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This thread is resolved. Here is a description of the problem and solution.

Problem:
You are trying to install the WPML plugin on your website, but when you install the plugin, the website goes down.
Solution:
We recommend enabling the debug mode to identify the specific errors causing the website to crash. Here's how you can do it:
1. Open your site's

wp-config.php

file.
2. Locate the line

define('WP_DEBUG', false);

and change it to:

define('WP_DEBUG', true);

3. To log the errors to a file, add the following line:

define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true);

This will save the errors to a

debug.log

file in the

/wp-content/

directory.
For more detailed instructions on debugging WPML, visit https://wpml.org/documentation/support/debugging-wpml/

If this solution does not resolve your issue or seems outdated, we highly recommend checking related known issues at https://wpml.org/known-issues/, verifying the version of the permanent fix, and confirming that you have installed the latest versions of themes and plugins. If the problem persists, please open a new support ticket for further assistance.

This is the technical support forum for WPML - the multilingual WordPress plugin.

Everyone can read, but only WPML clients can post here. WPML team is replying on the forum 6 days per week, 22 hours per day.

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This topic contains 1 reply, has 0 voices.

Last updated by Andrey 3 months, 1 week ago.

Assisted by: Andrey.

Author Posts
April 30, 2025 at 10:58 pm #16985329

risteK

Background of the issue:
I was trying to install the WPML plugin on my website.

Symptoms:
When I install the plugin, the website goes down.

Questions:
What causes the website to go down when installing the plugin?
How can I resolve the issue of the website going down?

May 1, 2025 at 6:47 pm #16987235

Andrey
WPML Supporter since 06/2013

Languages: English (English ) Russian (Русский )

Timezone: Europe/Kyiv (GMT+03:00)

Thank you for contacting WPML support.

You need to see what the errors are. Guessing what might be the problem and trying different solutions may lead to even more trouble. The first step is to enable debug. You can do this by adding a few lines to the site’s wp-config.php file. With error log enabled, you will see what the actual problem is.

To enable it, open your wp-config.php file and look for define(‘WP_DEBUG’, false);. Change it to:

define('WP_DEBUG', true);

In order to enable the error logging to a file on the server you need to add yet one more similar line:

define( 'WP_DEBUG_LOG', true );

In this case, the errors will be saved to a debug.log log file inside the /wp-content/directory.

https://wpml.org/documentation/support/debugging-wpml/

Let me know what you see after the debug mode has been enabled.