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How to Fix the WordPress Failed to Open Stream Error

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Are you seeing the ‘failed to open stream’ error in WordPress?

This error message usually points to the location of the scripts where the error has occurred. However, it can be quite difficult for beginner users to understand it.

In this article, we will show you how to easily fix the WordPress ‘failed to open stream’ error.

Failed to open stream error in WordPress

Why Does the ‘Failed to Open Stream’ Error Occur in WordPress?

The ‘failed to open stream’ error occurs when WordPress.org is unable to load a file mentioned in the website’s code.

When this happens, sometimes WordPress will continue loading your website and only show a warning message in the place where the error occurs. Other times, WordPress will show a fatal error and will not load anything else.

The message phrasing will be different depending on where the error occurs in the code and the reason for failure. It will also give you clues about what needs to be fixed.

Typically, this message will look something like this:

Warning: require(/home/website/wp-includes/load.php): failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /home/website/wp-settings.php on line 19

Fatal error: require(): Failed opening required ‘/home/website/wp-includes/load.php’ (include_path=’.:/usr/share/php/:/usr/share/php5/’) in /home/website/wp-settings.php on line 19

Here is another example:

Last Error: 2023-04-04 14:52:13: (2) HTTP Error: Unable to connect: ‘fopen(compress.zlib://https://www.googleapis.com/analytics/v3/management/accounts/~all
/webproperties/~all/profiles?start-index=1): failed to open stream: operation failed’

Having said that, let’s take a look at how to troubleshoot and fix the ‘failed to open stream’ error in your WordPress website based on the error message. You can use these quick links to skip to a specific section:

Fixing ‘No Such File or Directory’ Error Message

If the error message contains ‘no such file or directory,’ then you need to look in the code to figure out which file is mentioned on that particular line.

If it is a media file, then you can try reuploading it to the media library.

If it is a plugin or theme file, then this means that the plugin or theme files were either deleted or not installed correctly.

You will simply need to deactivate and reinstall the theme or plugin in question to fix the error. If it is a plugin, please see our guides on how to deactivate WordPress plugins and how to install a WordPress plugin.

If it is a theme, please see our guides on how to delete a WordPress theme and how to install a WordPress theme.

However, WordPress may also be unable to locate the files because of a missing .htaccess file in your root folder.

In this case, you need to go to the Settings » Permalinks page in your WordPress site admin and just click on the ‘Save Changes’ button to regenerate the .htaccess file.

Regenerate htaccess file in WordPress

Fixing ‘Permission Denied’ Error Message

If the error message is followed by ‘permission denied,’ then this means that WordPress does not have the right permission to access the file or directory referenced in the code.

To fix this, you need to check WordPress files and directory permissions and correct them if needed.

Fixing ‘Operation Failed’ Error Message

Finally, some WordPress plugins load scripts from third-party sources like Google Analytics, Facebook APIs, Google Maps, and more.

Some of these third-party APIs may require authentication or might have changed the way developers can access them. A failure to authenticate or an incorrect access method will result in WordPress failing to open the required files.

To fix this, you will need to contact the plugin author for support. They should be able to help you fix the error.

Other Ways to Fix WordPress ‘Failed to Open Stream Error’

If none of these tips help you resolve the issue, then you can try increasing the PHP memory limit. At times, loading files that exceed the available memory can lead to the ‘failed to open stream’ error.

Additionally, try using WordPress debug mode and error logs to gather more information about the error and pinpoint the location in the code where it occurs.

You can also read our WordPress troubleshooting guide. This step-by-step guide will help you pinpoint the issue and easily find the solution.

We hope this article helped you fix the WordPress ‘failed to open stream’ error. You may also want to bookmark our list of the most common WordPress errors and how to fix them, along with our expert picks for the must-have WordPress plugins to grow your website.

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Editorial Staff

Editorial Staff at WPBeginner is a team of WordPress experts led by Syed Balkhi with over 16 years of experience in WordPress, Web Hosting, eCommerce, SEO, and Marketing. Started in 2009, WPBeginner is now the largest free WordPress resource site in the industry and is often referred to as the Wikipedia for WordPress.

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19 CommentsLeave a Reply

  1. Syed Balkhi says

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  2. mukesh says

    when i open error file in file manager then show error:-
    PHP Warning: Unknown: failed to open stream: Permission denied in Unknown on line 0

    PHP Fatal error: Unknown: Failed opening required ‘/home/printwow/public_html/site/index.php’
    (include_path=’.:/opt/alt/php54/usr/share/pear:/opt/alt/php54/usr/share/php’) in Unknown on line 0

    please help

  3. Ong says

    Please Help Me

    [15-Jun-2019 07:05:54 UTC] PHP Fatal error: require(): Failed opening required ‘/public_html/CMS/wp-includes/post-thumbnail-template.php’ (include_path=’.:/opt/alt/php70/usr/share/pear’) in /public_html/CMS/wp-settings.php on line 175

  4. Estefania B says

    Please help:

    Fatal error: require(): Failed opening required ‘/home/content/01/14040901/html/wp-blog-header.php’ (include_path=’.:/usr/local/php5_6/lib/php’) in /home/content/01/14040901/html/index.php on line 30

    how do i fix it? and what could be the probable cause of it?

  5. Sikander Azam says

    Please help me :

    Fatal error: require(): Failed opening required ‘/wp-includes/post.php’ (include_path=’.:/opt/cpanel/ea-php56/root/usr/share/pear’) in /public_html/wp-settings.php on line 178

  6. Harsh says

    *Please Help*
    Fatal error: require_once(): Failed opening required ‘/public_html/wp-content/plugins/amp/includes/widgets/class-amp-widget-media-video.php’ (include_path=’.:/opt/php56/lib/php’)
    What do i do? I am not able to access my dashboard as well my site

  7. Qumber Rizvi says

    Three of my WP sites are hosted on the same hosting. All of them are giving the same error:

    Warning: require(/home/selfsbsr/public_html/pulse/wp-includes/post.php): failed to open stream: Permission denied in /home/selfsbsr/public_html/pulse/wp-settings.php on line 166

    Warning: require(/home/selfsbsr/public_html/pulse/wp-includes/post.php): failed to open stream: Permission denied in /home/selfsbsr/public_html/pulse/wp-settings.php on line 166

    Fatal error: require(): Failed opening required ‘/home/selfsbsr/public_html/pulse/wp-includes/post.php’ (include_path=’.:/opt/alt/php56/usr/share/pear:/opt/alt/php56/usr/share/php’) in /home/selfsbsr/public_html/pulse/wp-settings.php on line 166

    Note that these three sites are single sites and NOT part of Multisite Network. They do NOT share databases or directories.
    All they have in common is the host.
    I’ve tried to resolve this by resetting permissions of all the files and directories, disabling plugins by renaming folders of each of em, disabling theme by renaming its folder. I’ve checked the htaccess file. Nothing is out of the ordinary. And yet, I can’t do anything bring it back up.
    What should be the probable cause?

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