or antivirus program is blocking the connection, simply disable that software temporarily. Then, try to visit the website that was showing the error.

If the site loads without a problem, then you’ll know that the antivirus program or firewall was to blame. If this is the case, then we don’t recommend disabling it permanently.

Instead, you should check the software’s settings to see if you can whitelist this particular website. In this way, you can access the site while still protecting yourself against hackers, viruses, and other digital threats.

If you’re not sure where to find these settings, then try checking the software’s official documentation, forums, or social media pages for more information. Depending on your software license, you may also be able to contact customer support or the developer for help.

For more tips on protecting yourself against hackers without triggering a connection error, please see our ultimate WordPress security guide.

Reset Your VPN Software

You may have installed Virtual Private Network (VPN) software on your computer to protect your privacy, keep your information secure, and visit sites that are blocked in your location.

However, you may sometimes have problems with a VPN connection, or the VPN might not recognize a website’s IP address. Some VPNs will reconnect automatically if they encounter a problem, but you may have to reconnect your VPN manually.

We recommend checking your provider’s website or documentation for instructions on how to reset your VPN.

Disable Your Proxy Server

You may also experience connection errors when using a proxy server as an extra layer of security or to cache data. You will need to disable the proxy server.

To do this on a Mac, you can start by clicking the ‘Apple’ icon in the toolbar and then selecting ’System Settings…’

Next, you should type ‘proxies’ into the search box on the left and click the ‘Proxies’ menu item.

In Mac System Settings, Search for 'Proxies'

Now you need to make sure that all the proxy settings are toggled to the Off position.

After that, you should click the ‘OK’ button to save your changes.

Turn Off All Proxies Settings

You can now try visiting the website to see whether you can access it without any problems.

Clear Your DNS Cache

Your computer stores the IP addresses of all the websites you visit so that the browser doesn’t have to look up the same IP address multiple times. This is called a DNS cache.

This helps websites to load faster, but the cached DNS information can get outdated. This may result in an error message, particularly if the site has moved to a new domain name or you’ve moved WordPress to a new host.

By flushing your DNS cache, you’ll get the latest information about a website, including its new domain name or address.

To help you out, we’ve created a complete guide on how to clear your DNS cache for Mac, Windows, and Google Chrome.

Change Your DNS Server

A DNS server is like the internet’s phone book. It lets your browser know which IP address it needs to visit when you type in a website’s domain name.

Your internet service provider assigns you a DNS server automatically. However, sometimes this server may be unavailable, or it might have the wrong information. When that happens, you’ll experience connection problems.

You can solve this problem by switching to a different public DNS server, such as Google Public DNS. You can use any public server you want, but just be aware that the DNS provider will be able to see all the websites you visit.

On a Mac, you should start by clicking the Apple icon at the top left of the screen and selecting ‘System Settings…’ from the menu. Next, you need to enter ‘dns’ in the search box at the top left of the screen and then click the ‘DNS servers’ entry.

In Mac System Settings, Search for 'DNS'

You will now see the address of your current DNS server.

Using the ‘+’ button at the bottom, you can add the two addresses for Google’s DNS servers. These are 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.8.4.

You Will See the Address of Your Current DNS Server

After that, you can click the old DNS server address.

Then, use the ‘-‘ button at the bottom to remove it.

Add the Addresses for Google's DNS Servers

When you’re finished, simply click on the ‘OK’ button to save your changes.

If you’re not using a Mac, then Google offers detailed instructions for most operating systems in their documentation on how to get started with Google Public DNS.

You’re now ready to visit the website to see whether this has removed the error message.

Reset Your TCP/IP Settings

TCP/IP is a set of protocols that control how data is sent and received over the internet.

If there’s a problem with how your internet connection is configured, then renewing your TCP and IP protocol will return the connection to its default settings, which may solve the problem.

On a Mac, you need to open the System Settings app, search for TCP/IP, and then click the TCP/IP entry in the menu.

In Mac System Settings, Search for 'TCP/IP'

On this screen, go ahead and click on the ‘Renew DHCP Lease’ button.

You may need to confirm your choice by clicking the ‘Apply’ button on a popup.

Click the 'Renew DHCP Lease' Button

On Windows, you need to open the Command Prompt and open a series of commands. You should type each command separately and press the Enter key after each one.

You can now try visiting the website to check whether the error is fixed.

We hope this tutorial helped you learn how to fix the ERR_CONNECTION_RESET error. You may also want to learn why WordPress is free, or check out our list of reasons why you should use WordPress for your website.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post How to Fix ERR_CONNECTION_RESET Error in WordPress first appeared on WPBeginner.

How to Fix ‘The Site Is Experiencing Technical Difficulties’ in WordPress

Are you seeing an error message saying ‘The site is experiencing technical difficulties’ on your WordPress website?

This error message is shown when your website is broken because of a serious problem with PHP code somewhere on your website.

In this article, we’ll show you how to track down the problem code and fix ‘The site is experiencing technical difficulties’ error message in WordPress.

