How to Fix HTTP Error 429 Too Many Requests in WordPress

Is your WordPress site throwing a 429 error? Don’t worry, it’s not a monster. Try to fix it by following these tips.

1. Deactivate Misbehaving Plugins
2. Switch to a Default Theme
3. Change Your Login URL
4. Contact Your Hosting Provider
5. Bonus Tip: Be Patient!

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Too many what?! 🤬 Are you facing HTTP Error 429 Too Many Requests on your WordPress site? We’ve all been there. While it might seem cryptic, there’s no need to fret – it’s a common issue with some straightforward solutions that you can try out immediately.

Imagine your website as a bustling cafe. Sometimes, during peak hours, there might be too many customers, and things get a little overwhelmed. That’s essentially what this error message signifies – your site is getting bombarded with requests and needs a breather.

The good news? We have ways to get things back on track!

What Causes the 429 Too Many Requests Error?

Several issues can trigger status code 429:

• Aggressive Visitors: Bots and scanners constantly crawl websites. If there’s a sudden surge in this activity, your server might flag it as suspicious and throw up the HTTP 429 error message.
• Misbehaving Plugins: Occasionally, a plugin can malfunction and send excessive requests to your server, causing an overload.
• Theme Trouble: Similar to plugins, a complex theme can also overload the server with resource-intensive tasks.
• Brute Force Login Attempts: Malicious actors might try to guess your login credentials repeatedly. Security measures can trigger the 429 error code to rate limit login attempts and prevent unauthorized access.

Step-By-Step: How to Fix the HTTP 429 Error on WordPress

Here are some methods to troubleshoot and fix the error:

1. Deactivate Misbehaving Plugins

Faulty plugins are the most common culprit of the HTTP 429 error code. Start here if you recently installed a new plugin or updated an old one.

If you already suspect which plugin is overloading the server with too many requests, that’s great! You can disable it first and see if the problem gets resolved. If not, you will need to deactivate your plugins one by one. If the error disappears after disabling a particular plugin, you’ve found the troublemaker! Consider replacing it with a reliable alternative.

But wait! How can you disable the plugins if you can’t access your WordPress dashboard?

1. Open up your cPanel and navigate to the File Manager.

2. Navigate to public_html/wp-content/plugins and find the folder of the plugin you want to disable.
3. Rename the folder by adding a suffix “-disabled” to the plugin name and navigate to your site to check if the 429 error persists.

4. Rinse and repeat for all your WordPress plugins until you find the culprit.

2. Switch to a Default Theme

Just like plugins, your theme could be the cause, especially if you recently changed or updated it.

Temporarily switch to a default WordPress theme to see if the error disappears. If it does, the issue lies with your main theme. Investigate if there are updates or compatibility issues.

Similar to what we did to disable the plugins, we’ll need to disable the theme through the cPanel if the WordPress dashboard is not accessible.

1. Open up your cPanel and navigate to the File Manager.
2. Navigate to public_html/wp-content/themes and find the folder of the theme you want to disable.
3. Take note of the name. Then, rename the folder by adding a suffix “-disabled”.
4. Now, to activate the default WordPress theme, right click on the default theme folder (or the folder of the theme you want to activate) and click on Copy.

5. When asked to enter a name, use the name of the theme folder you added the suffix to in step 3.

6. That’s it! While a bit hackish, this effectively sets your active theme to the folder you just copied, while using the previous theme’s name. Go back to your WordPress site to check if the issue is resolved.

If you don’t have the default 2024 WordPress theme installed on your site, you can download it from here and upload the folder to the themes directory.

You might have to replace your theme until the issue is resolved by the developer or permanently switch to a new theme if the old one keeps causing the “HTTP 429 Too Many Requests” error.

3. Change Your Login URL

WordPress uses a predictable login URL (/wp-login.php). By customizing it to a unique URL, you make it harder for bots and attackers to target your login page.

There are several plugins that can help you achieve this, but it’s probably easiest to do using the WPS Hide Login plugin.

1. In your WordPress Dashboard, go to Plugins > Add New Plugin.
2. Search for WPS Hide Login in the plugin search bar.
3. Click on Install Now.

4. Activate the plugin.
5. In your WordPress Dashboard, go to Settings > WPS Hide Login.
6. Scroll down until you find Login url underneath the WPS Hide Login section and update it.

6. Done! Now the default /wp-login.php login page will return a 404 error code, so bots can’t attack your login page anymore.
7. Use the new URL to login to your WordPress dashboard.

4. Contact Your Hosting Provider

If none of the above solutions work, consult your hosting provider. They can analyze your server logs and provide more specific insights into the cause of the error. They might also offer solutions like upgrading your hosting plan for increased capacity.

5. Bonus Tip: Be Patient!

The 429 error often comes with a “retry-after” header specifying how long you should wait before making another request. Respecting this waiting period can help resolve the issue faster.

By following these steps, you should be able to identify and address the source of the 429 Too Many Requests error and get your WordPress website functioning smoothly again. Remember, a little troubleshooting can go a long way in keeping your website secure and accessible.