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How to Fix the WordPress 404 Page Error

Your home page works, but posts and pages show "404 Not Found". This guide shows the quick fixes.

WordPress2 min read15 steps

What is a 404 error?

A 404 error means "page not found". 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, a common cause is the permalink settings. Permalinks are the web addresses of your posts and pages, such as yourdomain.com/about. WordPress uses a file called .htaccess to understand these addresses. If that file is missing or damaged, you get 404 errors.

Warning: Take a backup before you edit files.
  1. Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
  2. Go to Settings, then Permalinks.
  3. Do not change anything. Just click Save Changes.
  4. Open one of your posts to test.

This rebuilds the rules in the .htaccess file. It fixes most cases.

Fix 2: Repair the .htaccess file

If Fix 1 did not help, the file may be missing or broken.

  1. Log in to your hosting control panel and open File Manager.
  2. Go to your site folder, often public_html.
  3. Turn on the option to show hidden files. Files that start with a dot are hidden by default.
  4. Find .htaccess. Rename it to .htaccess-old as a backup.
  5. Create a new file named .htaccess.
  6. Paste in the standard WordPress rules:
# 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

These lines tell the server to hand unknown addresses to WordPress, so WordPress can find the right page.

  1. Save the file and test your site.

If your site is in a subfolder, RewriteBase and the last rule need that folder name. Ask support if unsure.

Fix 3: Turn off plugins and theme

  1. Go to Plugins, then Installed Plugins.
  2. Deactivate all plugins using the bulk action.
  3. Test. If the pages load, turn plugins on one by one to find the bad one.
  4. If not, go to Appearance, then Themes, and activate a default theme.

Fix 4: Check the page exists

Look in Posts or Pages. Make sure the item is published, not in draft or trash.

Tip: Still stuck? Open a ticket at https://secure.hostvento.com/submitticket.php.

Quick recap

  • A 404 means the page was not found.
  • First, save the permalinks again.
  • Next, replace a broken .htaccess file with the standard rules.
  • Then test plugins and your theme.