How to fix 404 Page Not Found error

Maybe the website you are trying to visit has some sort of technical difficulties. In this case, there is nothing you can do but to check in on the website from time to time and wait until the difficulties have been resolved.

Restarting your computer, by turning it off and then back on, can help you fix this HTTP error, which may be a direct or indirect consequence, for example, of a program that was running on your computer and later on became unresponsive, or an operating system process running in the background, related to the network driver that got stuck.

If you use a desktop computer, you can just unplug it from the power cord and plug it in after a couple of minutes, whereas if you use a laptop remove its battery (if it can be removed), and reinsert it after a minute. If it's not removable, press and hold the power button for as long as it takes for the laptop to shut down and its fan to stop spinning (usually 30 seconds).

It is possible that the Internet Service Provider (ISP) or the carrier (if you use mobile data) you are subscribed to are the cause for the 404 Page Not Found error message. For example, maybe there is a malfunction in the network of the provider, or a scheduled maintenance is being made.

Contact the support team, inform them about the error message, share the URL address of the website(s) you can't visit, and they will instruct you on the next steps you need to take.

One of the ways to fix 404 Page Not Found error is by entering the commands below, which will flush and then renew the DNS settings and the IP address. Follow the steps below, in order to access the command prompt (CMD) and enter the commands:

1. Open the start menu and type cmd or command prompt. Once it appears, right-click on it and select Run as Administrator;
   
   
   
2. Type the following commands and press enter after you type each of them:
   
   ipconfig /flushdns
   ipconfig /registerdns
   ipconfig /release
   ipconfig /renew
   netsh winsock reset
   
   
   
3. Restart your computer.

It is possible that a virus or another form of malicious software has infected your computer, which has damaged system files, some of which may be the reason behind the 404 Page Not Found error message. Scan your computer for malicious software, and if such are detected, removing them from your computer should fix the issue.

Protecting your computer with an antivirus software doesn't make you impervious to threats, as viruses are released on an hourly basis. Follow the tips below, to increase the security of your computer and the data stored on it:

• Don't open emails from the junk folder (even though some may end up there by mistake, most of the emails are threat);
• Check the email sender of the email, before you open it (scammers impersonate famous companies like Amazon, Netflix, and others, with the intention to steal your data);
• Install programs from the developers' websites only.
  
  

Feel free to check out the virus removal and protection guide, where you can learn useful tips on how to remove viruses, and protect your computer against them.

Maybe the reason behind the 404 Page Not Found error is a browser extension. Browser extensions that don't work properly can cause many issues in your browser. In this case, firstly you need to disable extensions one by one, reloading the web browser and website every time you disable a browser extension, until you identify the bad one. Once you have identified the browser extension bad browser extension, you can either try fixing the extension or completely remove it from your browser.

If you use Google Chrome, to disable web browser extensions, feel free to follow the steps below:

1. Click on the three-dot icon, select More tools and click on Extensions;
2. Click on the activate/deactivate toggle in the extension box.
   
   

   
   
   

To remove a web browser extension:

1. Click on the three-dot icon, select More tools and click on Extensions;
2. Click on the activate/deactivate toggle in the extension box;
3. Click on the Remove button.
   
   

   
    

Note: Feel free to check the how to enable/disable browser extensions guide, if you are not sure how to disable browser extensions, and the how to remove browser extensions guide, in order to remove browser extensions.

Maybe the website was inaccessible at the moment you tried to access it, or maybe your Internet connection was down for a split second, resulting in this error to occur. In most cases, refreshing the website can help you fix 404 Page Not Found error and other errors too, as the web browser may have been interrupted from loading the website, for some reason.

Hit the refresh button to see if the website will load this time. Alternatively, you can also close the current tab and open the website in a new tab.

When you use the web browser to open websites, there are various processes running in the background that allow to actually open the website. Sometimes, the web browser can misbehave and not let you open websites, because it fails to load them properly.

The easiest way to resolve web browser issues, including the 404 Not Found error, is to close the web browser and reopen it after a minute or two.

Restarting your smartphone or tablet can be the key for fixing the 404 Page Not Found error, because another app, or another background process running on your device (and there are many of them) may have been blocking the Internet connection and your device in general.

To fix this error and access websites, restart your smartphone or tablet, by turning it off via the power button, and then turning it back on. Then, open the website again.

The HTTP 404 Page Not Found error message can also be caused by the router, as it is the medium through which your device has Internet access, in most cases. Restarting the router can help you regain proper Internet access. Unplug the router from the power cord and then plug it back in after a couple of minutes. Then, try again if you can access the website.

Note: If you use a modem, which your router is connected to, restart the modem, too, in the same fashion as you restarted the router.

Activating and deactivating the airplane mode is a proven-to-work way of fixing issues on your smartphone or tablet, related to network and Internet, as this course of action restarts the network components of your device (Wi-Fi and mobile data). Open the control center of your device (swipe up or down), tap on the airplane icon, and after a minute, tap on it again, to reactivate the network modules.

If you are not sure how to enable and disable the airplane mode, feel free to check the how to enable/disable the Airplane mode guide.

Corrupt cookies or cached data may be responsible for many errors, including the 404 Page Not Found error message. In order to fix this error message, had it been caused by corrupt cookies or cached data, you need to clear the cookies, cached data, and other data, so that new ones that are not corrupt are placed on your device.

To learn how to clear the browser's cache (and cookies) effectively, feel free to check out the how to clear the browser cache guide and how to delete browser cookies guide.

It is possible that wrong or misconfigured DNS (Domain Name Servers) settings are responsible for the 404 Page Not Found error message. Access your device's DNS settings and check whether or not they are correct, and then check your device if the configuration of the settings is the proper one.

To learn how to check out and/or change the DNS settings, do check the don't know how to change the DNS settings guide.

Maybe the website you are trying to visit is the reason behind this error. To be sure, access another websites, which are up 99.99% of the time, like Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc. If you can access them, it means that it's the website that experiences an issue, in which case you should consider contacting the website administrators, and let them know of this issue.

Maybe your Internet connection isn't strong enough for you to be able to browse the Internet, manifesting itself in the form of the page not found error. Maybe it is slow, or maybe it is being drained by another software, preventing the web browser to use the connection's full potential. Another possibility is that the router is far away from your device. In this case, to fix this error, you need to improve the stability of your connection.

Tips to improve the Internet connection include:

• Use signal boosters;
• Position your router in a central location of your home;
• Upgrade your Internet plan;
• Buy a stronger router;
• Subscribe to another Internet provider (if nothing else worked).
  
  

The guides below can help you resolve issues related to Internet connection - feel free to check them out:

- No Internet connection
- Slow Internet connection

If you have omitted a letter, or added an extra period (.) in the URL, the 404 error may appear. Verify that you have entered the correct URL address in the address bar, and try loading the website again.