Resolving Custom Permalink 404 Errors in WordPress

Encountering 404 errors when trying to navigate to pages on your WordPress site can be frustrating. If you've recently adjusted your permalink settings in WordPress and are now facing 'Page not found' messages, don't worry—this is a common issue and typically revolves around your core WordPress setup or server configuration rather than the JupiterX theme itself. Let's explore the symptoms, likely causes, and solutions for this problem.

Symptoms

You've just set up your WordPress installation along with the JupiterX theme. Upon visiting WP Admin > Settings > Permalinks, you opted for a custom structure instead of the default. However, any attempt to access your pages results in a 404 error.

Likely Causes

Several factors could be contributing to these 404 errors:

• The Apache module mod_rewrite , responsible for the "pretty" permalinks, isn't loaded on your server.
• Your WordPress .htaccess  file is missing, or the server does not have the necessary permissions to write to it.
• Apache is configured to ignore .htaccess  file’s overrides.

Solutions

Resolving this issue may require trying one or more of the following solutions:

Modify Server Settings

• Ensure that mod_rewrite  is installed and activated on your Apache server.
• Confirm that the server allows your .htaccess  file to override directory configurations.

Check .htaccess File

• Locate the .htaccess  file in your WordPress root folder. If missing, create a blank file named .htaccess .
• Set the correct file permissions—CHMOD 666 allows the web server to write to it (remember to secure it back to CHMOD 644 after resolving the issue for security purposes).

Reset and Apply Permalinks

• Reset your permalink structure back to "Plain" or the default setting and then save.
• Change the permalinks to your desired custom structure and save again.

Note: After saving the permalinks setting with the correct .htaccess  permissions, WordPress should automatically update the .htaccess  file with the necessary rewrite rules.

Manually Edit .htaccess

If the .htaccess  file isn’t writable, you’ll see a notice below the permalink settings with the rewrite rules to add. Copy these rules:

• Manually edit your .htaccess  file to include the provided rules.
• Upload that .htaccess  file back to the WordPress root directory.

Test and Verify

Attempt to navigate through your site from the home page. If your permalinks are now functioning correctly, you should not encounter any 404 errors.

Seek Further Assistance

Should the problem persist despite attempting these solutions, reach out to your hosting provider's support team. They can offer more advanced assistance, possibly pertaining to server-side settings that are not within your control.

By following these troubleshooting steps, you can address most permalink-related 404 errors and ensure your WordPress site's navigation is running smoothly once more.