Are all your WordPress pages showing Page Not Found (404 Error) except the homepage?
Don’t worry – this is a very common WordPress issue and can usually be fixed in 2 minutes without coding.

In this guide, I’ll explain why this happens and show you step-by-step how to fix it from the WordPress dashboard using permalink settings.

What is WordPress Page Not Found (404) Error?

A 404 Page Not Found error means:

Your WordPress site is working

Homepage opens fine

But internal pages like About, Contact, Blog, Posts do not load

Instead, visitors see:

“404 – Page Not Found”

This error usually happens due to broken permalink rewrite rules.

Common Reasons for This Error

Here are the most common causes:

1. Permalink settings not saved properly
2. Website migration to new hosting
3. Domain or SSL change (http to https)
4. Plugin or theme update conflict
5. .htaccess file reset or corrupted
6. Server configuration changes

The good news: 90% of the time, fixing permalinks solves the problem.

Solution: Fix Page Not Found Error Using Permalink Settings

Follow these steps carefully.

Step 1: Login to WordPress Dashboard

Open your browser

Go to:

yourdomain.com/wp-admin

Login using your username and password

Step 2: Go to Permalink Settings

From the left menu, click Settings

Then click Permalinks

You’ll now see different URL structure options.

Step 3: Select “Post name”

Choose the option Post name

This is the most SEO-friendly permalink structure

Even if Post name is already selected, continue to the next step.

Step 4: Save Changes (Most Important Step)

Scroll down

Click the Save Changes button

⚠️ Important:
You must click Save Changes even if you didn’t change anything.
This refreshes WordPress rewrite rules and fixes broken links.

Step 5: Test Your Website Pages

Now:

Open your website

Click internal pages (About, Contact, Blog, Posts)

🎉 Your Page Not Found error should be fixed now.

🔁 If the Error Still Exists (Extra Fix)

Try this additional method:

Go back to Settings → Permalinks

Select Plain

Click Save Changes

Again select Post name

Click Save Changes

This double refresh usually fixes stubborn 404 errors.

Why This Method Works

WordPress uses rewrite rules to generate page URLs.
Sometimes these rules break due to:

Hosting changes

Updates

File permission issues

Saving permalinks rebuilds the rules automatically, without coding.