Fix the 404 Page Not Found Error in WordPress

What is a 404 error?

A 404 error means the browser asked for a page, and the server could not find it. It is like asking a librarian for a book that is not on the shelf. In WordPress it often happens after a move, a plugin change or a broken link setting. The usual cause is the permalink rules.

A permalink is the web address of a page, like yourdomain.com/about.

Fix 1: Save your permalinks again

This works most of the time.

1. Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
2. Click Settings, then Permalinks.
3. Do not change anything.
4. Click Save Changes.
5. Open the page that gave the error.

Fix 2: Reset the .htaccess file

The .htaccess file is a hidden settings file on the Apache web server. WordPress uses it for page addresses. If it is missing or damaged, pages fail.

1. Log in to your hosting control panel.
2. Open File Manager and go to your WordPress folder, often public_html.
3. Turn on Show Hidden Files.

   

4. Rename .htaccess to .htaccess-old.
5. Go back to Settings, then Permalinks in WordPress and click Save Changes.

WordPress makes a fresh file. If you cannot make one, create a file named .htaccess and paste this standard block in.

# BEGIN WordPress
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /
RewriteRule ^index\.php$ - [L]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule . /index.php [L]
</IfModule>
# END WordPress

This block tells the server to hand every unknown address to WordPress.

Fix 3: Turn off plugins

1. In the dashboard, click Plugins, then Installed Plugins.
2. Select all plugins and choose Deactivate.
3. Check if the page works.
4. Turn plugins back on one by one to find the bad one.

Fix 4: Check the page itself

1. Click Pages or Posts.
2. Check that the item is Published and not in the trash.
3. Check the spelling of the web address, called the slug.

Fix 5: Check your site address

Click Settings, then General. Make sure the two address fields are right. If a wrong address locks you out, ask Hostvento support for help at https://secure.hostvento.com/submitticket.php.

Quick recap

• A 404 means the server cannot find the page.
• First, save your permalinks again.

  

  

• Next, rebuild the .htaccess file.
• Then test your plugins.
• Open a support ticket if nothing works.