How to Fix 'The Site Is Experiencing Technical Difficulties' in WordPress

What Is the Technical Difficulties Error in WordPress?

Your WordPress website is built using the PHP programming language. Any problem with that code can break your website.

In the past, a fatal PHP error would lead to the White Screen of Death. A helpful feature introduced in WordPress 5.2 has improved fatal error protection, so now an error message is displayed instead of a blank screen: “The site is experiencing technical difficulties”.

This Site Is Experiencing Technical Difficulties Error Message

If you try to log in to your site, then you’ll see a slightly different message: “The site is experiencing technical difficulties. Please check your site admin email inbox for instructions.”

Technical Difficulties Error Message That Mentions Site Admin Email

Or you may see this error message instead: ‘There has been a critical error on this website.’

PHP is used in the WordPress core, themes, and plugins, so these are possible sources of the problem. For example, you may have recently copied and pasted code snippets to your website, or there may be a conflict between a plugin or theme and some custom code.

Your job will be to track down the source of the error and then fix it.

With that being said, let’s take a look at how to fix ’The site is experiencing technical difficulties’ in WordPress. We’ll cover two methods, and the first is the simplest, as long as you received an email about the error.

Method 1: Fixing Technical Difficulties Error Using Recovery Mode

The technical difficulties error message isn’t very helpful. Luckily, WordPress sends an email with details about the cause of the error to your website’s admin email address.

If you are on Bluehost or used a WordPress auto-installer, then your admin email address will likely be the same address that you have used for your WordPress hosting account.

Many WordPress sites have issues sending emails, so if you didn’t get the email, then you’ll be able to follow Method 2 to fix the error.

In your inbox, you should see an email with the subject line ‘Your Site is Experiencing a Technical Issue’. It will contain helpful information about what caused the error on your website.

For instance, in the following screenshot, the email explains that the error was caused by the Porto theme. It also includes a special link that will allow you to log in to your site in recovery mode to investigate and fix the issue.

Technical Difficulties Email With Link to Recovery Mode

Now you just need to click on the link to WordPress recovery mode, which will take you to your WordPress admin area.

First, you’ll be asked to log in to WordPress.

Recovery Mode Login Screen

Once you are logged in, you will see a notification explaining that you are in recovery mode. You will also see a link to where you can go to fix the problem.

For instance, in the following screenshot, the message tells us that one or more plugins failed to load properly and provides a link to the plugins page.

Recovery Mode Login Dashboard

Once you click on the link, you will see the misbehaving plugin. You will also see exactly which line of code caused the error.

You can go ahead and deactivate the plugin for now.

Using Recovery Mode to Deactivate a Plugin

Next, you can simply look for an alternative WordPress plugin, or see if you can get support from the plugin developers. Make sure you share the description of the error with them.

Similarly, if the issue is with your theme, then you will see a link to the themes page. At the bottom of the page, you can see the theme causing the issue.

Recovery Mode Can Identify the Theme Causing a Problem

You can simply change your WordPress theme, or delete the broken theme and reinstall a fresh copy of the same theme from the official source to see if that resolves the issue.

Once you have addressed the issue, you can simply go ahead and click on the Exit Recovery Mode button at the top.

Exit Recovery Mode

In most cases, your WordPress website will now be working normally.

However, if you are still seeing the technical difficulties error in WordPress, then you can try the troubleshooting steps in the next step.

Method 2: Fixing Technical Difficulties Error Manually

If you didn’t receive the WordPress notification email about the technical difficulties error, then this is how you can troubleshoot and fix the technical difficulties error in WordPress.

If the error was caused by a recent action you took, then you can simply undo that action to fix the issue.

For instance, if you installed a new plugin and activating it caused the technical difficulty, then you need to deactivate that plugin. We’ll show you how to do that in the first step below.

On the other hand, if you are unsure, then you can simply follow these steps.

Deactivate All WordPress Plugins

The technical difficulties error may be caused by a faulty or conflicting plugin. The easiest way to remove the problem is to disable the plugin.

However, you have two problems. You don’t have access to the WordPress admin area, and you don’t know which plugin to deactivate.

So you will need to deactivate all WordPress plugins. Don’t worry, you can easily reactivate them once you get access to your WordPress admin area.

Simply connect to your WordPress website using an FTP client or the file manager app in your WordPress hosting control panel. Once connected, you need to navigate to the /wp-content/ folder.

Using FTP to Rename the Plugins Folder

Inside the wp-content folder, you will see a folder called plugins. You need to right click this folder then select ‘Rename’ from the menu.

Next, change the name of the plugins folder to anything that you like. In our example, we’ll call it plugins-deactivated.

Once you do this, all of your plugins will be deactivated and you can visit your website to see if the technical difficulties message has disappeared.

If the error message is still displayed on your site, then it is not caused by a plugin. You should rename the folder back to plugins and move on to the next step below.

However, if the error message is no longer displayed, then you will need to find which one was the source of the problem. Start by renaming the folder back to plugins.

