404 Not Found error on Web Hosting

A 404 Not Found error means the server understood the request but couldn't find the resource being asked for. It's one of the most common errors on the web, and in most cases it's straightforward to resolve.

Cause 1. Incorrect URL

The most likely culprit is a typo or a broken link. Double-check the URL, fix it, and the page should load normally.

Cause 2. Site files are in the wrong directory

Make sure your site files are uploaded to the correct folder. On web hosting, the root directory is shown in the Document Root section of your control panel — it's typically ~/public_html/your-domain.

Site root directory in the control panel

Cause 3. Missing or broken .htaccess file in a CMS

If your site runs on a CMS (WordPress, Joomla, Bitrix, Drupal, etc.), a 404 error often points to a missing or corrupted .htaccess file. The fix is usually as simple as replacing it with the default version for your CMS.

Navigate to your site's root directory and create or replace the .htaccess file with the appropriate content below:

.htaccess for WordPress

# BEGIN WordPress
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule . /index.php [L]
</IfModule>
# END WordPress

.htaccess for Joomla

Options +FollowSymLinks
RewriteEngine On

RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} mosConfig_[a-zA-Z_]{1,21}(=|\%3D) [OR]
RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} base64_encode.*\(.*\) [OR]
RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} (\<|%3C).*script.*(\>|%3E) [NC,OR]
RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} GLOBALS(=|\[|\%[0-9A-Z]{0,2}) [OR]
RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} _REQUEST(=|\[|\%[0-9A-Z]{0,2})
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ index.php [F,L]

RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} !^/index.php
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} (/|\.php|\.html|\.htm|\.feed|\.pdf|\.raw|/[^.]*)$ [NC]
RewriteRule (.*) index.php
RewriteRule .* - [E=HTTP_AUTHORIZATION:%{HTTP:Authorization},L]

.htaccess for Bitrix

Options -Indexes
ErrorDocument 404 /404.php

<IfModule mod_php5.c>
  php_flag allow_call_time_pass_reference 1
  php_flag session.use_trans_sid off
</IfModule>

<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
  Options +FollowSymLinks
  RewriteEngine On
  RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
  RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-l
  RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
  RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !/bitrix/urlrewrite.php$
  RewriteRule ^(.*)$ /bitrix/urlrewrite.php [L]
  RewriteRule .* - [E=REMOTE_USER:%{HTTP:Authorization}]
</IfModule>

<IfModule mod_dir.c>
  DirectoryIndex index.php index.html
</IfModule>

<IfModule mod_expires.c>
  ExpiresActive on
  ExpiresByType image/jpeg "access plus 3 day"
  ExpiresByType image/gif "access plus 3 day"
</IfModule>

.htaccess for Drupal

<FilesMatch "\.(engine|inc|info|install|make|module|profile|test|po|sh|.*sql|theme|tpl(\.php)?|xtmpl)$|^(\..*|Entries.*|Repository|Root|Tag|Template)quot;>
  Order allow,deny
</FilesMatch>

Options -Indexes
Options +FollowSymLinks
ErrorDocument 404 /index.php
DirectoryIndex index.php index.html index.htm

<IfModule mod_php5.c>
  php_flag magic_quotes_gpc                 off
  php_flag magic_quotes_sybase              off
  php_flag register_globals                 off
  php_flag session.auto_start               off
  php_value mbstring.http_input             pass
  php_value mbstring.http_output            pass
  php_flag mbstring.encoding_translation    off
</IfModule>

<IfModule mod_expires.c>
  ExpiresActive On
  ExpiresDefault A1209600
  <FilesMatch \.phpgt;
    ExpiresActive Off
  </FilesMatch>
</IfModule>

<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
  RewriteEngine on
  RewriteRule "(^|/)\." - [F]
  RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
  RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
  RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} !=/favicon.ico
  RewriteRule ^ index.php [L]

  <IfModule mod_headers.c>
    RewriteCond %{HTTP:Accept-encoding} gzip
    RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME}\.gz -s
    RewriteRule ^(.*)\.css $1\.css\.gz [QSA]
    RewriteCond %{HTTP:Accept-encoding} gzip
    RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME}\.gz -s
    RewriteRule ^(.*)\.js $1\.js\.gz [QSA]
    RewriteRule \.css\.gz$ - [T=text/css,E=no-gzip:1]
    RewriteRule \.js\.gz$ - [T=text/javascript,E=no-gzip:1]
    <FilesMatch "(\.js\.gz|\.css\.gz)quot;>
      Header append Content-Encoding gzip
      Header append Vary Accept-Encoding
    </FilesMatch>
  </IfModule>
</IfModule>