---
title: "Creating a Custom 404 Error Page"
description: "In this article, we'll discuss how you can set up a custom 404 error page for your website. This will allow you to control exactly what message is displayed to your visitors when they try to request..."
url: https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/website/error-numbers/creating-a-custom-404-error-page/
date: 2012-10-18
modified: 2021-08-16
author: "Scott Mitchell"
categories: ["Website Error Numbers"]
type: post
lang: en
---

# Creating a Custom 404 Error Page

In this article, we’ll discuss how you can set **up a custom 404 error page** for your website. This will allow you to control exactly what message is displayed to your visitors when they try to request a page that doesn’t exist.

If you read our previous article on [404 error not found pages](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/website/error-numbers/404-error-page-not-found/), you should have a good understanding of why creating a custom 404 error page can be helpful.

You can simply upload a file such as **404.html** to your website via [FTP](/support/website/ftp/getting-started-guide/), or if you prefer you can follow the instructions below for creating this file in cPanel via the File Manager.

1. [Login to your cPanel](/support/edu/cpanel/how-to-log-into-cpanel/).
2. [![Set Custom 404 Page in .htaccess File Manager](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/website_website-troubleshooting_404s_create-404_01-click-file-manager-1024x192.png)](/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/website_website-troubleshooting_404s_create-404_01-click-file-manager.png) Under the **Files** section, click on **File Manager**.
3. [![](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/website_website-troubleshooting_404s_create-404_02-click-public-html.png)](/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/website_website-troubleshooting_404s_create-404_02-click-public-html.png) Click on **public_html**.
4. [![](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/website_website-troubleshooting_404s_create-404_03-click-add-file.png)](/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/website_website-troubleshooting_404s_create-404_03-click-add-file.png) From the top left-hand menu, click on **New File**.
5. [![](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/website_website-troubleshooting_404s_create-404_04-enter-name.png)](/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/website_website-troubleshooting_404s_create-404_04-enter-name.png) Under **New File Name:** type in **404.html** then click **Create New File**.
6. [![](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/website_website-troubleshooting_404s_create-404_05-right-click-edit.png)](/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/website_website-troubleshooting_404s_create-404_05-right-click-edit.png) **Right-click** on the newly created **404.html** then click on **Edit**.
7. [![](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/website_website-troubleshooting_404s_create-404_06-click-edit.png)](/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/website_website-troubleshooting_404s_create-404_06-click-edit.png) In the **Text Editor** pop-up, simply click on **Edit**.
8. Now you’d want to type in the HTML code for your custom 404 page, in this example we’re using a very basic one that you can copy if you’d like. However you can get very fancy with your own, even going so far as to copying the style and images of your main site and placing your error message in the middle of that. ### We’re sorry but the page you’re looking for could not be found
9. [![](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/website_website-troubleshooting_404s_create-404_07-save-changes.png)](/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/website_website-troubleshooting_404s_create-404_07-save-changes.png) After you’ve made your edits, click on **Save Changes**, and you should see a green Success pop-up.
10. [![](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/website_website-troubleshooting_404s_create-404_web-browser-view-404.png)](/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/website_website-troubleshooting_404s_create-404_web-browser-view-404.png) Now if you directly try to pull up **/404.html** in your web-browser, you should see the page we just created.

Now that you’ve learned how to create a custom 404 error page to handle your 404 errors, you’ll also more than likely want to learn about [setting a 404 error page via .htaccess](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/website/set-custom-404-page/). This way any requests for non-existent pages will go directly to your custom static 404 error page that you just created.

You can get even more advanced with your 404 error page by using Google’s custom 404-page[ widget](https://wordpress.org/plugins/google-404/). This can help provide relevant content from your site to visitors from a Google search against your website.