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Why is my PHP page blank?

PHP & the Web 2 min read Full lesson: Hello World in PHP with XAMPP
Short answer

A blank page almost always means PHP hit a fatal error and display_errors is off. Turn it on while developing, or read the Apache error log.

Add this to the very top of the file, above everything else:

php
<?php
ini_set('display_errors', 1);
ini_set('display_startup_errors', 1);
error_reporting(E_ALL);

Reload. The blank page becomes an error message with a file and line number.

#If it is still blank

The error happened before your ini_set ran — usually a parse error, since PHP compiles the whole file before executing a single line. Check the log instead:

  • XAMPP: xampp/apache/logs/error.log
  • Linux: /var/log/apache2/error.log or /var/log/php_errors.log

Or check syntax without running it:

bash
php -l yourfile.php

#The usual culprits

  • A missing semicolon or unbalanced brace — parse error.
  • Calling an undefined function, often a misspelling or a missing extension.
  • Exhausting memory_limit on a big loop or a large file read.
  • Hitting max_execution_time on an unbounded loop.

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