In this article you will learn:
- How to recognize Error 404
- How to solve Error 404
- How to set up a custom error page
- Frequently Asked Questions
Error 404 Not Found
A 404 error indicates that a file or other resource is unavailable. If the entire called page is missing, you can tell a 404 error by the Not found text in the title.
Some sites may have a custom 404 page. To set up such a custom page, follow the steps in Setting up a custom 404 error page.
Error 404 also returns images and other resources that failed to load. You can find a complete list in the browser's developer tools (typically the F12 key) in theConsole, or on the Network tab. To retrieve Network data, refresh the page.
It is similar to Error 403 Forbidden, but usually missing less crucial files than index.html, index.php, or .htaccess.
Error 404 Solution
If the file from your webhost is not loading correctly, follow these steps:
- Check via FTP if it is really on the webhost.
- Also check the size of the uploaded file, a corrupted or partially uploaded file can also cause a 404 error.
- Check the path to the file, that is, whether its actual location matches the location in the web application code.
If you are using content from another source (most often fonts, scripts, css), check its availability (temporary and long term). If the source is unavailable for a long time, consider changing it.
Mixed content
Another common source of problems is mixed content, where a site loads over the secure HTTPS protocol, but some sources try to load over insecure HTTP.
Go through the source files of the site and correct all addresses with http:// at https://.
If you use a content management system such as WordPress, use the Mixed Content Fix tool (for WordPress: Tools Site Health).
WEDOS Protection and Let's Encrypt
If you observe a 404 error for a web host with a domain on WEDOS Protection ⧉, check if at least 90 minutes have passed since the HTTPS certificate was activated. If not, wait and try to reload the page without caching using the Ctrl + Shift + R keyboard shortcut.
If the problem persists, make sure that the DNS records and the current IP addresses of your proxy match.
Setting up a custom 404 Errors page
If you want to display a custom error message if the page was not found, follow these steps:
- Create a custom error page, for example 404.html, and save it to the FTP site root (the same place where you have the index.html or index.php file).
- Open the .htaccess file in the same folder. If there is none, create it (the name is including the period at the beginning and without the ending).
- Insert the code at the end of the .htaccess file:
ErrorDocument 404 /404.html
If your document is named something other than 404.html, change the file name in the code.
Frequently Asked Questions
None of the solutions helped me, what should I do now?
If the 404 error is caused by a file on the web host, activate temporary FTP access for support according to this guide and request a scan via the form ⧉. Please provide the name of the site and the addresses of the inaccessible files.
We can't check external resources, ask for a check from their host. If it requests the IP address of the web host, you will find it in the service details ⧉ in the Service Addresses table.
Does Error 404 occur elsewhere than at VEDOS?
Yes, this is a common error caused by unavailability of files on the server. The server (webhosting) is working fine, the fix is to upload the missing files to the web and make sure the resources are available via the correct protocol.