Possible Installation Issues
Last Update: October 13, 2026
Installing a WordPress theme is usually straightforward, but server settings, file limitations, or configuration issues can sometimes get in the way. When an installation doesn’t go as planned, understanding the most common causes can save you time and frustration.
This troubleshooting guide covers the typical WordPress and Avada installation problems users encounter and explains how to resolve them, helping you get your site set up quickly and with confidence.
Installation Error: Destination Folder Already Exists
If you are seeing this error message when installing Avada, you have 3 options to choose from:
Option 1: Delete Avada from Appearance > Themes in WordPress, then upload the new zip file.
Option 2: Access your site via FTP or cPanel. Rename the old Avada folder in wp-content/themes to something like AvadaOld, then upload the new version either as a zip through your Dashboard or unzipped into the themes folder through FTP. This option lets you keep the old theme version as a backup on your installation in case you want to switch back. Note: It is always recommended that the version you will finally use is in a folder called Avada.
Option 3: Access your site through FTP or cPanel and navigate to wp-content > Themes. Delete the old Avada folder, upload the new version either as a zip through your Dashboard or unzipped into the themes folder through FTP.
White Screen After Installing Avada
If you upload Avada and activate it, and see nothing but a white screen, please read the following information. This is more common than you might think, and it can be frustrating to sort out. Firstly, it is important to understand what the white screen, often referred to as the “white screen of death,” actually means. Simply put, there is an error that you can’t see. The reason you can’t see it is because WordPress is not displaying the error that is causing the problem. When attempting to diagnose a white screen condition, consider what you did before the condition occurred:
Debug Mode
One way to diagnose the issue without simply guessing is to turn debug mode on in WordPress. This helps you see the actual error. In your wp-config.php file, change this:
to:
Now reload the page. Instead of a white screen, you’ll likely see a PHP error message. That message tells you exactly what’s wrong.
Plugins
Now let’s go through the likely cadidates. Plugins are high on the list. No matter how hard developers try, it is basically impossible to write plugins that will work and play well together with every single theme out there. The same is true in reverse. If you experience a white screen after activating Avada, the problem could be a plugin that is in conflict with it. Try the following:
PHP Version
Sometimes, it’s simply a PHP version that is too low. Avada requires a modern PHP version.
The recommended version of PHP for Avada is 8.3 or higher.
If you’re on something like PHP 7.2 or lower, this alone can cause a white screen. To fix this, simply update the PHP version in your hosting control panel (cPanel, Plesk, etc.)
Themes
The most likely issue associated with a theme being the cause of a white screen condition is when the upload of the theme did not complete the transfer of all files, the transfer resulted in corrupted theme files, or you have PHP configuration memory limits set too low. Try this:
System Status
Other Causes
The following is a list of possible other causes for the white screen condition, because they too can cause this error:
Tips
Custom Permalinks Return 404 Errors
If your pages return a 404 Page Not Found error after enabling custom permalinks in WordPress, the issue is typically related to your WordPress or server configuration — not Avada itself.
Common Symptoms
“I just setup my WordPress installation and my awesome new Avada Website. I went into WP Admin > Settings > Permalinks and selected something other than the default option. But now when I try and navigate to a page, it just returns a generic ‘404 Error – Page not found’ message. What gives?”
Common Causes
Firstly, this is not an Avada issue. The problem involves your core WordPress installation, or your web server configuration. There a few things that can cause this to happen:
How To Fix It
There are several solutions to this issue. Please see the list below.
Still Having Issues?
If the problem persists after following the steps above, contact your hosting provider to check your server configuration.
Are you sure you want to do this? Please try again.
If you are installing Avada One in WordPress but get a message that says “Are you sure you want to do this?”, the most likely reason is that your web server is configured with low PHP settings that only allow a limited ZIP file size to be uploaded via the WordPress Dashboard.
Some hosting companies configure their servers to limit file uploads to ~10 MB; some set even lower limits. The Avada One ZIP file is about 20MB. If you get this error, your web server is rejecting the upload because the AvadaOne.zip file is too large. WordPress is unfortunately giving you a rather ambiguous message in response. This is not an Avada issue or a bug.
