A 404 Not Found error means the web server is online and responding, but it cannot find the page, file, or resource you requested.
This is one of the most common website errors. It usually happens because a page was deleted, moved to a different URL, renamed, or entered incorrectly.
A 404 error does not normally mean the entire website is down. In most cases, only the specific URL you requested cannot be found.
What Causes a 404 Not Found Error?
A 404 error can occur for several reasons, including:
- An incorrectly typed website address
- A page or file that was deleted
- A page that was moved to a new URL
- An outdated bookmark
- A broken internal or external link
- Incorrect WordPress permalink settings
- Broken
.htaccessrewrite rules - Incorrect website routing
- A missing file or directory
- Incorrect redirects
- CDN or caching issues
- Incorrect web server configuration
The cause depends on whether you are simply visiting the website or managing the website yourself.
How to Fix a 404 Not Found Error
1. Check the Website Address
Start by checking the URL in your browser’s address bar.
Look for:
- Misspelled words
- Missing characters
- Extra characters or spaces
- Incorrect slashes
- An outdated page name
If you typed the address manually, correcting a small typo may immediately resolve the problem.
2. Refresh the Page
Refresh the webpage and try again.
Although refreshing will not fix a page that has actually been removed, temporary caching or routing issues can occasionally cause a valid page to return a 404 response.
3. Go Back to the Website’s Homepage
If the page cannot be found, return to the website’s homepage and navigate to the content using the site’s menus.
The page may still exist under a different URL.
4. Use the Website Search
If the website provides a search feature, search for the page title, product, service, article, or information you were trying to find.
This can help locate content that was moved or renamed.
5. Check an Old Bookmark
If you reached the 404 page from a saved bookmark, the bookmarked URL may no longer be current.
Navigate to the content again and update your bookmark with the new address.
6. Try a Private or Incognito Window
Open the website in a private or incognito browser window.
If the page works there, your browser may be loading outdated cached information.
7. Clear Your Browser Cache
Your browser may occasionally store an outdated version of a page or redirect.
Clear the cached data associated with the website, then reload the page.
8. Contact the Website Owner
If a link on the website leads to a 404 page, consider notifying the website owner.
The page may have been moved without the old URL being redirected to the new location.
What If You Own the Website?
If visitors are unexpectedly receiving 404 errors on your website, the problem may involve deleted content, broken links, redirects, WordPress permalinks, or web server configuration.
Website owners should investigate:
- Whether the requested page or file exists
- Internal website links
- WordPress permalink settings
.htaccessrewrite rules- Redirect configuration
- File and directory names
- Application routing
- Apache or Nginx configuration
- CDN and cache settings
- Recent website migrations or redesigns
Your web server access logs can also help identify which missing URLs visitors and search engines are requesting.
Check Whether the Page or File Exists
First, verify that the requested page or file actually exists on the website.
If the URL points to a physical file, confirm that the file is located in the correct website directory and that the filename matches the URL.
Linux web servers are normally case-sensitive, which means these URLs may point to different resources:
/About.html
/about.htmlMake sure capitalization, filenames, and directory names match exactly.
Check WordPress Permalinks
If your website uses WordPress and multiple pages suddenly begin returning 404 errors, the permalink configuration may need to be regenerated.
In the WordPress dashboard, go to:
Settings > Permalinks
You can usually regenerate the WordPress rewrite rules by saving the permalink settings again without changing anything.
If this resolves the problem, the issue was likely related to the WordPress rewrite configuration.
Check Your .htaccess File
Apache-based WordPress websites commonly use an .htaccess file to route requests through WordPress.
If the file is missing, damaged, or contains incorrect rewrite rules, valid pages may return 404 errors.
Common causes include:
- Missing WordPress rewrite rules
- Incorrect
RewriteRuledirectives - Incorrect
RewriteBasesettings - Conflicting redirects
- Security rules affecting URLs
If the problem started after editing .htaccess, review or temporarily reverse the recent changes.
Check for Broken Internal Links
A website may contain links that still point to pages that have been deleted, renamed, or moved.
Review links in:
- Navigation menus
- Blog posts
- Product pages
- Footer links
- Buttons
- Images
- Call-to-action sections
Update broken links so they point directly to the current destination.
Redirect Pages That Have Moved
If a page has permanently moved to a new URL, consider adding a 301 redirect from the old URL to the new one.
For example:
/old-page/ → /new-page/A proper 301 redirect helps visitors reach the correct content and tells search engines that the page has permanently moved.
Avoid redirecting every missing URL to your homepage. Redirect only when there is a relevant replacement page.
