How to Turn Off PHP Errors in WordPress

Messages like “Warning: Undefined array key… in /home/user/public_html/wp-content/plugins/…” appearing at the top of your pages usually mean debug display was left on, or the host shows errors by default. Here’s how to hide them properly — and still see them when you need to.

Option 1: the standard wp-config.php settings#

Open wp-config.php (in your site’s root folder) and find any existing WP_DEBUG line. Replace it with:

define( 'WP_DEBUG', false );

Make sure this is above the line /* That's all, stop editing! */.

Option 2: log errors without showing them (recommended)#

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

Visitors see nothing, while errors are written to wp-content/debug.log. You can also set a custom log path outside the web root for security:

define( 'WP_DEBUG_LOG', '/home/user/logs/wp-errors.log' );

Option 3: hosting control panel#

Many hosts (cPanel’s “MultiPHP INI Editor”, hPanel’s PHP configuration) let you set display_errors = Off. If errors still show after changing wp-config.php, the host setting or a plugin may be overriding it.

Errors still showing?#

• Search wp-config.php for a second WP_DEBUG definition further down.
• Check for ini_set( 'display_errors', 1 ) in plugins or functions.php.
• Check .htaccess or .user.ini for php_flag display_errors on.
• Clear page and CDN caches — cached pages may still contain old error text.

Understanding error types#

Fix the cause#

1. Open debug.log and note which plugin or theme file is mentioned.
2. Update that plugin/theme — many warnings come from PHP 8 changes fixed in newer versions.
3. If it’s abandoned, look for an alternative.
4. Delete old log files periodically; they can grow large.