What is Error 404 and How To Fix a 404 Not Found Error

Ask.Geeks Explains:

What is Error 404 and How To Fix a 404 Not Found Error :

How You Might See the 404 Error

404 Not Found error messages are frequently customized by individual websites, so keep in mind that the 404 error may show up in just about any way imaginable depending on what website it's shown from.

Here are some common ways in which you might see the HTTP 404 error displayed:

"404 Error"

"404 Not Found"

"Error 404"

"The requested URL [URL] was not found on this server."

"HTTP 404"

404 errors received when opening links via Microsoft Office applications generate a The Internet site reports that the item you requested could not be found (HTTP/1.0 404) message inside the MS Office program.

When Windows Update produces a 404 error, it appears as a code 0x80244019 or as the message WU_E_PT_HTTP_STATUS_NOT_FOUND.
Cause of HTTP 400 Errors

A 404 error is an HTTP status code that means that the page you were trying to reach on a website couldn't be found on their server.

Technically, an Error 404 is a client-side error, implying that the error is your mistake, either because you typed the URL in wrong or the page has been moved or removed from the website and you should have known.

Another possibility is if a website has moved a page or resource but did so without redirecting the old URL to the new one. When that happens, you'll receive a 404 error instead of being automatically routed to the new page.

No matter the reason for the 404 error, there is plenty you can do to try to get to that page you were after:


How To Fix the 404 Not Found Error

>>Retry the web page by pressing F5, clicking the refresh/reload button, or trying the URL from the address bar again.

>>The 404 Not Found error might appear for several reasons even though no real issue exists, so sometimes a simple refresh will often load the page you were looking for.

>>Check for errors in the URL. Often times the 404 Not Found error appears because the URL was typed wrong or the link that was clicked on points to the wrong URL.

>>Move up one directory level at a time in the URL until you find something.

For example, if www.web.com/a/b/c.htm gave you the 404 Not Found error, move up to www.web.com/a/b/. If you get nothing here (or an error), move up to www.web.com/a/. This should lead you toward what you're looking for or at least confirm that it's no longer available.

Tip: If you have moved all the way up to the website's homepage, try to run a search for the information you're looking for. If the site doesn't have a search function, try navigating to the page you want using category links to dig deeper into the site.

>>Search for the page at a popular search engine. It's possible that you simply have the entirely wrong URL in which case a quick Google or Bing search should get you where you want to go.

>>If you do find the page you were after, update your bookmark or favorite to avoid the HTTP 404 error in the future.