A 500 means the server tried to run your site and something in it failed. It is almost always fixable in a few minutes.
- Check the error log first. In cPanel go to Errors, or read the raw log in your account. It usually names the exact file and line, which turns guesswork into a fix.
- Suspect .htaccess. Rename it to .htaccess.bak and reload. If the site comes back, that file had a syntax error. Regenerate it rather than editing blind.
- Check file permissions. Directories should be 755 and files 644. Anything set to 777 can trigger a 500 as well as being unsafe.
- Check your PHP memory limit if the log mentions exhausted memory.
- Disable plugins if you are running a CMS. Renaming the plugins folder tests all of them at once.
Send us the error log lines if none of that lands. A log entry gets you a real answer far faster than a description of the symptom.
