What Causes an HTTP 500 Internal Server Error
Most of the time, this error appears when there’s an issue with the page or site’s programming, but there’s certainly a chance that the problem is on your end. Those problems could be caused by cache or cookie errors in a browser, More specific information about the cause of a particular HTTP 500 error is often provided when it occurs on a server using Microsoft IIS software. For example, look for numbers after 500, as in HTTP Error 500.19 - Internal Server Error, which means Configuration data is invalid.
How to Fix a 500 Error
Because the 500 Internal Server Error is a server-side error, the problem probably isn’t with your computer or internet connection but instead with the website’s server. While not probable, there may be something wrong on your end, in which case here are some things you can try: If the 500 Internal Server Error message appears at checkout during an online purchase, it might help to realize that sales are probably being disrupted—usually a great incentive to the online store to fix the issue very quickly. Even if the 500 Internal Server Error is a problem on the webserver, the issue might be temporary. Trying the page again will often be successful. After removing the cookie(s), restart the browser and try again. Most sites have support-based social network accounts, and a few even have email and telephone numbers. Even if you’re getting the 500 error on a site that doesn’t sell anything, like YouTube or Twitter, as long as you’ve let them know about the problem, or at least tried, there’s little more you can do than wait it out.
Fixing 500 Internal Server Error Problems on Your Own Site
A 500 Internal Server Error on your website requires an entirely different course of action. Because most 500 errors are server-side errors, it’s likely your problem to fix if it’s your website. There are lots of reasons why your site might be serving a 500 Error to your users, but these are the most common:
A Permissions Error. In most cases, a 500 Internal Server Error is due to an incorrect permission on one or more files or folders. In most of those cases, an incorrect permission on a PHP and CGI script is to blame. These should usually be set at 0755 (-rwxr-xr-x). A PHP Timeout. If your script connects to external resources and those resources timeout, an HTTP 500 error can occur. Timeout rules, or better error handling in your script, should help if this is the cause of the 500 error. A Coding Error in .htaccess. While not as common, be sure to check that your site’s .htaccess file is properly structured.
If you’re running WordPress, Joomla, or another content management or CMS system, be sure to search their support centers for more specific help troubleshooting a 500 Internal Server Error. If you’re not using an off-the-shelf content management tool, your web hosting provider, like InMotion, Dreamhost, IONOS (1&1), etc., probably has some 500 Error help that might be more specific to your situation.
Ways You Might See an Internal Server Error
When Google services, like Gmail, are experiencing the error, they often report a Temporary Error (500), or simply 500. This error message might be seen in many ways because each website is allowed to customize the message. Here are several common ways that you might see the HTTP 500 error wording:
500 Internal Server ErrorHTTP 500 - Internal Server ErrorTemporary Error (500)Internal Server ErrorHTTP 500 Internal Error500 ErrorHTTP Error 500500. That’s an error
Since a 500 Internal Server Error is generated by the website you’re visiting, you could see one in any browser in any operating system, even on your smartphone. Most of the time, it displays inside the browser window, just as web pages do. When Windows Update is involved, it appears as a WU_E_PT_HTTP_STATUS_SERVER_ERROR message or 0x8024401F error. If the website that reports the 500 error is running Microsoft IIS, you might get a more specific error message: Many client-side HTTP status codes also exist, like the popular 404 Not Found error, among others. You can see all of them in our HTTP Status Code Errors list.
