Fixing 404 (Not Found) Error in cPanel – Possible Causes & Solutions

Contents: Verify DNS Configuration Verify Website Files & Directory Fix File & Folder Permissions Check .htaccess for Misconfiguration Verify Web Server Configuration Clear Cache and Test Again Summary of Fixes

When your website returns a 404 (Not Found) error, it means the requested page cannot be found on the server. This can be caused by:

• DNS issues (Incorrect domain configuration, missing records)
• Incorrect file or folder permissions
• Missing index file (index.php or index.html)
• .htaccess misconfiguration
• Misconfigured virtual hosts or Apache/Nginx settings

Verify DNS Configuration

If your domain is not resolving correctly, it could cause a 404 error.

Check DNS Records

1. Log into cPanel
2. Go to Zone Editor > Manage
3. Ensure you have the correct A Record pointing to your server's IP.

To manually check DNS from the terminal:

nslookup yourdomain.com

or

dig yourdomain.com

If the IP does not match your server, update the DNS settings.

Check Propagation Status

If you recently updated your DNS, check propagation:

https://dnschecker.org/

It may take up to 24 hours to fully propagate.

Solution: If DNS is incorrect, update your nameservers or A records in your domain registrar.

Verify Website Files & Directory

A 404 error can occur if the requested file does not exist or is misplaced.

Check the Root Directory

In cPanel:

1. Go to File Manager
2. Navigate to public_html/
3. Ensure your website files are inside this folder.

Ensure an index.php or index.html Exists

Your homepage file must be named index.php or index.html.

If missing, upload it to public_html/.

To check via SSH:

ls -la /home/yourusername/public_html/

If index.php or index.html is missing, upload your website files.

Fix File & Folder Permissions

If permissions are incorrect, Apache/Nginx cannot serve the files.

Set Correct Permissions

sudo chmod -R 755 /home/yourusername/public_html/
sudo chmod 644 /home/yourusername/public_html/index.php

For cPanel users:

• Folders: 755
• Files: 644

Restart Apache:

sudo systemctl restart apache2

or for Nginx:

sudo systemctl restart nginx

Check .htaccess for Misconfiguration

1. Open File Manager in cPanel
2. Locate .htaccess in public_html/
3. Rename it temporarily:

   mv .htaccess .htaccess_backup

4. Try reloading your website.

If it works, restore .htaccess and check for misconfigured rules like:

RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteRule . /index.php [L]

If .htaccess was the issue, regenerate permalinks (for WordPress sites) in:

WordPress Admin > Settings > Permalinks > Save Changes

Verify Web Server Configuration

If you have multiple domains or subdomains, check your Apache Virtual Host settings.

Check Virtual Host Configuration

For Apache:

sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/000-default.conf

Ensure:

<VirtualHost *:80>
    DocumentRoot /home/yourusername/public_html
    ServerName yourdomain.com
</VirtualHost>

For Nginx:

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/default

Ensure:

server {
    root /home/yourusername/public_html;
    server_name yourdomain.com;
}

Restart your web server:

sudo systemctl restart apache2

or

sudo systemctl restart nginx

Clear Cache and Test Again

Clear Browser Cache

Press Ctrl + Shift + R or clear cache from browser settings.

Clear Server Cache (If Using Cloudflare or CDN)

• Go to Cloudflare > Caching > Purge Everything
• If using a caching plugin (e.g., in WordPress), clear the cache.

Summary of Fixes

After following these steps, your website should load correctly!