Check Recent Website Changes
If 404 errors appeared suddenly, review any changes made immediately before the problem started.
Recent changes may include:
- Changing permalink structures
- Renaming pages
- Deleting content
- Moving files or directories
- Installing or updating plugins
- Changing themes
- Editing
.htaccess - Migrating the website
- Changing domain names
Identifying what changed can make finding the cause much easier.
Check WordPress Plugins
WordPress plugins that control redirects, security, caching, multilingual content, or custom post types can sometimes cause unexpected 404 errors.
If the problem started after installing or updating a plugin, temporarily disable the affected plugin and test the website again.
Plugins that modify URLs or rewrite rules should receive particular attention.
Check Custom Post Types
WordPress plugins and themes can create custom post types for products, portfolios, events, properties, and other content.
If the rewrite rules for a custom post type are not registered correctly, those pages may return 404 errors even though the content exists in WordPress.
Regenerating the permalink rules can often resolve this type of problem.
Check Apache or Nginx Configuration
Incorrect web server configuration can cause valid URLs to return 404 responses.
Review settings involving:
- Website document roots
- Virtual host configuration
- Rewrite rules
- Location blocks
- Aliases
- Redirects
If the problem began after changing the web server configuration, review the most recent changes and check the server error logs.
Check Your CDN and Cache
If your website uses a CDN or caching service, an old 404 response may occasionally remain cached even after the page has been restored.
After confirming that the page works correctly on the origin server, purge the affected URL from your CDN or website cache.
Avoid clearing your entire cache unless necessary. Purging only the affected URL is usually preferable.
Check Website Migrations
404 errors are common after moving a website to a new server, domain, or directory.
After a migration, verify:
- All website files were transferred
- The correct document root is configured
- WordPress permalinks are working
- Old URLs redirect correctly
- Database URLs were updated if necessary
- DNS points to the correct server
A missing file or incorrect document root can cause large portions of a migrated website to return 404 errors.
Are 404 Errors Bad for SEO?
A small number of 404 errors are normal and do not automatically indicate an SEO problem.
However, excessive 404 errors can negatively affect the user experience and may waste search engine crawling resources, especially when important internal links point to missing pages.
Website owners should regularly correct broken internal links and redirect valuable pages when appropriate.
If a page was intentionally removed and there is no suitable replacement, returning a proper 404 response is usually better than redirecting visitors to an unrelated page.
Should a Custom 404 Page Still Return a 404 Status?
Yes.
A custom 404 page can include helpful navigation, branding, support information, and links, but the server should still return the correct:
HTTP 404 Not FoundIf a missing page displays a custom error page but returns a 200 OK status, search engines may interpret it as a soft 404.
Proper HTTP status codes help browsers, search engines, monitoring tools, and other systems understand what actually happened.
What’s the Difference Between a 403 and 404 Error?
A 403 Forbidden error means the server found the requested resource but is refusing access to it.
A 404 Not Found error means the server cannot find the requested resource.
In simple terms:
403: The resource exists, but access is forbidden.
404: The requested resource could not be found.
What’s the Difference Between a 404 and 500 Error?
A 404 Not Found error means a specific page or resource could not be located.
A 500 Internal Server Error means the server encountered an unexpected problem while processing the request.
In simple terms:
404: The page cannot be found.
500: Something failed while the server was processing the request.
What’s the Difference Between a 404 and 410 Error?
A 404 Not Found response means the requested resource cannot currently be found, but it does not necessarily indicate whether the resource may return in the future.
A 410 Gone response specifically indicates that the resource was intentionally removed and is not expected to return.
Most websites use 404 responses for missing pages because they are widely supported and appropriate for most situations.
Still Getting a 404 Error?
If you continue receiving a 404 Not Found error and believe the page should exist, contact the website owner or hosting provider.
When requesting assistance, include:
- The affected domain name
- The exact URL producing the error
- The page containing the broken link, if applicable
- The approximate time the error occurred
- Any recent website changes
- A screenshot of the error, if available
Providing the exact URL is especially helpful because it allows support staff to compare the request with web server logs and website configuration.
Need Help With Your Charter Hosting Website?
If your website is hosted with Charter Hosting and you are experiencing unexpected 404 errors, our support team can help investigate the problem.
Sign in to the
Charter Hosting Client Area
and
open a support ticket
with the affected domain name and a description of the issue.
We’ll help determine whether the 404 error is being caused by WordPress permalinks, broken links, redirects, missing files, server configuration, a website migration, or another hosting-related issue.
