Plugin conflicts can cause errors, crashes, or unexpected behavior:
Symptoms of Plugin Conflicts:
- White screen after activating plugin
- Features stop working
- Error messages mentioning plugins
- Site slowdown
How to Diagnose:
1. Safe Mode Test:
- Via FTP, rename /wp-content/plugins to /plugins_disabled
- If site works, you have a plugin issue
2. Identify the Culprit:
- Rename folder back to /plugins
- Rename each plugin folder one at a time
- Test site after each rename
- When site works, you found the problem plugin
3. Check Error Logs:
- Enable WP_DEBUG in wp-config.php
- Check /wp-content/debug.log
Common Conflict Types:
- Two caching plugins active
- Security plugins blocking other plugins
- SEO plugins duplicating functionality
- Outdated plugins incompatible with new WordPress
