{"id":90012,"date":"2025-03-14T10:33:29","date_gmt":"2025-03-14T10:33:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/elementor.wpxpro.com\/?p=90012"},"modified":"2026-03-13T09:41:59","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T09:41:59","slug":"how-to-fix-404-errors-in-wordpress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newelementor.wpxpro.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/14\/how-to-fix-404-errors-in-wordpress\/","title":{"rendered":"How to fix 404 errors in WordPress?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Sarah reached out to us because she was frustrated with her recently launched WordPress site. Some pages were showing 404 errors, even though everything had worked perfectly on her local server.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After some quick checks, we found that her permalinks and static links had not been updated correctly on her live server. A common issue that WordPress users face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXfi0m9S2V3eB2Mz4ll1Ibs3KWjIzpC8u3nFivxBqzmd1cWXMpyq4EP6wkH_lOyidTA3ct2oLXCfyoKa5LW3kp8rZiTDJeqjnt9c9y0411qdpgsYdwJtdy419aEAFAfvasTRpmXDGQ?key=cGM-x29yyQlwPYkZky6wcT-E\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>We quickly resolved Sarah&#8217;s problem, and now we will guide you through the steps you can take to solve it on your own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So let&#8217;s get started!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Why Do 404 Errors Happen?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When you move your <a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">WordPress<\/a> site from a local to a live server, some pages&#8217; links are dynamically updated, while static links remain unchanged. For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Local URL:<\/strong> http:\/\/localhost\/blog\/sample<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Live URL:<\/strong> https:\/\/live.com\/blog\/sample<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>If the links are not properly updated, WordPress will be unable to find the corresponding pages on the server, resulting in 404 errors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Other common causes are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Corrupted .htaccess files<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Incorrect file or folder permissions<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Deleted pages or post<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Conflicts with plugins or themes<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, let\u2019s move on to the solution:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Solutions to Fix 404 Errors in WordPress<\/strong><strong><br><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Cache Issues<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Her browser and caching plugin had cached the old permalinks, and the updated URLs weren\u2019t showing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXeHnMgc0PfNbfPs_W_A9n_UmJUCHWyMPsXEhZT9OLNff_XEcFwmEvBqEx6LyOW4Rjm85ivpW-3G2pek8aOsQ5lxX9YO249xfM99rzlTRoiswedybL0Cw69Z6JebBn_fAsogkoPQSg?key=cGM-x29yyQlwPYkZky6wcT-E\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Solution: <\/strong>Clear both the browser cache and the cache of the caching plugin. Also, make sure the server-side cache has been cleared, as this will resolve the 404 errors permanently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Update the Permalink Structure<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Sometimes, refreshing your permalink settings resolves the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Go to <strong>Settings<\/strong> &gt; <strong>Permalinks<\/strong> in your WordPress dashboard.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXdZoh3b7ZCltsdxzv6JK5ppr5m9EarN_IBrhHAOkPyGRLN-uCYC3x8hPlinCAarM9JwHmetOb1b0DfdtKc5G_6L6myeCfzctb1d_6lX1B4Myz_suXltSMUZMYKHqo4r56ITBGpWZg?key=cGM-x29yyQlwPYkZky6wcT-E\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Select your preferred structure (e.g., &#8220;Post Name&#8221;) and click <strong>Save Changes<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXeB9DlQnJ8TPDELag_4JrgN8AHIzk1zz-N6l_ddC5mcgqlUtfFdV1pYQoWX0U8mGWsVlRnh6eQTQp_YtnVIeeInHSR0fQJFDjbJFLInOqtmBUSiImaE6a0pjTMiu_8SZA3-Wsh2SQ?key=cGM-x29yyQlwPYkZky6wcT-E\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Restore the <\/strong><strong>.htaccess<\/strong><strong> File<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Use your hosting file manager to locate the .htaccess file in your root directory.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXf-vrQKKFGf9JUWBXOqvqHJg6nKGPZplCkvcboU6t1FVCktUPt_yqo_zuYhcIZ9Ri7DnvCzQkLRdc47Pj_17a3oPl1LaymVi3l6h-LeL8BN5pRY7dEzjQXsQYIwTyBm1aZJg_JrAg?key=cGM-x29yyQlwPYkZky6wcT-E\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Rename it (e.g., .htaccess_backup) and save a new one with the following default rules:<br><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p># BEGIN WordPress<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>RewriteEngine On<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>RewriteBase \/<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>RewriteRule ^index\\.php$ &#8211; [L]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>RewriteRule. \/index.php [L]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p># END WordPress<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Check File and Folder Permissions<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><br><\/strong>Incorrect permissions on files or folders can cause 404 errors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Verify that your website\u2019s files and directories have the correct permissions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The recommended settings are:<br><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Folders: Permission should be set to 755.