Now you can log in to your WordPress admin area and navigate to the Plugins » Installed Plugins page. You need to reactivate the plugins one by one so you can identify which one caused the error.

You can then delete that plugin from your site using FTP or ask the plugin author for support.

Switch to Default Theme

If the problem wasn’t caused by a plugin, then you should next check if your theme is causing the error. To do that, you need to replace your current theme with a default theme.

First, connect to your website using an FTP client and go to the /wp-content/themes/ folder. It contains all installed themes on your website.

Next, you need to right click your current WordPress theme and download it to your computer as a backup.

Using FTP to Download the Current Theme as a Backup

After that, you can safely delete your current theme from your website. You’ll need to right click your theme folder and select ‘Delete’.

Your FTP client will now delete the theme from your website.

Using FTP to Delete the Current Theme

If you have a default WordPress theme such as Twenty TwentyTwo installed on your website, then WordPress will automatically start using it as the default theme. However, if you don’t have a default theme installed, then you need to manually install it using FTP.

If the technical difficulties error is no longer displayed when visiting your site, then your theme is the cause of the problem.

Another possible way to fix the error is to look at your theme’s functions.php file. If there are extra spaces at the bottom of the file, then you need to remove them. Sometimes that fixes the issue.

Otherwise, you should consider reinstalling a fresh copy of your theme. For more details, see our beginner’s guide on how to install a WordPress theme.

Reinstall WordPress

If your website isn’t experiencing technical difficulties because of a faulty plugin or theme, then the problem may be a corrupt WordPress core file or there may be malware on your site.

Simply go to WordPress.org and download a fresh copy of WordPress to your computer. After downloading the file, you need to unzip it to your computer. This will create a folder called wordpress which contains all the files you need for the reinstall.

Download and Unzip WordPress

Next, you need to connect to your WordPress site using an FTP client or the file manager app in your hosting control panel.

Once connected, you need to navigate the right pane to the root folder of your website. The root folder is the one that contains the wp-admin, wp-content, wp-includes, and wp-admin folders.

Using FTP to Upload a Fresh Version of WordPress

Now navigate the left pane to the fresh wordpress folder you just created. You need to select the files inside this folder and upload them to your website.

Your FTP client will ask if you want to overwrite these files or skip them. You need to select ‘Overwrite’ and check the box next to ‘Always use this action’ option.

Overwriting Your Current WordPress Files Using FTP

Now you can click on the OK button to continue. Your FTP client will replace all your core WordPress files with fresh copies from your computer.

Once finished, you can try visiting your website to see if this resolved the error.

If the technical difficulty was caused by a corrupt WordPress core file or malware, then the error message should no longer appear.

Contact Your Hosting Provider

If you’ve tried all the steps above and are still seeing the ‘The site is experiencing technical difficulties’ message, then you can ask for help.

You should contact your WordPress hosting provider to see if there is anything they can do. Many providers offer excellent technical support and may be able to solve your problem.

For example, they may be able to check the server error logs or restore a backup of your WordPress site. They will let you know how they can help and what you should do next.

For the best results, make sure you check our guide on how to properly ask for WordPress support and get it.

We hope this tutorial helped you learn how to fix ‘The site is experiencing technical difficulties’ in WordPress. You may also want to learn how to speed up WordPress performance or see our ultimate WordPress SEO guide to improve your SEO rankings.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post How to Fix ‘The Site Is Experiencing Technical Difficulties’ in WordPress first appeared on WPBeginner.

How to Rollback WordPress Plugins (Version Control for Beginners)

Have you ever updated a WordPress plugin only to have the new version break your site?

This can be extremely frustrating and is one of the main reasons why many beginners don’t always update plugins.

In this article, we will show you how to rollback WordPress plugins like a version control system for beginners.

How to Rollback WordPress Plugins (Version Control for Beginners)

When Do You Need to Rollback WordPress Plugins?

It’s best practice to keep your WordPress website up to date. That means you should always use the latest version of WordPress, plugins, and themes.

Unfortunately, on rare occasions, updates can sometimes break your website. This can happen if there’s a bug in the code, or if the update introduces some kind of conflict with your theme or another plugin.

That’s why we always recommend that you create a complete WordPress backup before performing any updates.

However, restoring your entire site from a backup can be a hassle, and you might lose other recent changes that you want to keep. So instead of restoring a backup, if you know which plugin caused the problem, then you can easily revert the changes and report the problem to the developer so it can be fixed.

Alternatively, you can manually install the older version of the plugin. But if you can still log in to your WordPress admin area, then simply rolling back the plugin version is more efficient.

Let’s take a look at how you can easily rollback WordPress plugins using a version control designed for absolute beginners. But first, we’ll show you how to fix your website if it’s broken and you’re unable to log in.

What if You Are Locked Out of Your Website?

Before you can rollback a plugin or theme you have to log in to your website.

But what if the updated plugin or theme has completely broken your website so it displays the critical error or white screen of death? Or perhaps your site is still running, but you are locked out of WordPress admin?

