How to Fix Error 404 on All Pages
WordPress Troubleshooting & Fixes
How to Fix Error 404 on All Pages in WordPress
Are all your WordPress pages or posts showing a 404 Not Found error? Does the homepage work, but all inner pages show 404? This is a common issue caused by permalinks, .htaccess corruption, plugin conflicts, or server rewrite problems. Here’s the complete fix.
1
Why WordPress Pages Show 404 Errors
404 does not mean your content is gone — only URLs are broken.
Your posts/pages still exist; WordPress simply cannot find the rewrite rules to load them.
Common causes:
- Corrupted .htaccess file (most common)
- Wrong permalinks structure
- Server rewrite module disabled
- Plugin forcing redirects
- Incorrect domain or URL settings
- Multisite rewrite issues
- Hosting migration issues
Let’s fix all of them step-by-step.
2
Step 1: Reset Permalinks (The Fastest Fix)
Most 404 issues disappear instantly after resetting permalinks.
Steps:
- Go to Settings → Permalinks
- Choose any structure temporarily (default)
- Click Save Changes
- Select your preferred structure again (Post Name)
- Click Save Changes again
This automatically regenerates new rewrite rules.
3
Step 2: Regenerate a Fresh .htaccess File
Corrupted .htaccess = broken URLs = 404 errors.
Steps:
- Go to public_html
- Find .htaccess
- Rename it to .htaccess-old
- Go to Settings → Permalinks
- Click Save Changes
WordPress will create a clean .htaccess file with correct rewrite rules.
Correct default .htaccess:
# BEGIN WordPress
RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /
RewriteRule ^index\.php$ - [L]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule . /index.php [L]
# END WordPress
4
Step 3: Check if Apache mod_rewrite Is Enabled
Without mod_rewrite, pretty permalinks will not work.
Ask your hosting support:
- Is mod_rewrite enabled?
- Can they enable the Apache Rewrite module?
If you’re on VPS/cloud hosting, enable it manually:
sudo a2enmod rewrite
sudo systemctl restart apache2
This immediately fixes 404 errors for Apache servers.
5
Step 4: Fix Wrong WordPress & Site URL
Incorrect URLs cause rewrite mismatches.
Check URLs at:
- Settings → General
Both should match exactly:
https://yourdomain.com
Common mistakes:
- Using http instead of https
- www vs non-www mismatch
- Extra slash or subfolder
If locked out of admin, set via wp-config.php:
define('WP_HOME', 'https://yourdomain.com');
define('WP_SITEURL', 'https://yourdomain.com');
6
Step 5: Disable Plugins Causing Redirect or Rewrite Issues
Some plugins override or break URL rules.
Plugins that often cause 404 errors:
- Redirect plugins
- Security plugins (Wordfence, AIOS, iThemes)
- Cache plugins creating stale rules
- Migration/clone tools
- Language translation plugins
- Custom post type plugins
Disable all plugins temporarily and test again.
If 404 errors disappear → re-enable plugins one-by-one.
7
Step 6: Check File Permissions
WordPress must be able to write .htaccess.
- Folders → 755
- Files → 644
Specially check:
- /public_html/
- /wp-content/
- .htaccess
If permissions are wrong, WordPress cannot update URL rules.
8
Step 7: Fix NGINX Rewrite Rules
NGINX does not use .htaccess — it needs manual rules.
Add this to nginx.conf:
location / {
try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$args;
}
Then restart NGINX.
sudo systemctl restart nginx
9
Step 8: Fix Multisite (Subdirectory & Subdomain) Rewrite Issues
Multisite needs special rewrite rules.
For subdirectory multisite:
RewriteBase /
RewriteRule ^index\.php$ - [L]
RewriteRule ^([_0-9a-zA-Z-]+/)?(wp-.*) $2 [L]
RewriteRule ^([_0-9a-zA-Z-]+/)?(.*\.php)$ $2 [L]
RewriteRule . index.php [L]
For subdomain multisite:
RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /
RewriteRule ^index\.php$ - [L]
RewriteRule . index.php [L]
Incorrect multisite rules = instant 404 errors.
10
Step 9: Disable Cache, CDN & Security Layers
Sometimes cached or broken redirects cause 404s.
Clear/purge:
- WordPress cache
- Browser cache
- Cloudflare cache
- Server cache (LiteSpeed / NGINX)
Then retry opening the URLs.
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