How to Fix the “Headers Already Sent” Error in PHP
The “Cannot modify header information – headers already sent” error is a common PHP issue that can also appear in WordPress development. It usually occurs when PHP tries to send or modify HTTP headers after some output has already been sent to the browser. For example, functions such as header() , session_start() , and setcookie() need to run before PHP outputs anything. Why Does This Error Happen? A typical mistake looks like this: echo "Welcome"; header("Location: dashboard.php"); Once echo sends output, PHP can no longer modify the HTTP headers. The correct approach is to handle the header first: header("Location: dashboard.php"); exit; But visible output isn't the only cause. Common Reasons for This Error echo , print , or debugging functions running before header() HTML appearing before PHP sends headers Extra spaces or blank lines before <?php Whitespace after the closing ?> tag A previous PHP warning or notice be...