# My website isn't working. Where do I start?

> A step-by-step checklist to find out why your website is down, shows an error or isn't loading, and which guide fixes it.

Source: https://helpcenter.ruachost.com/getting-started/website-troubleshooting/website-not-working-where-to-start/

Work through these checks in order. Most problems are found in the first four.

## 1. Is it just you?

- Open your website in a **private or incognito window**, and on your phone using **mobile data** (not Wi-Fi).
- If it works there, the problem is your browser cache or network. See [Clearing your cache](https://helpcenter.ruachost.com/getting-started/website-troubleshooting/clearing-your-cache/).
- If it works on mobile data but not on your usual network, your IP address may be blocked. See [My IP address is blocked](https://helpcenter.ruachost.com/getting-started/website-troubleshooting/my-ip-address-is-blocked/).
- If it doesn't work anywhere, carry on.

## 2. What does the page say?

The error message tells you where to look:

| What you see | Go to |
| --- | --- |
| "This site can't be reached", "DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN" or "Server not found" | Step 3: domain and DNS |
| "Your connection is not private" or another SSL warning | [Fixing "Your connection is not private" errors](https://helpcenter.ruachost.com/ssl-security/ssl-troubleshooting/connection-not-private-errors/) |
| **403 Forbidden** | [Fixing 403 Forbidden errors](https://helpcenter.ruachost.com/getting-started/website-troubleshooting/fixing-403-forbidden-errors/) |
| **404 Not Found** | [Fixing 404 Not Found errors](https://helpcenter.ruachost.com/getting-started/website-troubleshooting/fixing-404-not-found-errors/) |
| **500 Internal Server Error** | [Fixing 500 Internal Server Errors](https://helpcenter.ruachost.com/getting-started/website-troubleshooting/fixing-500-internal-server-errors/) |
| **503** or **508 Resource Limit Is Reached** | [Fixing 503 and 508 errors](https://helpcenter.ruachost.com/getting-started/website-troubleshooting/fixing-503-and-508-errors/) |
| **429 Too Many Requests** | [Fixing 429 Too Many Requests errors](https://helpcenter.ruachost.com/getting-started/website-troubleshooting/fixing-429-too-many-requests-errors/) |
| "There has been a critical error on this website" | [Fixing the WordPress critical error](https://helpcenter.ruachost.com/getting-started/website-troubleshooting/fixing-the-wordpress-critical-error/) |
| "Error establishing a database connection" | [Fixing "Error establishing a database connection"](https://helpcenter.ruachost.com/cpanel/databases/error-establishing-a-database-connection/) |
| A blank white page | [Troubleshooting blank pages in WordPress](https://helpcenter.ruachost.com/wordpress/guides/troubleshooting-blank-pages-in-wordpress/) |
| "Index of /" and a list of files | ["Index of /" shows instead of my website](https://helpcenter.ruachost.com/getting-started/website-troubleshooting/index-of-shows-instead-of-my-website/) |
| "Account suspended" | [Hosting account suspended](https://helpcenter.ruachost.com/getting-started/website-troubleshooting/hosting-account-suspended/) |
| A "too many redirects" error | [Fixing "too many redirects"](https://helpcenter.ruachost.com/ssl-security/ssl-troubleshooting/too-many-redirects/) |
| The page loads but is very slow | [Why is my website slow?](https://helpcenter.ruachost.com/getting-started/website-troubleshooting/why-is-my-website-slow/) |

## 3. Check your domain

- **Has your domain expired?** Log in to the [client area](https://dashboard.ruachost.com/clientarea.php) and check **Domains**. See [Renewing an expired domain](https://helpcenter.ruachost.com/domains/guides/renewing-an-expired-domain/).
- **Is it pointing to Ruachost?** Your domain must use our nameservers, or have an A record pointing to your hosting server. See [Checking a domain's WHOIS and nameservers](https://helpcenter.ruachost.com/domains/guides/checking-a-domains-whois-and-nameservers/).
- **Did you change DNS or nameservers recently?** Changes can take up to 24–48 hours to reach everyone. See [DNS propagation explained](https://helpcenter.ruachost.com/domains/dns/when-can-i-see-changes-in-my-domain-if-i-just-edited-my-dns-records/).
- **Is the domain suspended by the registry?** See [Domain suspended: ServerHold and ClientHold](https://helpcenter.ruachost.com/domains/guides/domain-suspended-serverhold-and-clienthold/).

## 4. Check your hosting account

- In the client area, open **Services** and check your hosting is **Active**. An unpaid invoice can suspend it.
- In cPanel, check **Disk Usage**: a full disk stops websites and email working properly.
- In cPanel, open **Resource Usage** to see if your account has hit its CPU, memory or process limits.

## 5. Check what changed

Most errors start right after a change. Think about what happened just before:

- a plugin, theme or software update
- a new PHP version in **Select PHP Version**
- an edit to `.htaccess`, `wp-config.php` or another file
- files moved, renamed or uploaded

Undo the change, or restore from your automatic backups. See [Restoring files, email and databases using JetBackup](https://helpcenter.ruachost.com/cpanel/files/restoring-files-email-and-databases-using-jetbackup/).

## 6. Read the error logs

- PHP errors are saved in an `error_log` file in your website's folder. See [Finding PHP error logs](https://helpcenter.ruachost.com/developers/php/enabling-php-error-logging/).
- cPanel's **Errors** page (under **Metrics**) shows the latest web server errors.

## Still stuck?

[Open a support ticket](https://dashboard.ruachost.com/submitticket.php) and include:

- your website address
- the exact error message, or a screenshot
- when it started and anything you changed just before