In those cases, you will have to deactivate your plugin or theme manually.

Deactivating WordPress Plugins Manually

If updating a plugin has caused a serious problem on your WordPress website, then we recommend that you deactivate all plugins and then reactivate them one by one.

You’ll need to refer to our guide on how to deactivate all plugins when not able to access wp-admin and follow one of the two methods to manually deactivate all of your plugins.

Manually Deactivate Plugins

You should now be able to log in to your WordPress admin area. You can move on to the second section below and learn how to roll back the problem plugin to an earlier version. After that, you can reactivate your plugins one by one.

Deactivating WordPress Themes Manually

If an updated theme is the cause of your website problems, then we recommend that you download a copy of that theme to your computer and then delete the theme.

You can learn how to do that in our step by step guide on how to uninstall and delete a WordPress theme. You’ll have to carefully follow the sections on how to prepare before deleting a WordPress theme, and how to delete the theme via FTP or the cPanel File Manager.

Manually Deleting a Theme

After that, you should be able to log in to your WordPress admin area again. You’ll need to upload the theme folder from your computer to your website, and then scroll down to the third section below to learn how to roll back the plugin to a previous version.

Are You Still Seeing an Error Message?

If you are still seeing an error message that prevents you from logging in to WordPress, then you should make a note of the error and then see if our guide on what to do when you are locked out of WordPress admin offers a fix for that error.

If not, then check our list of the 50 most common WordPress errors and how to fix them. You can also see our guide on how to properly ask for WordPress support for more options to get help with the error.

Rolling Back a WordPress Plugin to a Previous Version

The first thing you need to do is install and activate the WP Rollback plugin. For more details, see our step by step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, go to the Plugins » Installed Plugins page and you will notice a new ‘Rollback’ link below each plugin that you installed from the WordPress.org plugin directory.

Note: You won’t be able to rollback third party plugins that aren’t in the official WordPress plugin directory.

The Plugins Page Now Has a New Rollback Link

When you need to revert to a previous version of the plugin, simply visit the plugins page and click the ‘Rollback’ link below that plugin.

The WP Rollback plugin will take you to a page where you can see which version you have installed and the versions you can rollback to.

Select a Version to Rollback To

Simply select an older version and then click the ‘Rollback’ button.

The plugin will now display a warning message. This message simply informs you that you should create a complete WordPress backup before proceeding.

WP Rollback Will Display a Warning Message

If you already have a recent backup of your WordPress site, then you can continue by clicking on the ‘Rollback’ button.

WP Rollback will download and replace your current version with the version you selected. Don’t forget to click the ‘Activate Plugin’ link when you’re ready.

WP Rollback Will Download and Install the Previous Version

Rolling Back WordPress Themes to Previous Version

If you are using a free theme downloaded from WordPress.org theme directory, then WP Rollback can also rollback your theme.

Simply go to Appearance » Themes page and click on the theme that you want to rollback.

Click the Theme You Wish to Rollback

The ‘Theme Details’ popup will appear that displays the name and description of the plugin, a link to enable auto-updates, and a button to customize the theme.

You will also notice a ‘Rollback’ button in the bottom right corner.

Click the Rollback Button in the Bottom Right Corner

If you don’t see a rollback option, then first make sure that the theme is from the WordPress.org theme directory. The plugin does not work on themes downloaded from any other sources.

If you are certain that the theme you are trying to rollback is from WordPress.org directory, then you just need to visit the Dashboard » Updates page. This will force WordPress to check for updates.

Now come back to the themes page and click on the theme you wanted to rollback. You should now be able to click the ‘Rollback’ button.

This will take you to a page where you can see the theme version which is currently installed, and a list of versions you can rollback to.

Select the Version You Wish to Rollback To

Simply select a previous version and then click the ‘Rollback’ button.

A warning message will be displayed reminding you to complete a backup before continuing.

WP Rollback Will Display a Warning Message

If you recently created a backup of your site, then you can safely click the ‘Rollback’ button.

The version of the theme you selected will be downloaded and replace the current version. If you want to use the theme on your website, then you should click the ‘Activate’ link.

WP Rollback Will Download and Install the Previous Version

We hope this tutorial helped you learn how to rollback WordPress plugins like a version control system for beginners. You may also want to learn how to create a free business email address, or check out our list of the most common WordPress errors and how to fix them.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post How to Rollback WordPress Plugins (Version Control for Beginners) first appeared on WPBeginner.

Here’s Something That Will Captcha Your Attention: Defender’s New Google reCAPTCHA Feature!

Defender, our answer to WordPress security, just beefed things up even more with his new Google reCAPTCHA feature! Google reCAPTCHA ensures that it’s a human that enters your site instead of automated spammers that can wreak havoc.

As you’ll see, it’s as easy as ever to get reCAPTCHA activated in just a few clicks. We’ll break it all down and show you how.

Defender's Google reCAPTCHA announcement.
You might be aware of this feature if you’ve logged in to Defender recently. He’s pretty excited about it.

