How to Fix 5XX Error While Importing a Starter Template?

Did you try to import templates for your website using the Starter Templates plugin, and your import failed?

Do you see a 5XX error like for example:

Error: 500 Allowed memory size of XXXXXXXX bytes exhausted (tried to allocate XXXXX bytes)

This error can be seen on the Starter Template “import process interrupted” notification popup or in the debug.log file.

This can happen if any of the following is true:

• There is an issue with plugins on the site (Plugin conflicts / PHP error)
• There is an issue with the hosting (Resources such as old PHP version / exhausted resources)

Let’s take a look at how this can be fixed:

Step One: Avoid Conflicts

Deactivate all plugins except Starter Templates to get rid of any possible issues with other plugins. And try importing the template again.

Did it work? Awesome!

If not, let’s continue to the next step:

Step Two: Check WP Debug Log

Enable WordPress debugging mode by installing the WP Debugging plugin and try importing a starter template. This plugin will provide log files to get an idea of what might be causing the issue.

Still no luck? Let’s move on.

Step Three: Update PHP Version

WordPress works with PHP versions as old as PHP 5.6. However, all PHP versions before PHP 7.3 are end-of-life (EOL), meaning they no longer receive updates. Because of this, your site may be exposed to security vulnerabilities.

Moreover, old PHP versions slow down the website and cause other issues.

This article will help you understand how to check the PHP version of your website. We recommend getting on the latest possible PHP version, or at least 7.3.

Step Four: Increase Resources Set by Host

In many cases, Starter Templates import can fail because of the limits set by server PHP configuration.

Your website needs a certain amount of resources to function properly. Depending on the activities on your website and all the plugins running, there may be just not enough resources left for the successful template import. In this case, we would suggest modifying your PHP configuration to the following recommended values (values are approximate):

memory_limit = 512M
max_execution_time = 900
max_input_time = 900
post_max_size = 256M
upload_max_filesize = 720M

These settings will ensure that there are enough resources on your website, even if you’re, for example, running some highly demanding plugins. These are not, in any case, the minimum required values, as the Starter Templates plugin needs minimal resources. Thus, you can also try increasing your values gradually and checking if you can import your template successfully with those settings.

For many non-techie users, this might feel daunting, and checking the log files process will differ from host to host. So it is always better to get it done by someone who knows it well.

So feel free to get in touch with your hosting company, and they will be happy to do it for you.

Here is an email that you can send:

Still no luck? Please feel free to get in touch with our support, and we will be happy to take a look. But before that.. one question for you:

Is Your Website With Good Host?

We have mostly seen this happen on low-end hosting. Such hosting servers are shared by many different websites, and hence individual users don’t get enough resources that their website needs to perform properly.

The above PHP configuration helps in many cases, but it does not guarantee your website will get those resources. If a server does not have any resources left, your website won’t have them available for the Starter Template import, no matter how we configure it.

We always recommend opting for decent hosting as it is a crucial part of running a healthy website. If you are looking for recommendations, we have a few. They all come with a trial period / money-back guarantee.