How to Fix Fatal Error 500 / Internal Server Error in OpenCart

Posted on by huntbee

If you are seeing:

  • Error 500
  • Internal Server Error
  • This page isn’t working
  • Blank white screen

in your OpenCart store, it usually means a fatal PHP error is stopping execution.

The actual error is hidden by default, so you must enable error reporting to identify the root cause.

Step 1: Enable Error Display in OpenCart

Open your main index.php file (and also admin/index.php if the issue is in admin).

Add the following code just after the opening <?php tag:

ini_set('display_errors', 1);
ini_set('display_startup_errors', 1);
error_reporting(E_ALL);

Now refresh the page.

Instead of a blank 500 error page, you should see the actual PHP error message, including:

  • File name
  • Line number
  • Type of error

This will give you a clear hint about what is causing the issue.

Step 2: Common Causes of Error 500 in OpenCart

Once the error is visible, it is usually caused by:

  • Broken or incompatible extension
  • Syntax error in custom modification
  • Corrupted OCMOD file
  • Wrong PHP version
  • Memory limit exceeded
  • Incorrect file permissions
  • Broken .htaccess file

Step 3: Check the .htaccess File

Sometimes the issue is related to your .htaccess file.

Try:

  • Renaming .htaccess temporarily
  • Or replacing it with the default OpenCart .htaccess.txt file

If the website loads after removing it, the issue is likely due to a rewrite rule or server configuration problem.

Step 4: Check Error Logs

If enabling display errors does not show anything, check:

OpenCart Error Log
Admin → System → Maintenance → Error Logs

Or manually check:

/system/storage/logs/error.log

Also check your hosting server’s error logs inside cPanel or your hosting dashboard.

Important Note

After debugging, remove the added code from index.php:

ini_set('display_errors', 1);
ini_set('display_startup_errors', 1);
error_reporting(E_ALL);

Displaying errors on a live production store is not recommended for security reasons.

Final Advice

A 500 Internal Server Error in OpenCart is never random. It is always caused by a specific technical issue. The key is:

  1. Enable error reporting
  2. Identify the exact error message
  3. Fix the root cause

Once you see the actual error message, solving the problem becomes much easier.

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