500 Internal Server Error

The 500 Internal Server Error message might be seen in any number of ways because each website is allowed to customize the message. Here are several common ways that you might see the HTTP 500 error:

"500 Internal Server Error" "HTTP 500 - Internal Server Error" "Internal Server Error" "500 Error" "HTTP Error 500"

500 Internal Server Error messages can show up in any browser in any operating system.

The 500 Internal Server Error displays inside the Internet browser window, just as web pages do.

The 500 Internal Server Error is a very general HTTP status code that means something has gone wrong on the web site's server but the server could not be more specific on what the exact problem is.

That's not a lot of information to go on but there are a few things you can do.

The 500 Internal Server Error is a server-side error, meaning the problem is not with your computer or Internet connection but instead is a problem with the web site's server.

Even though the issue is not yours to fix, there are some things you can try:

Reload the web page. You can do that by clicking the refresh/reload button, pressing F5, or trying the URL from the address bar again.

Even though the 500 Internal Server Error is reporting a general error on the web site's servers and not your computer, the server error may only be temporary. Trying the page again will often be successful.

Note: If the 500 Internal Server Error message appears during the checkout process at an online merchant, be aware that duplicate attempts to checkout may end up creating multiple orders - and multiple charges! Most merchants have automatic protections from these kinds of actions but it's still something to keep in mind.

Come back later. The 500 Internal Server Error message is one of the most common HTTP error message seen when checking out during an online purchase so sales are often disrupted. This is usually a great incentive to resolve the issue very quickly. Contact the webmaster. Chances are good that the website administrators already know about the 500 error but if you suspect they don't, you can always try to contact the website directly.

The best way to find contact information for a website is through a WHOIS search, using the domain name (e.g. facebook.com) as your search term. If that doesn't produce an email address, the webmaster of most Internet sites can be reached via email at webmaster@website.com, replacing website.com with the actual website name.

The following error messages are similar to the 500 Internal Server Error message because they're all server-side errors:

502 Bad Gateway | 503 Service Unavailable | 504 Gateway Timeout

Many client-side HTTP status codes also exist, like the popular 404 Not Found error, among others: List of HTTP Status Code Errors.