We’ll take a look at how to:

By the end of this brief article, you’ll know how to put the cap on bots and spammers with reCAPTCHA.

Activate Google reCAPTCHA

To get started, you’ll need to activate reCAPTCHA from Defender’s dashboard. That’s as easy as going to Tools, then Google reCAPTCHA.

Once there, click Activate.

Where you activate reCAPTCHA.
One click is all it takes to get started.

As soon as you hit activate, it’s not ready to go unless you have your Site and Secret keys set up. Defender will let you know if you don’t.

The message from Defender that says Google reCAPTCHA is inactive.
If you get the yellow exclamation mark, you still need to set up your keys.

No keys? Let’s create them. Defender makes this easy by having a link to get the keys created. Just click, you guessed it, Click Here.

Where you click to get your recaptcha keys from Google.
This is located directly below the yellow exclamation mark.

Clicking this opens up a new tab on Google’s reCAPTCHA page.

The first thing you’ll do is name the Label. The Label helps you identify the site for future reference.

Where you label your recaptcha.
Label it something you can associate with.

Once you have a label, the next part leads us to…

Choose a reCAPTCHA Type

You now choose a reCAPTCHA Type in Defender and Google.

It’s important to note that during registration in Google, you’ll need to select the same reCAPTCHA type you selected in the Defender interface, as each reCAPTCHA type requires a different set of API keys.

It’s up to you if you want to pick a type in Defender or Google first. Either way, it doesn’t matter as long as they’re the same.

Since we’re already in Google, we’ll select a type here first. You have the option of reCAPTCHA v3 (verifies requests with a score) and reCAPTCHA v2 (verifies requests with a challenge).

Whatever you choose will create a unique key.

Once you decided which type is best for you, you’ll enter the domain and accept the reCAPTCHA Terms of Service. You can also opt to have alerts sent to the owner (you and your email).

Hit Submit, and it will generate your keys.

A look at the generated recaptcha keys.
As you can see, two unique keys were created.

It’s now time to implement them in Defender, so we’ll head on back into Defender’s dashboard and get these activated!

For this example, I chose to create keys using reCAPTCHA v2. Therefore, I’ll select the same option in Defender.

You can pick between v2 Checkbox or v2 invisible for reCAPTCHA v2. For this demonstration, I’ll use v2 Invisible (I’ll touch more on v2 Checkbox and v3 a bit later).

Where you choose what style you want.
The choice is yours on what style you’d like.

Enter the site keys from Google in the spaces provided, click Save Changes at the bottom of the screen, and Defender will give you a preview of what your reCAPTCHA will look like.

The captcha preview.
You get a great glimpse of how your reCAPTCHA will appear.

Now that you know how to set up specific reCAPTCHA types, let’s…

Configure reCAPTCHA

There’s a lot you can do when it comes to configuring Defender’s reCAPTCHA. We’ll take a look at how to edit:

  • Language
  • Error Message
  • reCAPTCHA Locations

As you’ll see, each customization option is simple to adjust however you’d like.

Language

You can pick what language you want your reCAPTCHA to be in. By default, it’s on Automatic. That means that whatever language your WordPress site is in — the reCAPTCHA will be that language, too.

That being said, choose from tons of other languages in the dropdown. Or type in a language in the search bar.

As you can see, there are quite a few languages to choose from.

Once you have the language set up how you want it, click Save Changes.

Error Message

It’s easy to create a custom error message to display when a user’s reCAPTCHA verification fails.

Just add the message you want and hit Save Changes.

Where you edit your captcha error message.
This will tell your users what happened and what to do next.

Edit and change this message at any time.

reCAPTCHA Locations

reCAPTCHA Locations is where you choose the forms where reCAPTCHA human verification will be required. You can choose to have reCAPTCHA implemented for WordPress Login, Register, and Lost Password forms.

It’s just a matter of clicking which ones where you want reCAPTCHA to be deployed.

One-click is all it takes!

Style reCAPTCHA

With Defender’s v2 Checkbox, you can style the reCAPTCHA in several ways.

The Size can be adjusted to either Normal or Compact from the dropdown menu.

Where you choose a size for your captcha.
Choose a size that suits you best.

When it comes to the Theme, you can pick between Light and Dark.

Where you choose between a light or dark theme.
It’s all quick to get to in the dropdown menu.

Check out how your reCAPTCHA looks by hitting Save Changes. Once doing so, it’ll show you a preview.

A look at a styled captcha box.
This is a look at a standard size with a light theme.

If all looks awesome, you’re all set! You can also go in and edit at any time if you’d like to make some adjustments.

Adding a reCAPTCHA Score

reCAPTCHA v3 returns a score that is based on user interactions. This score can be adjusted and changed to wherever you want the verification to fail.

Change the Score Threshold to 0-1. One is very probable it’s a good interaction, and zero is very likely it’s a bot.

It can be changed quickly in Defender’s dropdown.

Pick a threshold between zero and one.

Hit Save Changes and your threshold is saved.

