A 500 Internal Server Error is a very general HTTP status code that means something has gone wrong on the web site’s server but the server could not be more specific on what the exact problem is.
Unfortunately, we can’t help with 500 error as the error may be related to a variety of factors concerning the code of your website and any changes you may have made. However, here are a few things you can do to fix the error yourself or get to a point where you know where it’s coming from.
- Revert any recent changes you made to the website. This would be installation/activation of a new plugin/template/extension or any edits to the files you may have made.
- Check with your web-host to see if they have made any changes recently. (i.e. Changed PHP Version, Migrated Web servers, Moved your website, updated Joomla).
- Switch PHP version: If you webhost provides the ability to change PHP version through your web hosting control panel, try changing to a lower or a higher version to see if that fixes it.
- Rename the .htaccess file: .htaccess file controls all incoming traffic and in certain cases can result in 500 error if you have a typo in your file or something of the sort. Try rename the .htaccess file to something else to see if that fixes the issue. .htaccess file can be found in the root of your Joomla installation directory and you can rename it using FTP or File Manager.
- Enable error reporting and debug and see if that provides any specific errors, instructions here.
By the time you reach here, you should either have your site backup or atleast know what’s causing the 500 error.