{"id":7542,"date":"2024-09-26T07:30:19","date_gmt":"2024-09-26T07:30:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kb.cloudhostgeek.com\/?p=7542"},"modified":"2025-11-05T10:44:31","modified_gmt":"2025-11-05T10:44:31","slug":"fix-wordpress-404-error","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bigcloudy.com\/knowledge-base\/fix-wordpress-404-error\/","title":{"rendered":"WordPress 404 Error Fix: causes and step-by-step solutions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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A WordPress 404 error page occurs when the server cannot find a page or another resource a visitor has requested. There are various reasons for this error: for example, you can’t find the wrong URL structure, missing content, or the .htaccess<\/strong> file. Here are some general steps to troubleshoot and resolve WordPress 404 errors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Steps to Resolve 404 Error in WordPress<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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1. Refresh Permalinks<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

i) <\/strong>Firstly go to your WordPress dashboard<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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ii) Navigate to Settings > Permalinks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

iii) Without changing any settings, click the “Save Changes” <\/strong> button. This will refresh the permalink structure and will resolve the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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2. Check .htaccess File<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

i) <\/strong>WordPress uses the .htaccess file to manage URL redirects and permalinks. If this file is corrupted or missing, it can cause 404 errors.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

ii) If it’s missing, create a new one with the following default content:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

# BEGIN WordPress<\/strong>\n<IfModule mod_rewrite.c><\/strong>\nRewriteEngine On\nRewriteBase \/\nRewriteRule ^index\\.php$ - [L]\nRewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f\nRewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d\nRewriteRule . \/index.php [L]\n<\/IfModule><\/strong>\n# END WordPress<\/strong><\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
3. Disable and Re-enable Plugins<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
i) <\/strong>Sometimes, a plugin might be causing the 404 error due to conflicts or misconfigurations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ii) Deactivate all plugins to see if the issue is resolved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
iii) If it is, reactivate each plugin one by one to identify which one is causing the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
iv) Once identified, consider updating, replacing, or reconfiguring the problematic plugin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
4.<\/strong> Manually Check URLs<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
i) Verify that the URLs are correct and haven’t been changed or deleted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ii) Sometimes, pages or posts may be deleted or the slugs may be changed, resulting in broken links.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
5. Use a 404 Redirect Plugin<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
i) <\/strong>If certain pages or posts have been deleted or their URLs changed, you can use a 404 redirect plugin to redirect users to a different page instead of showing the 404 error.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ii) To handle these redirects use plugins like Redirection or 404 to 301 and configure for redirection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
6.<\/strong> Clear Cache<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
i) <\/strong>If you are using a caching plugin or server-side caching, clear the cache.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ii) After fixing this issue, still cached pages may point to non-existing URLs which results in 404 errors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
7. Update WordPress<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ensure that you are running the latest version of WordPress. Updates can sometimes resolve issues caused by bugs or incompatibilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By following these steps, you should be able to resolve most 404 errors in WordPress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Additional Resources<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n