Defender’s reCAPTHCA is CAPTCHA-vating

To help defend your site against bots and spammers, it’s as captivating as ever to use Defender’s Google reCAPTCHA for your WordPress site!

It will help ensure that your site is used by real humans for your forms, logins, and visitors — which assists with preventing abuse, stopping hackers from harvesting email addresses, and putting a hault to automated signups & registrations.

If you don’t have Defender, give it a try today for free. Also, for upgraded security features, try out Defender Pro with a free WPMU DEV 7-day trial. You’ll also get access to all of our other premium plugins, 24-7 service, our all-in-one WordPress site manager, The Hub, and more.

reCAPTCHA later!

Create an Easy Payment Form (for free!) with Forminator

Selling items on WordPress has never been as streamlined, thanks to Forminator, our 5-star forms plugin. You can set up your shop quickly and efficiently with free payment options like Stripe and Paypal integration, customizable product features, discount codes, and more — all for free!

If you’re trying to figure out an easier way to accepts payments online securely or put together a functional eStore without overcomplicating things, this tutorial will show you how you can sell stuff super easily without having to worry about an elaborate WooCommerce setup.

We’ll take you step-by-step through some of Forminator’s more advanced features that will benefit you and your shoppers.

You’ll also see how Forminator, combined with our free email capture plugin, Hustle, can make your online shop “pop” (literally, as you’ll see). Hustle can offer special discounts to your visitors before leaving your site and collect their email at the same time so you can continue marketing to them.

With Forminator, your visitors can be shopping in no time on a storefront like this…

Sell stuff super easily…no WooCommerce required!

We’ll start by setting up an order form and then look at enhancing it further with Hustle.

Throughout this tutorial, we’ll be working with an ordering form for a Dev Man t-shirt as an example:

An online shop image made with Forminator.
The sales page we’re using has a ton of customized options.

BONUS: As we go through this, join the fun! Click here to check this t-shirt site demo for yourself and try it out. Also, you can download this form’s file and upload it to your WordPress site.

We’ll show you how to use Forminator to:

  1. Choose Advanced Order Form Options
  2. Structure Your Order Form with Pagination
  3. Create Product Labels with Select Field Options
  4. Set Up Discounts and a Base Price
  5. Calculate the Tax and Total Price
  6. Create the Checkout Section
  7. Set Up a Special Discount Exit-Intent Pop-Up (with Hustle)

1. Choose Advanced Order Form Options

Sure, you can create a simple order form with Forminator in just a few clicks, but we’re taking things up a notch.

Forminator can build pretty impressive sales pages with advanced options, such as the number of items, sales tax, discount codes, and more.

As you’ll see, you can create professional payment and order forms that will give your shoppers more choices and be visually appealing. Plus, depending on your offering, many of these features may need to be included.

Though it’s advanced, it’s still simple to set up.

By the time we’re done, you will know how to put together a sophisticated eCommerce payment form with advanced functionality, calculations, and more…all built with free components!

2. Structure Your Order Form with Pagination

Pagination is the field for page breaks. This is perfect for breaking down your ordering form into sections and making it less cluttered.

When you add your first Page Break field to your form, you’ll see a Pagination at the top of the other areas.

This order form has three sections. Here’s a quick look at them…

Click the Pagination section to open it up and edit the page breaks in the form. In this example, under Labels, it’s broken up as:

  • Page 1: Choose Product
  • Page 2: Shipping Address
  • Finish: Checkout
A look at the pagination set up.
Where you add the page break labels for the form.

In the Settings section, you have the option for a progress indicator to show users how far they are through your form. Also, you can customize the text for the Next and Previous buttons.

Progresss indicator and buttons text.
Pagination settings area.

Breaking up an order form is a great way to walk your users through the checkout process.

3. Create Product Labels with Select Field Options

It’s time to determine the options for t-shirts and incorporate this into the form. For this, we are using the Select fields for the choices of Style, Color, and Size.

They are labeled accordingly and placed at the top of the form in the upper section.

The select fields options for style, color, and size.
The Select fields labeled according to what they are.

Each one can then be edited by what to include in the Labels section. For example, with the colors, the form has the options of green and yellow.

The labels section where you can add various color options.
The labels section where you can add various options.

The process is the same for the Style field.

With Size, this has some calculation variables that we need to include since this is also where it displays the price. The prices are all different, depending on the size.

Different size options for t-shirts.
You can see the various prices that vary by size.

The Calculations tab is where you’ll make calculations (I’ll show you how this all adds-up soon).

You can Enable this and indicate the price by a numerical value for each size. As you can see, they all vary.

Where individual calculations are added.
Individual prices are calculated here.

The next option to indicate is the amount. For this, we’re using a Number field. How many do you want? is the way it’s labeled.

Number fields option for the amount of items that are to be purchased.
The Number field option to indicate the number of items a user wants to purchase.

You can adjust the settings in the field and indicate a minimum and maximum amount available for purchase.

4. Set Up Discounts and a Base Price

When a user decides what they want to purchase, it all needs to be added up. This section is where you add calculations and discounts.

