WordPress debug mode displays PHP errors and warnings on your website. It is useful for diagnosing problems but should only be enabled temporarily and never left on on a live website.

Step 1 — Edit wp-config.php

1. Log in to cPanel and open File Manager.
2. Navigate to your WordPress folder (usually public_html).
3. Find wp-config.php, right-click it, and select Edit.

Step 2 — Enable debug mode

Find the line:

define('WP_DEBUG', false);

Replace it with the following three lines:

define('WP_DEBUG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false);

Click Save Changes.

What these settings do

• WP_DEBUG true — enables debug mode
• WP_DEBUG_LOG true — writes errors to a log file at wp-content/debug.log instead of showing them on screen
• WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY false — hides errors from site visitors (important for live sites)

Reading the debug log

Open File Manager and navigate to public_html/wp-content/debug.log. This file lists all PHP errors and warnings with the file name and line number where they occurred.

Disable debug mode when done

Set WP_DEBUG back to false once you have finished troubleshooting. Leaving debug mode on can expose sensitive information to visitors.