404 Page Not Found Error: What It Is and How to Fix It (2024)

A 404 error is an HTTP status code that means the page you were trying to reach on a website couldn't be found on their server. Here's what you can do.

How to Fix the 404 Not Found Error

1:49

  1. Retry the web page by pressing F5, clicking/tapping the refresh/reload button, or repeatedly trying the URL from the address bar.

    The 404 Not Found error might appear for several reasons even though no real issue exists, so sometimes a simple refresh will often load the page you were looking for.

  2. Check for errors in the URL. Often times this error appears because the URL was typed wrong or the link selected points to the wrong URL.

  3. Move up one directory level at a time in the URL until you find something.

    For example, if www.web.com/a/b/c.htm gave you the 404 Not Found error, move up to www.web.com/a/b/. If you get nothing here (or an error), move up to www.web.com/a/. This should lead you toward what you're looking for or confirm that it's no longer available.

    If you have moved up to the website's home page, try to run a search for the information you're looking for. If the site doesn't have a search function, try navigating to the page you want using category links to dig deeper into the site.

  4. Search for the page from a popular search engine. It's possible that you simply have the entirely wrong URL in which case a quick Google or Bing search should get you where you want to go.

    If you do find the page you were after, update your bookmark or favorite to avoid the HTTP 404 error in the future.

  5. Clear your browser's cache if you have any indication that the 404 message might just be yours. For example, if you can reach the URL from your phone but not from your tablet, clearing the cache on your tablet's browser might help.

    You might also consider clearing your browser's cookies or at least the one(s) involved with the website in question if clearing the cache didn't work.

  6. Change the DNS servers used by your computer, but usually only if an entire website gives you a 404 error, especially if the website is available to those on other networks (e.g., your mobile phone network or a friend in another city).

    Sitewide 404s errors on a website aren't common unless your ISP or government filters/censors websites. No matter the reason, if it does happen, giving another set of DNS servers a try is a good step to take. See our Free and Public DNS Servers List for some alternatives and instructions on doing this.

  7. Contact the website directly. If they've removed the page you're after, then the 404 error is completely legitimate, and they should be able to tell you that. If they've moved the page and are generating errors instead of redirecting visitors to the new page, they'll be happy to hear from you so they can fix it.

    If you suspect everyone is getting a 404 error for this site, but you're not sure, a quick check on X (formerly Twitter) might help clear it up. All you have to do is search X for #websitedown, as in #facebookdown or #youtubedown. Users on X are usually the first to start talking about a website outage. Learn how to tell if a website is down for everyone or just you for some more help.

  8. Finally, if all else fails, wait. No, it's not fun, but it might be your only course of action, especially if you're confident the 404 error shouldn't be happening (i.e., the page really should be at the URL you have and others are having the same problem and find it equally strange).

You can find 404 errors on your own website through tools like DeadLinkChecker.com and ATOMSEO.

Errors Similar to Error 404

Some other client-side error messages related to the 404 Not Found error include 400 Bad Request, 401 Unauthorized, 403 Forbidden, and408 Request Timeout.

Several server-side HTTP status codes also exist, like the popular 500 Internal Server Error. You can see all of them in our HTTP Status Code Errorslist.

How You Might See the 404 Error

Here are some common ways in which you might see the HTTP 404 error displayed:

  • 404 Error
  • 404 Not Found
  • Error 404
  • The requested URL [URL] was not found on this server
  • HTTP 404
  • Error 404 Not Found
  • 404 File or Directory Not Found
  • HTTP 404 Not Found
  • 404 Page Not Found
  • Error 404. The page you're looking for can't be found.

These error messages can appear in any browser or any operating system. Most display inside the browser window just as web pages do.

404 errors received when opening links via Microsoft Office applications generate a The Internet site reports that the item you requested could not be found (HTTP/1.0 404) message inside the MS Office program.

When Windows Update produces one, it appears as a code 0x80244019 or as WU_E_PT_HTTP_STATUS_NOT_FOUND.

Cause of HTTP 404 Errors

Technically, an Error 404 is a client-side error, implying that it's your mistake, either because you mistyped the URL or the page has been moved or removed from the website, and you should have known.

Another possibility is if a website has moved a page or resource without redirecting the old URL to the new one. When that happens, you'll receive a 404 error instead of being automatically routed to the new page.

Microsoft IIS web servers sometimes give more specific information about the cause of 404 Not Found errors by suffixing a number after the 404, as in HTTP Error 404.3 - Not Found, which means MIME type restriction.

FAQ

  • How do I fix error 404 messages on my website?

    If you’re aware of pages on your website with broken links, redirect or correct them. If a 404 error appears due to a deleted page, consider restoring or redirecting it to new and related content.

  • How do I fix error 404 on WordPress?

    If you use WordPress, 404 errors often appear because of redirect conflicts or permalink issues. Fix broken links for individual pages or posts. Visit the WordPress dashboard and update permalink settings if it's a site-wide problem.

Was this page helpful?

Thanks for letting us know!

Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day

Subscribe

Tell us why!

404 Page Not Found Error: What It Is and How to Fix It (2024)

FAQs

404 Page Not Found Error: What It Is and How to Fix It? ›

The 404 Not Found error might appear for several reasons even though no real issue exists, so sometimes a simple refresh will often load the page you were looking for. Check for errors in the URL. Often times this error appears because the URL was typed wrong or the link selected points to the wrong URL.

