Introduction

After installing WordPress, you may encounter the following error message when accessing your website:

Warning: require(./wp-blog-header.php) [function.require]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in "\xyz\xyz.com\wwwroot\index.php" on line 17

This error occurs when WordPress is unable to locate the wp-blog-header.php file referenced in the index.php file.

Prerequisites

Before proceeding, ensure that:

  • You have access to your website files through FTP, File Manager, or Remote Desktop.
  • You know the location where WordPress is installed.
  • You have a backup of the index.php file before making any changes.

Implementation

Cause of the Issue

By default, WordPress expects the wp-blog-header.php file to be located in a specific directory. If WordPress is installed directly in the website’s root directory (wwwroot) instead of a subdirectory, the path specified in index.php may be incorrect.

The following line in index.php can cause the error:

require('./wp-blog-header.php');

Solution for Root Directory Installation

If WordPress is installed directly in the root directory (wwwroot), modify the line:

require('./wp-blog-header.php');

to:

require('wp-blog-header.php');

Save the file and refresh your website.

Solution for Subdirectory Installations

If WordPress is installed in a subdirectory, update the path to match the actual location of the wp-blog-header.php file.

For example, if WordPress is installed in a folder named wordpress, use:

require('./wordpress/wp-blog-header.php');

Replace wordpress with the correct directory name used on your server.

Conclusion

The “wp-blog-header.php failed to open stream” error is typically caused by an incorrect file path in the index.php file. By verifying your WordPress installation directory and updating the require() statement accordingly, you can quickly restore website functionality. Always verify the file location and keep a backup before making changes to production files.

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