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Files: Permission should be set to 644.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Disable Plugins and Themes<\/strong><br><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A plugin or theme conflict could be causing the error.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps:\/\/team.mindblocks.net\/laiba\/test-redirected-page\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXfkj7cAbnxkjk6JuiB8H4lkTp3oADRtQ_gfojbAQ1aiblVoBXP5W3VhLMLdYODFxLaCsC9p1-AFRkZHg_WwT0G-trSZd2Nqr1oiEz_SC11MrgTpJydMKnI3U2SpO9neC0FiMt4bQQ?key=cGM-x29yyQlwPYkZky6wcT-E\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Deactivate all plugins and switch to a default theme, such as Twenty Twenty Three.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Check if the issue persists. If not, reactivate plugins\/themes one by one to identify the culprit.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXeej4BAcgFOYjoPyHeSDx0-kARtPfj9DYbvd0SjLkUzVUi8ToEpFeTkqhzGLpr1kDIK6v_ezao3iBwSlY3XqskmfjCNYREoOUwW_yurJaD9LE1pbAWBhMIJQmZVaFNMHT2YoJtf?key=cGM-x29yyQlwPYkZky6wcT-E\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Update Your WordPress URLs:<\/strong><strong><br><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If your site URLs didn\u2019t update properly during migration, this could lead to broken links or 404 errors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>To fix this:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Navigate to <strong>Settings &gt; General<\/strong> in your WordPress dashboard.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXc0JE2R4qRB5DZlC6D_QRmKZLb3afhXY9zvNQvOLIEjueWOl7wbvZbQcukwEx-V4Arr-NdKCYNkahJm1fbix4ZH0lelZHHp4yT64SCRqG7X0M3Ix82AzTblfbP0_MsVXoY7wjYEFA?key=cGM-x29yyQlwPYkZky6wcT-E\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Check the <strong>WordPress Address (URL)<\/strong> and <strong>Site Address (URL) <\/strong>fields.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXcdLAFnAMRntfaxpus_iP6QOMXwijTgQ2-PaaLD9OmBdlZj-nU_SLFy5eMcOV40nX2ALU3vA9uaTORbPXrBAKZJ7tCBMw2BTxX70Vaycm0eB4fn6WRVMrNZPIGvsdM6gRnpB3aC?key=cGM-x29yyQlwPYkZky6wcT-E\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Ensure both URLs match your live site\u2019s domain (e.g., https:\/\/example.com).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Save your changes, and this should resolve any issues caused by incorrect URLs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><br>How 404 Errors Affect Your Website<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Broken links can reduce your search engine ranking.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If your site contains 404 errors, visitors are more likely to leave.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Frequent 404 errors can make your website seem unprofessional and unreliable.<br><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Sarah fixed her 404 errors by refreshing her permalinks. Her website now runs smoothly, and visitors can access all pages without difficulty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you get 404 errors, do not worry. With these solutions, you will be back on track in no time!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Have you faced a 404 error recently? Please share your experience or tips in the comments section below.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sarah reached out to us because she was frustrated with her recently launched WordPress site. Some pages were showing 404 errors, even though everything had worked perfectly on her local server. After some quick checks, we found that her permalinks and static links had not been updated correctly on her live server. A common issue&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":91933,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39,8,46],"tags":[48,49],"class_list":["post-90012","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all","category-recent","category-troubleshoot","tag-404-not-found-error","tag-fix-404-errors"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newelementor.wpxpro.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90012","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newelementor.wpxpro.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newelementor.wpxpro.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newelementor.wpxpro.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newelementor.wpxpro.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=90012"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/newelementor.wpxpro.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90012\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":91934,"href":"https:\/\/newelementor.wpxpro.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90012\/revisions\/91934"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newelementor.wpxpro.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/91933"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newelementor.wpxpro.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=90012"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newelementor.wpxpro.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=90012"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newelementor.wpxpro.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=90012"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}