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Is your store showing a 500 Internal Server Error? This guide explains the causes and solutions. Our experts fix the problem within minutes.
PrestaShop 500 Error: fast diagnosis and fix
This guide explains the causes and solutions. Our experts fix the problem within minutes.
The 500 error (Internal Server Error) means the server cannot process the request. It is one of the most frequent errors on PrestaShop, and it can affect the front-office, the back-office or both. The issue rarely comes from PrestaShop itself, but from a configuration conflict, a module or the server environment.
The .htaccess file at the PrestaShop root handles redirects and URL rewrites. An incorrect rule, a misplaced character or an incompatibility with the Apache server configuration can trigger an immediate 500 error.
Installing or updating a module can cause a conflict with the PrestaShop core or with another module. This is the #1 cause of 500 errors after an action in the back-office.
If your server allocates too little memory to PHP (often 128 MB by default), PrestaShop can crash during heavy operations: catalogue import, invoice generation, cache regeneration.
PrestaShop 1.7 does not run on PHP 8.1+. PrestaShop 8.x requires at least PHP 7.4. A PHP version change by your host can break the site overnight.
Permissions that are too restrictive (or too permissive depending on server config) on cache/, log/, img/ or config/ folders cause a 500 error. Common after migration or FTP deployment.
If you or a developer modified core files or added overrides, a PHP syntax error or class conflict can cause a silent crash.
If MySQL/MariaDB is overloaded, if credentials changed, or if a table is corrupted, PrestaShop can no longer operate and returns a 500 error.
Before calling an expert, here are the checks you can do:
Open /config/defines.inc.php and change define('_PS_MODE_DEV_', false) to true. Reload the page: the exact PHP error should appear instead of the white screen or generic 500 error.
Rename .htaccess to .htaccess.bak via FTP. If the site comes back (without friendly URLs), the problem is there. Regenerate it from the back-office (SEO & URLs > Generate .htaccess).
Add memory_limit = 512M to your php.ini or .user.ini. On shared hosting, check your plan limits.
If the error appeared after a module installation, rename the module folder in /modules/ to disable it without using the back-office.
Look at PrestaShop /var/logs/ and your Apache/Nginx server logs. The exact error is often logged there.
Our experts diagnose and fix your 500 error within minutes. Free diagnosis.
Open a ticketThe steps above cover about 40% of cases. Call a PrestaShop specialist when:
Describe the symptoms in a ticket. Our team accesses your server, analyses the logs, identifies the exact cause and sends you a clear quote.
We fix only what is broken: .htaccess, module, PHP config, permissions. No useless package, no padded work.
After the fix, we verify front-office, back-office and the checkout flow. We make sure your site is 100% operational.
Our customers opened 8872 bug fix request, all solved with success
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A professional who listens, is patient, and genuinely honest, and doesn't overcharge. Honestly, I was a little stressed about giving out my access credentials. I can't recommend him highly enough! And all this for a service call on a Sunday!
Absolutely perfect. A fatal error on my website following a module update was fixed in under an hour by Youssef and his team. What a pleasure to work with such efficient professionals. I recommend them without hesitation.
Thanks to my website bug for their website maintenance and repair service. Another successful fix. And some great advice too.
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