With a Text field, you can mention an option for a discount. Here we have it worded Have a discount coupon?

The Text field with the discount feature.
The Text field with the discount feature.

We’ll now include two Calculations fields to get the discount feature to function. Calculations are to the right of the Text field.

The first Discount field is for when someone enters the correct discount code. The Calculation field then calculates a 20% discount and becomes visible.

The calculation field is still required when the coupon code isn’t entered, so that, in these cases, this Discount field will become visible (you’ll see in the Visibility screenshot coming up) and show the discounted amount as 0.

Two calculations fields for discounts.
The two Calculations fields.

To get this to function, go to the Settings area of the first field (calculator-4). The Field Type needs to be set at Read-Only, and the Decimal Places placed at 2.

The detailed calculation settings.
Calculation settings.

In the Calculations area, we’ve added the formula ({select-3)*{number-1})*0.2. This indicates that Select-3 (Size) multiplies the Number-1 (How many do you want?) and the percentage discount we want to offer (in this case, 20%).

Calculations formula for the number of items.
Where you’ll enter the calculations formula for size and the number of items.

This calculation works by multiplying the “size*quantity” by 0.2 to find out the discounted amount.

The rule for the discount coupon is in the Visibility tab. We’ll be using the coupon code DEVMAN20. We used the Field as Text-1 (Have a discount coupon?), have the Condition as Is, and the Value is DEVMAN20.

Calculations rule for the promo code.
When all the conditions are in place, hit Done and Apply to save.

The next Calculations field (calculation-5) will be set similar to the other one; however, there are a couple of changes.

We’ll be using the calculation ({select-3}*{number-1})*0.

The calculation formula for the size and number of items a customer wants.
The calculation formula for the size and number of items a customer wants.

Also, in the Visibility tab, we’re changing the Condition to Is not. Every other setting is the same as the previous Calculations tab.

A rule for the calculations tab.
The other rule in the Calculations tab.

Now that we have these conditions set, we add the base price. The Base Price is another Calculation field (calculation-1).

The field for the base price.
Where to put the Base Price field.

Under Settings, it’s set as Read-Only and has two as the number of decimals.

For the Calculations field, it includes the calculation set at ({select-3}*{number-1})-({calculation-4}).

Base price calculation.
The calculation formula for the base price.

This calculation works by finding the original price and multiplying the size with the quantity field (e.g., {select-3)*{number-1}) and then subtracting the discount.

Beyond that, there are no rules or anything else to add to this field.

5. Calculate the Tax and Total Price

The last piece of the numbers puzzle is adding in the Tax and Total Price. These are both Calculation fields (calculation-1 and calculation-2) added below Base Price in our form.

The fields for the tax and total price.
The Tax and Total Price fields.

For the tax field, add a description of the tax amount under Labels, so users will know that it’s 18% (you can set any rate that you require).

Amount of tax entered and description.
Where you describe the amount of tax a customer will be charged.

In Settings, the Field Type is Read-Only, and the Decimal Places is 2.

As for the Calculations, the one that included for tax is the formula {calculation-1}*0.18. This means that 18% of Base Price is the price that we calculated in the previous step.

Where the tax formula is entered.
The tax formula.

Nothing else is necessary for this field.

Finally, the field for the total price (calculation-3) includes the formula {calculation-1}+{calculation-2}. This formula will add up the total amount by combining the base price with tax.

The total amount is calculated here.
Total amount calculation.

That will do it for all of the calculations and the first section of the form. Forminator will calculate the numbers for the customer and add everything up to determine the price.

From here, customers will go onto the next section, where they’ll enter their address.

You can see a page break indicates that the next section will be just for the Address, created with the Address field. Another page break follows it.

Where the address field is entered between page breaks.
The address field between page breaks.

For the address field, it includes the vital information needed and nothing else. You can edit specific information (e.g., ‘country’) anyway that you’d like.

Customers can now click ‘Next’ to check out. Cha-ching!

6. Create the Checkout Section

Getting this part set up is extremely simple. Just be sure you have a Stripe or PayPal account connected with Forminator. If you need help with this, please refer to our documentation.

All we’ve included are fields for Name, Email, and Stripe.

Payment fields for the checkout area.
The fields created for the checkout area.

From this point, the only thing that was changed is the Submit button at the bottom of the fields. Place Order is the text.

Where the submit button field is located.
The Submit button field.

We also edited the Error Message in the Labels area to Error: Your form is not valid, please fix the errors!

Where you'll enter the button text and error message.
The Button Text and Error Message.

With all of this information in place, it’s now time to cash out and complete the purchase!

But uh-oh…

It looks like a customer is about to leave the page without buying our fantastic t-shirt. The pop-up is where you hook them with an offer they can’t refuse before they take-off.

7. Set Up a Special Discount Exit-Intent Pop-Up — (with Hustle)

Hustle is our free marketing plugin that pops-in and saves the sale just when you need it. You’ll see how beneficial it is to include him with Forminator when a customer is ready to bail.

