What causes "WordPress Posts Return 404 Not Found"?

Stale rewrite rules Missing or incorrect .htaccess mod_rewrite disabled on Apache or missing rewrite rules on nginx A custom post type slug clashing with a page name Wrong file permissions on .htaccess

How do I fix "WordPress Posts Return 404 Not Found"?

1. Flush rewrite rules: Settings > Permalinks, click Save Changes. This regenerates the rules. 2. Restore the default .htaccess block: If .htaccess is missing or damaged, replace it with the standard block: # BEGIN WordPress, , RewriteEngine On, RewriteBase /, RewriteRule ^index\.php$ - [L], RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f, RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d, RewriteRule . /index.php [L], , # END WordPress. 3. Ask your host about mod_rewrite: Ask the host to enable mod_rewrite and AllowOverride All. On nginx the try_files rule in the server config must send requests to index.php. 4. Custom post type 404s: Rename any page whose slug matches the custom post type, switch Settings > Permalinks to Plain, save, switch back to your preferred structure and save again.

WordPress Posts Return 404 Not Found

Workaround available Self-hosted WordPress (WordPress.org) Updated November 13, 2026Based on 3 user reportsHow we research

Quick answer

Posts or pages that return 404 while the homepage works are almost always a rewrite rules problem. Re-save Settings > Permalinks, then fix .htaccess or mod_rewrite.

Most likely fix: Flush rewrite rules

How to fix it

Try these in order — the most common fix is first.

1. Flush rewrite rules
1. Settings > Permalinks, click Save Changes. This regenerates the rules.
Did this fix it?
2. Restore the default .htaccess block
1. If .htaccess is missing or damaged, replace it with the standard block: # 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 WordPress.
Did this fix it?
3. Ask your host about mod_rewrite
1. Ask the host to enable mod_rewrite and AllowOverride All. On nginx the try_files rule in the server config must send requests to index.php.
Did this fix it?
4. Custom post type 404s
1. Rename any page whose slug matches the custom post type, switch Settings > Permalinks to Plain, save, switch back to your preferred structure and save again.
Did this fix it?

Symptoms

The homepage loads but posts, pages or custom post types show 404 Not Found, often after migrating the site, changing permalinks or installing a plugin.

Why it happens

Stale rewrite rules
Missing or incorrect .htaccess
mod_rewrite disabled on Apache or missing rewrite rules on nginx
A custom post type slug clashing with a page name
Wrong file permissions on .htaccess

This guide also covers

wordpress 404 error posts
wordpress permalinks 404
wordpress pages not found
wordpress post 404 not found

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