How to Fix the WordPress connection timeout

One of the common WordPress error is the ‘connection timed out’ that is caused by an overburdened shared server. We will provide solutions to why this might be happening throughout thi s article.

Updated: 17 Aug, 25 by linda Y 2 Min

How to Fix the WordPress connection timeout

One of the common WordPress error is the ‘connection timed out’ which is caused by an overburdened shared server. The main causes are heavy plugins, theme function issues, and exhausted PHP memory limit.

What is WordPress Connection Timeout

Common Causes of WordPress Connection Timeout

How to Fix It?

Connection Timeout

This error can be fixed very easily in different ways:

First possibility is to increase the memory limit of PHP in wp-config.php. If you are using shared hosting you may have to ask your hosting provider to increase your memory limit. This allows you to run heavy plugins successfully.

The second way is to increase the maximum execution time in your php.ini file. However this is not a WordPress core file, so if you are not sure how to edit it, contact your hosting provider to increase your maximum execution time.

MultiPHP INI Editor

PHP Parameter	Default Value	Recommended Value	Description
memory_limit	128M	256M or higher	Max memory PHP can use
max_execution_time	30 seconds	60 seconds or more	Max time script can run
max_input_time	60 seconds	120 seconds	Max time to parse input data

Another way is to first deactivate all the plugins and reactivate them one-by-one to see which plugin is causing the problem and then carefully remove the one that is causing the trouble.

The last method that you can adapt to resolve the problem is to switch to a default WordPress theme to identify if there is any problem caused by the theme.

Solution	Pros	Cons	When to Use
Disable Problematic Plugins	Easy and quick	May disable needed functionality	If plugin conflict is suspected
Increase PHP Memory	Improves performance	Needs hosting permission	When memory limit is low
Check DNS Settings	Fixes domain resolution issues	Requires DNS knowledge	If DNS errors detected
Upgrade Hosting Plan	More resources and stability	Additional cost	If hosting limits reached

Category: Web Hosting Tutorials

linda Y

My name is Linda, I have Master degree in Information Technology Engineering. I have some experiences in working with Windows and Linux VPS and I have been working for 2 years on Virtualization and Hosting.

raley

2019, Jun, 19

This article of yours is really very informative. Even someone with just a little to basic programming knowledge can understand and follow it. Thanks for sharing useful information!! I am really impressed to see that you have provided such an interesting information about WordPress. I was struggling to find such article. Anyways can you suggest me some better option to get Cheap Linux hosting other than redserverhost.com? Thank you once again!!

Antoniy

2019, Jun, 19

Thank you for your feedback, we are glad that you found the article helpful. We provide affordable hosting services for both Windows and Linux platforms. You can see more details about the Linux hosting services we provide by clicking this link

Aditya

2019, Oct, 19

Hey, thank you for sharing this. Been really troubled as my site could not process things properly and i received a timeout error everytime.

Jarek

2020, Jan, 20

Thank you! Thanks to you I was able to fix my blog :) Regards!

iman firmansyah

2020, Jun, 20

thanks, wp_config solved my issue's max connection timeout.

Susith Nonis

2020, Jun, 20

We're glad it worked out!

Wilson

2020, Aug, 20

Thank you so much for doing this. Been very bothered because my platform was unable to manage stuff correctly and any time I got a timeout mistake.

Susith Nonis

2020, Aug, 20

Were glad you enjoyed it ;)

Furkan

2021, Jan, 21

Thank you for post but you didn't explain "how to fix", you explained that "where you fix". :)

Antoniy Yushkevych

2021, Feb, 21

Thank you for your feedback, for further details on how to complete these fixes, you will have to contact your web hosting provider. If you have a service from us, you can always reach us via one of the methods listed on our support page.

Grayce Gislason

2025, Feb, 25

Great insights on fixing the connection timeout error in WordPress! It's a relief to know there are straightforward solutions for such an annoying issue, whether it's increasing memory limits or adjusting execution times. Deactivating plugins and using a default theme are smart strategies to pinpoint the problem too. Thanks for breaking it down so clearly! This will definitely help those struggling with shared hosting environments.