Image of Forminator and Hustle teaming up.
Hustle and Forminator: Together they form the perfect duo.

You can set up a promotion that pops up and offers a special discount code that corresponds with the order form.

If they opt for the discount, you’ll also capture their email address to continue marketing.

So, let’s set this form up and keep this shopper from going anywhere…

When Hustle is downloaded and activated, you can create a new pop-up in the WordPress admin.

In the Content area of Hustle, we’ve added the title Don’t miss this! and a subtitle of We are giving away a 20% discount. We also added images.

View of the content area of Hustle.
The Content area of Hustle.

In the Main Content area, we’ve included a message urging users to sign up.

View of Hustle’s main content area.
Hustle’s Main Content area.

To offer the code, the user needs to enter their email address. Inserting email is done in the Email section of Hustle. You’ll simply place the Email field. Also, the button text was changed to Get my discount coupon.

Where the email area of Hustle is located.
The Email area of Hustle.

Once they opt-in, the discount code is provided to them by adding it in Submission Behavior.

Showing where you'll enter a message and promo code.
Where you’ll enter any message and also the promo code.

Their email address can also be added to a 3rd party application (e.g. MailChimp) in the Integrations area.

With this promo now launched, Hustle knows when to grab their attention before they leave. In the Behavior section, under Pop-up Trigger, you can pick Exit Intent on when this is displayed.

View of the exit intent area of Hustle.
Where to set the pop-up for the ad.

And users will then be greeted with a special discount:

Look at the promotion created by Hustle.
The promotion pop-up.

Once they opt-in, they get the promo code. Who could pass on 20% off?

A look at the discount code being displayed.
DEVMAN20 is what they can use for the discount.

And with this, there’s a good chance they’ll hit PLACE ORDER…

Adding a pop-up and promotions can help sales, build your list, and create a positive experience for users that appreciate a good discount.

And in case you were wondering, Elementor helped create our form. Elementor is a 5-star WordPress page builder plugin. You can find out more about Elementor here.

These Forms are Not the Norm

As you can see, thanks to Forminator, you can launch and fund off an online store on WordPress for free by creating an above normal checkout process.

There’s also much more you can do with Forminator. He has options for eSignatures, integration with FortressDB, calculators, and much more! With all of the customization options, you can set up your online store exactly how you want.

And if you ever need additional help setting up shop, contact our WPMU DEV 24/7 support superheroes.

With Forminator and Hustle, your store should take form in no time.

How to Send Emails to Only Specific Rows of a Google Sheet with Mail Merge

The Mail Merge spreadsheet contains a mandatory column called Mail Merge Status that indicates the sending/scheduling status of merge for the recipient of that particular row.

For instance, the mail merge status column of value “Mail Sent” indicates that the email has already been sent to the recipient in that row. If you run Mail Merge again, the row will be skipped and the email will not go out to recipients mentioned in that row.

mail-merge-status.png

Rows #4 and #5 will not be included in Mail Merge since the Mail Status column for these rows was manually set to SKIP

Mail Merge status column can have 5 values:

  1. Email Sent - The messages has been sent and this row will not be included in future merge until you clear the cell value.
  2. Email Scheduled - The message is queued for future delivery. The status will auto change to Email Sent after the scheduled message is delivered.
  3. Draft Created - If you are using Mail Merge to create drafts in Gmail, this status indicates that the draft has been created in Gmail for that recipient.
  4. Quota Over - This indicates that you have run out of your daily email sending limit, new emails won’t be sent but you can still schedule messages.
  5. Error Message - If merge encountered an error, maybe the email address was not valid, the status column will show the full error message.

How to Skip Sending Mails to Specific Rows

Let’s say you have a Google Spreadsheet with a dozen entries but you would only like to include, say, 5 rows in Mail Merge and skip the other rows.

You can easily do this by manually setting the Mail Merge Status column as SKIP for rows that you would not like to be included in the merge.

Also, rows with status as “Email Sent” will also not included in the merges.

Use Google Sheets Filters to Hide Rows

Mail Merge for Gmail will only send emails to rows that are visible (not hidden) in your Google Sheet. If you are using Filters inside Google Sheets to hide rows that don’t meet a certain criteria, the emails will not be sent to the hidden rows.

Say you have a Google Sheet with hundreds of rows and the column titles are Name, Country, Age and Email Address. You would only like to send emails to rows where the Country is United States and Age > 18 years.

All you have to do is create a filter inside Google Spreadsheet with the specified criteria and all the unmatched rows will be hidden. Mail merge will automatically skip the rows hidden by the Google Sheets filter.

Step 1: Select the Data Range, go to Data and Choose Filter.

google-sheets-filter.png

Step 2: Click the Dropdown next to the column name and specify the criteria.

setup-filter.png

You can either Filter by Values (show rows that have United States as value) or Filter by Contain (show rows where the age > 18).

Google Sheets will now display rows that match your filter criteria and when you run Mail Merge, it will only email visible rows provided the corresponding Mail Merge Status column is blank.