---
title: Turn debug settings on or off
description: Turn WP_DEBUG, WP_DEBUG_LOG, WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY and SCRIPT_DEBUG on or off, and choose the log time zone.
url: "https://docs.prefixwp.com/docs/bugtrace/debug-settings/turn-debug-settings-on-or-off/"
updated: "2026-11-10"
category: Debug settings
---

# Turn debug settings on or off

BugTrace lets you turn the WordPress debug settings on or off with a switch. You do not need to edit `wp-config.php` yourself.

## Change a setting

1. Go to `BugTrace → Settings`.
2. Turn a switch on or off.
3. Click **Save Settings**.
4. You see the message **Settings saved successfully!**

[![The BugTrace Settings page with four switches and the Save Settings and Reset buttons](http://localhost/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/bugtrace-settings.webp)](http://localhost/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/bugtrace-settings.webp)
BugTrace → Settings.

When you save, BugTrace writes the four settings into your `wp-config.php` file. First, it saves a copy of the file called `wp-config-backup.php`. There is only one copy. Each save replaces it.

## What each setting does

| Setting | What it does | When to turn it on |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `WP_DEBUG` | Turns on debug mode in WordPress. | When you look for a problem. |
| `WP_DEBUG_LOG` | Saves errors to a log file. BugTrace reads this file. | Together with `WP_DEBUG`. |
| `WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY` | Shows errors on your pages. | Only on a test site. |
| `SCRIPT_DEBUG` | Loads the full (not minified) CSS and JavaScript files of WordPress. | Only when a developer asks you. |

`WP_DEBUG_LOG` only works when `WP_DEBUG` is on.

## Choose the log time zone

The **Log Timezone** menu changes how dates look on the Logs page:

- **UTC** shows the time as it is saved in the log.
- **Local** shows the time in your site's time zone. You set it in `Settings → General`.

Click **Save Settings** after you change it. The column title on the Logs page always says **Error Date (UTC)**, even when you choose Local.

## Reset the settings

The **Reset** button sets everything back to the BugTrace defaults:

| Setting | After Reset |
| --- | --- |
| `WP_DEBUG` | On |
| `WP_DEBUG_LOG` | On |
| `WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY` | Off |
| `SCRIPT_DEBUG` | Off |
| Log Timezone | UTC |

Reset does not ask you first. It saves at once and reloads the page.

## If nothing happens when you save

If you click **Save Settings** and you do not see **Settings saved successfully!**, BugTrace could not save. It does not show an error message. The most common reason is that `wp-config.php` is not writable. Read [Fix "wp-config.php is not writable"](/docs/bugtrace/debug-settings/wp-config-is-not-writable/).

The switches show what BugTrace saved last time. If you or your host change the debug lines in `wp-config.php` by hand, the switches can show old values. Click **Save Settings** again to write the values you see.