🔧 How to Fix 404 Error on Your WordPress Website

✅ 1. Reset Your Permalinks (Most Common Fix)

Go to your WordPress Dashboard

Navigate to Settings > Permalinks

Don’t change anything—just click the “Save Changes” button

Now go back and refresh your site. Most 404 errors will disappear!

Why this works: Sometimes, your .htaccess file gets out of sync. Resaving permalinks refreshes your rewrite rules.

✅ 2. Check If the Page/Post Actually Exists

Go to Pages > All Pages or Posts > All Posts

Make sure the page/post giving the 404 error still exists and is published

Try editing and updating it to trigger a refresh

✅ 3. Flush the Cache

If you’re using a caching plugin (like LiteSpeed, WP Super Cache, or W3 Total Cache), flush the cache.

If you’re using a CDN (like Cloudflare), purge the CDN cache as well.

✅ 4. Check .htaccess File (Advanced)

If the above steps don’t work, your .htaccess file may be missing or broken.

Go to your WordPress root directory (via FTP or File Manager in cPanel)

Open or create a .htaccess file

Paste this default WordPress code:

apache

# 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
 

Save and upload.

Go back to WordPress and resave your permalinks.

✅ 5. Deactivate Plugins Temporarily

Sometimes a plugin (like a security or SEO plugin) can interfere with URLs.

Temporarily deactivate your plugins one by one and check your pages to identify the culprit.

✅ 6. Switch to a Default Theme (Optional Test)

To rule out a theme issue:

Temporarily switch to a default theme like Twenty Twenty-Four

Check if the 404 error is gone

If it works, your theme might have a bug with permalink handling

✅ 7. Contact Hosting Support

If nothing works, it might be a server-level issue (like mod_rewrite not enabled or incorrect server settings). Reach out to your hosting provider for assistance.