The 404 Page Not Found error is frustrating for both you and your visitors. In WordPress, it commonly occurs on single posts or pages while the homepage loads perfectly fine. This usually indicates an issue with your permalinks (the structure of your URLs) rather than missing content.
The Quick Fix: Flush Permalinks
99% of the time, this error is fixed by simply resetting your WordPress rewrite rules. It takes 10 seconds:
- Log into your WordPress Dashboard.
- Go to Settings » Permalinks.
- You don't even need to make any changes—just scroll down and click the "Save Changes" button.
This action forces WordPress to flush its rewrite rules and regenerate your .htaccess file, restoring your links.
Fixing the .htaccess File Manually
If you can't access your dashboard, or saving permalinks didn't work, your .htaccess file might lack the correct permissions to update automatically. Open the Hosticky File Manager, locate the .htaccess file in your root folder (make sure hidden files are visible), and ensure it contains the default WordPress rules:
# BEGIN WordPress
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /
RewriteRule ^index\.php$ - [L]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule . /index.php [L]
</IfModule>
# END WordPressSave the file and check your site. Your 404 errors should now be gone!
At Hosticky, our servers use ultra-fast LiteSpeed web servers which process .htaccess files natively. If you need assistance configuring redirects, our support team is ready to help.
