An update goes wrong, and suddenly your site won't load. Take a breath — WordPress catches that kind of failure on its own and emails you a link that gets you back into your dashboard, no files to touch.

## Before you start

- Access to the inbox for the site's admin email address
- Your WordPress username and password
- A few minutes — the repair itself is usually one click

## Checks and fixes

### Check 1: Open the recovery email

The moment WordPress catches the error, it emails the site's admin address. Look for a message with a subject line like `[Your Site] Your Site is Experiencing a Technical Issue`: it names the plugin or theme that caused the trouble and carries the long **recovery link** you need. Nothing there yet? Give it a few minutes, then check your spam folder.

![Open the recovery email](https://wordpress.supportpages.io/rails/active_storage/blobs/proxy/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6MTEwODksInB1ciI6ImJsb2JfaWQifX0=--c70156c0ae9d542e72ac8db0c71bcc9879d61a36/block_open-the-recovery-email.png)

### Check 2: Log in with the recovery link

Click the link in that email to open a login screen with the note **Recovery Mode Initialized. Please log in to continue.** Type your **Username or Email Address** and **Password**, then click **Log In**.

![Log in with the recovery link](https://wordpress.supportpages.io/rails/active_storage/blobs/proxy/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6MTExMzUsInB1ciI6ImJsb2JfaWQifX0=--ae756018b83746a4ac74193c2b1940c476e95e77/block_log-in-with-the-recovery-link.png)

### Check 3: Find the plugin that broke

You're in — and a notice at the top of the screen confirms it. Open **Plugins** in the left menu. The plugin that caused the error is marked **This plugin failed to load properly and is paused during recovery mode.**, and the exact error it threw sits right below its name.

![Find the plugin that broke](https://wordpress.supportpages.io/rails/active_storage/blobs/proxy/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6MTExMzEsInB1ciI6ImJsb2JfaWQifX0=--e67defceba4b08ea680c07d668cc458e4b27c33d/block_find-the-plugin-that-broke.png)

### Check 4: Deactivate the plugin

In that plugin's row, click **Deactivate**. Recovery mode is already holding the plugin back, so this just makes it official — your site starts loading again right away.

### Check 5: Exit recovery mode

Once the site is loading again, click **Exit Recovery Mode** in the notice at the top of the screen. Recovery mode switches off and the rest of your dashboard behaves normally.

## Tips

- Keep the plugin switched off until its author releases a fix, then update it and activate it again.
- If no email ever arrives, ask your hosting provider to send you a recovery link or to switch the plugin off for you.
- The recovery link expires after a few days. If the same error happens again, WordPress simply emails you a fresh one.

## Summary

A broken update is a detour, not a disaster. Open the recovery email, follow its link, deactivate the plugin that caused the error, and exit recovery mode — and your site is back without anyone touching a file.