WP Assistant
By Atiba

How to Restore WP-Admin After Duplicator Clone

This Q&A looks at solving a blank wp-admin page when you clone a site with Duplicator Pro. The user sees a white screen at wp-admin without any error message. You’ll review environment checks, debugging settings, plugin and theme tests to get the dashboard back.

I just took a duplicate of a WordPress website using Duplicator Pro. When I go to wp-admin it just gives me a white screen. No error messages.

Seeing a blank page after cloning a WordPress site with Duplicator Pro can be exasperating. Let’s walk through steps to track down the cause:

1. Verify Environment Requirements

  • PHP Version: Check that your server runs a PHP release supported by your WordPress version.
  • Memory Limits: Increase limits in wp-config.php if needed: 
    define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M');
define('WP_MAX_MEMORY_LIMIT', '512M');

2. Turn on Debugging

Edit wp-config.php to write errors to a log rather than showing them on screen:

define('WP_DEBUG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false);
@ini_set('display_errors', 0);

Then revisit wp-admin and open wp-content/debug.log.

3. Common Troubleshooters

  • Plugins: Rename wp-content/plugins to plugins_old. If wp-admin loads, restore and reactivate them one at a time.
  • Themes: Rename the active theme folder in wp-content/themes. WordPress will fall back to a default theme.
  • .htaccess: Rename it to .htaccess_old so WordPress can rebuild it.
  • Database: Double-check credentials in wp-config.php and confirm the database server is up.
  • Permissions: Directories usually 755, files 644. Adjust via FTP or your host’s file manager.
  • Incomplete Copy: If files or the database were cut off, run the Duplicator procedure again.

4. Duplicator Pro Notes

  • Installer: Make sure you followed each step in the Duplicator Pro installer.
  • Archive Integrity: Regenerate the package if the extraction failed.

If none of this clears the blank screen, check the WordPress support forums or consider contacting Duplicator Pro’s help desk.

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