404 page not found error is one of the most common errors on WordPress sites. This problem generally occurs due to various reasons namely, after transferring a new website or whenever you modify the rules in the file named .htaccess file. So let’s discuss the solutions for each of these problems
I) Adding .htaccess File
- First, log in to your control panel and open the File Manager.
- Next, browse your WordPress site’s folder to locate /wp-content/and /wp-includes/ folders.
Make sure you enable the show hidden files option from the Settings.
- Then open and edit the files named .htaccess folder.
- Copy and paste the codes given below.
# BEGIN WordPress
RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /
RewriteRule ^index.php$ - [L]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule . /index.php [L]
# End WordPress
If the folder does not contain any .htaccess folder then, create a new folder inside the folder.
5. Click on the +File button present at the top of the dashboard.6. Under the New file name field enter the name .htaccess. After that click on Create new file button.
7. At last, edit the file and paste the above code into it.
These steps will solve the 404 page not found issue in most of the cases.
II) Revise the Permalink Structure of your site:- Using your admin account login into the Admin Account.
- Hover over the mouse on the Settings option and click on Permalinks.
- Here select the Post name option and click on Save Changes.
After this step, the system will reset the permalink structure to the previous default settings.
Now, WordPress will automatically rewrite the .htaccess file and will fix the 404 URL not found error.