HTTP status code 404 Not Found: causes and solutions

What does status code 404 mean?

The connection to the server works - but it finds no content for the requested address. A 404 error therefore always concerns a single address, not the whole website.

Typical causes

• A typo in the address or a broken link
• The page was deleted, renamed or moved - without a redirect from the old address
• Upper and lower case: on Linux servers, Image.jpg and image.jpg are two different files
• The file was not uploaded completely or is in the wrong folder
• Missing rewrite rules: CMS such as WordPress, Shopware or TYPO3 need their .htaccess. If it is missing, all subpages return 404 and only the home page works
• The document root of the domain points to the wrong folder, for example to the project folder instead of the public directory

Solution for visitors

• Check the address for typos.
• Open the home page and navigate to the page you want via the menu or search.
• Reload the page or clear the browser cache.
• If the error persists, let the operator of the website know about the broken link.

Solution for site operators

• Only subpages affected? Check whether your CMS's .htaccess exists. In WordPress it is often enough to click "Save" once under Settings › Permalinks - WordPress then rewrites the rules.
• Whole website affected? Check the document root of the domain in the control panel.
• Individual files missing? Check via SFTP whether the file is in the correct folder with the correct upper and lower case.
• Moved content: redirect old addresses to the new page with a 301 redirect.

Finding 404 errors on your website

The access logs of your website show which addresses are answered with 404 - including the page visitors came from: How do I read my log files?. Google Search Console also gives a good overview under "Pages": Google lists all addresses it could not find while crawling.

Creating your own 404 error page

A friendly error page with search and links to important areas keeps visitors on your website. Most CMS come with their own template for this. For static websites, define the error page in the .htaccess:

ErrorDocument 404 /404.html

Important: the error page must still return status code 404. If it redirects to the home page instead or responds with 200, search engines treat it as a so-called "soft 404".

404 or 410?

If you have deliberately and permanently removed a page and there is no suitable replacement, you can send status code 410 Gone. Search engines then remove the address from their index more quickly:

Redirect 410 /removed-page/

Related status codes

• 301 Moved Permanently - the page has moved permanently
• 401 Unauthorized - login required