How to fix a 404 page not found? ›

What to do if you get a 404 error
  1. Double-check the URL for typos. Only one mistyped character can result in a 404 error. ...
  2. Refresh the webpage. 404 errors might be a momentary glitch.
  3. Search the web. ...
  4. Use another device. ...
  5. Go to the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine. ...
  6. Contact the website.

Is error 404 My fault? ›

The 404 Not Found error might appear for several reasons even though no real issue exists, so sometimes a simple refresh will often load the page you were looking for. Check for errors in the URL. Often times this error appears because the URL was typed wrong or the link selected points to the wrong URL.

Does 404 error mean I was blocked? ›

A 404 error doesn't necessarily mean you were blocked from accessing the page. It simply means that the requested page is unavailable or doesn't exist.

How do I remove 404 pages? ›

There are several ways to do it:
  1. Replace incorrect links with the working ones.
  2. Delete all links pointing to 404 pages. You should also remove broken pages from the search index. Use the URL removal tool to deindex broken pages. Note that the tool only allows hiding pages from a search for 90 days.
Aug 31, 2020

How do I turn off 404 error? ›

No, you cannot bypass a 404 error, as it is a response from the server indicating that the requested page cannot be found. However, you can set up a redirect to a different page on your website or use a custom 404 page to provide helpful information to visitors.

What is the reason for 404 Not Found error? ›

404 not found is an HTTP status code error that indicates the specific page you are trying to visit is non-existent. Usually, it occurs when the domain points to an incorrect DNS address, files or folders have misconfigured permissions, or the system runs a corrupt .

Who is responsible for 404 error? ›

An HTTP error 404 occurs when the web server cannot find a resource (like a webpage) at a certain URL. This can happen if: The user has used the wrong page URL, e.g., by making a typo in it. The website owner has deleted the resource and it's no longer available on the server.

Is Error 404 good or bad? ›

404 errors can be frustrating for users, so the main purpose of a 404 page is to turn the potential negative user experience of encountering an error into a positive one. The key to this is links. Links on 404 pages are so important because they give users a way out of the error page.

Are all 404 errors bad? ›

The existence of a few 404 pages doesn't affect your site's overall performance and rankings. As Google says, “The fact that some URLs on your site no longer exist or return 404 errors does not affect how your site's other URLs (the ones that return 200 (Success) status codes) perform in our search results.”

How do I deal with 404 error? ›

Here are some different methods you can try to fix a 404 error as a web user:
  1. Refresh the page. ...
  2. Check the URL. ...
  3. Use a search engine. ...
  4. Try to access the webpage from a different device. ...
  5. Clear your cache and delete cookies. ...
  6. Create a 404 page. ...
  7. Create a redirect. ...
  8. Correct the link.
Feb 13, 2024

Is error 404 Temporary? ›

Sometimes, yes. If the 404 error is due to a temporarily unavailable page or a slight misspelling in the uniform resource locator (URL) that you can correct, then refreshing might solve the problem. However, if the page is genuinely missing, refreshing won't help.

How to test 404 Not Found? ›

Testing your 404 page

You can test your 404 page by opening a new browser tab and entering a URL from your site that does not exist like “your-site.webflow.io/does-not-exist”.

Is 404 permanent? ›

A 404 status code only indicates that the resource is missing without indicating if this is temporary or permanent. If a resource is permanently removed, servers should send the 410 Gone status instead.

How do I find and fix my 404 page? ›

Google Search Console provides a list of every 404 error Googlebot finds on your site. This includes both hard 404s and soft 404s. Login to the Search Console, click Coverage, and select the Excluded tab. You'll see a list of hard 404 errors marked Not found (404) and soft 404 errors marked Soft 404.

What does a 404 error page look like? ›

A 404 page is also known as an “error page” or “Page Not Found” page. This page indicates that the user reached the domain they requested, but the URL path provided no information. If that sentence made your eyes glaze over, you're not alone.

How do I bypass 404 page not found? ›

If there have been some recent changes to the file, and after them the site started returning a 404 error, one way to fix it will be to restore the old version of the file. This can be done using a backup copy. Also check : webdesign.

What do I put on a 404 error page? ›

So, when designing a 404 page, there are a few simple tips you should keep in mind:
  1. Keep it simple. ...
  2. Use humor or creative design. ...
  3. Use branding elements. ...
  4. Include a search bar. ...
  5. Provide helpful links. ...
  6. Redirect to the homepage. ...
  7. Redirect to the most relevant page. ...
  8. Set up 301 redirects.

Why am I getting a 404 error on Google? ›

The 404 error response is a message from a server to the crawler (or a browser) telling the the crawler that the server encountered an error in fetching the requested webpage because it does not exist. The error is that the webpage does not exist. It's not an error in the sense that this is something to fix.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Francesca Jacobs Ret

Last Updated:

Views: 5361

Rating: 4.8 / 5 (68 voted)

Reviews: 83% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Francesca Jacobs Ret

Birthday: 1996-12-09

Address: Apt. 141 1406 Mitch Summit, New Teganshire, UT 82655-0699

Phone: +2296092334654

Job: Technology Architect

Hobby: Snowboarding, Scouting, Foreign language learning, Dowsing, Baton twirling, Sculpting, Cabaret

Introduction: My name is Francesca Jacobs Ret, I am a innocent, super, beautiful, charming, lucky, gentle, clever person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.