--- title: "How to Set a Custom 404 Page Using .htaccess" description: "A 404 error occurs when a requested page is not found on your website. Instead of displaying a generic error message, you can create a custom 404 page to improve user experience and reduce bounce..." url: https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/website/error-numbers/set-custom-404-page/ date: 2021-05-04 modified: 2025-02-12 author: "Derrell" image: https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/custom-404-page.png categories: ["Website Error Numbers"] type: post lang: en --- # How to Set a Custom 404 Page Using .htaccess ![How to Set a Custom 404 Page Using .htaccess](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/custom-404-page-1024x538.png) A **404 error** occurs when a requested page is not found on your website. Instead of displaying a generic error message, you can create a **[custom 404 page](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/website/error-numbers/creating-a-custom-404-error-page/)** to improve user experience and reduce bounce rates. ## What is a 404 Error? The **404 error** (HTTP status code “404 Not Found”) occurs when a server cannot locate the requested web page. This can happen due to: - A **broken link** or incorrect URL - A **deleted or moved page** - A **typo in the address bar** By default, web servers show a plain error page, which can frustrate users. Creating a **custom 404 page** helps retain visitors and guides them to useful content. ## How to Set a Custom 404 Page in .htaccess ![How to Set a Custom 404 Page With htaccess](https://i.ytimg.com/vi_webp/cquwXuXop5M/maxresdefault.webp) *Don’t have time to read the article? Watch our walk-through video.* ### 1. Create a Custom 404 Page Before updating the `.htaccess`, you need a 404 error page (e.g., `404.html`). This page should: - Inform users that the page was not found. - Provide helpful links to navigate back to important pages. - Match your website’s design For detailed instructions on how to create a custom 404 page, see [Creating a Custom 404 Error Page](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/website/error-numbers/creating-a-custom-404-error-page/). ### 2. Edit the .htaccess File 1. [Login to your cPanel](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/edu/cpanel/how-to-log-into-cpanel/).   2. Under the **Files** section click on **File Manager**. ![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.png) 3. Navigate to the document root folder for the site. 4. Click on **Settings**. ![File Manager Settings](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/2-click-settings.png) 5. Ensure **Show Hidden Files** is selected. ![Show Hidden Files](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/3-click-show-hidden-files.png) 6. Then click **Save**. 7. Right-click on the **.htaccess** file and select **Edit**. ![Edit the .htaccess file](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/edit-htaccess.png) 8. If the **.htaccess** file didn’t exist in the previous step, click on the **+File** link on the top left, name the file **.htaccess**, and set the directory for creation to **/public_html/** or the document root of your site. ![Creating an .htaccess file](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/create-htaccess-file.png) 9. You might have a text editor encoding dialog box pop-up, go ahead and just click **Edit**. ![Edit File Encoding Option](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/edit-file.png) 10. Now that you are ready to edit the **.htaccess** file, the simplest way to set a 404 error page is by directly setting a 404 error message in the **.htaccess** file itself: ErrorDocument 404 "

Page not found

" If you already have a static HTML page that you’d like to use for 404 errors you can also directly point to that file with the **.htaccess** file as well. In this example, we have a 404.html page we want to serve up. Be sure to replace “404.html” with your actual page name: ErrorDocument 404 /404.html   11. After you’ve made your edits to the .htaccess file, click on **Save Changes**.![Saving .htaccess file](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/save-htaccess-file.png) You should see a green **Success** pop-up![file-manager-text-editor-save-success](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/website_website-troubleshooting_404s_file-manager-text-editor-save-success.png) 12. Now if you try to pull up a page that won’t exist on the server such as **/ThisPageWon’tExist **you should see the custom 404 error message that we’ve configured. This first image below is the default 404 error page when a custom one is not set: ![Custom 404 Page](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/website_website-troubleshooting_404s_404-default-error-in-browser-1.png)The second one is the custom 404 page that we just created:![404-custom-error-in-browser](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/website_website-troubleshooting_404s_404-custom-error-in-browser.png) ## Redirect 404 to homepage using .htaccess If you prefer to **redirect users to your homepage** instead of displaying an error page, add this line to your `.htaccess` file: ``` ErrorDocument 404 / ``` This simple line of code instructs the web server that whenever it encounters a 404 error (i.e., a missing page or resource), it should redirect the visitor to the homepage of your website. Let’s break down how this works: - **ErrorDocument**: This is the directive that tells the server you’re defining a custom error page. - **404**: Specifies the HTTP status code for which you’re customizing the error page (in this case, a 404 error). - **/**: The forward slash represents the homepage of your website. When a 404 error occurs, the server redirects the user to this URL. ## **SEO Best Practices for Custom 404 Pages** A well-designed 404 page can improve user experience and SEO. Here’s how to optimize it: ### **1. Maintain Proper HTTP Status Codes** Ensure your custom 404 page **returns a 404 status code**, not a **200 (OK) status**. Search engines need to recognize that the page is missing to avoid indexing errors. ### **2. Avoid Duplicate Content** Make your 404 page **unique**. Avoid copying content from other pages to prevent duplicate content issues. ### **3. Provide Helpful Links** Your 404 page should include: - A **search bar** for easy navigation - Links to the **homepage**, **popular articles**, or a **sitemap** ### **4. Monitor 404 Errors in Google Search Console** Regularly check **Google Search Console** for **crawl errors** and fix broken links. This helps maintain your site’s **SEO health**. ## Final Thoughts Now you know how to: ✔ Create a **custom 404 page** ✔ Modify `.htaccess` to display your error page ✔ Redirect 404 errors to the homepage (if preferred) ✔ Follow **SEO best practices** A well-handled 404 error improves user experience and keeps visitors engaged with your website. For more guidance, check out our tutorial on **[creating a custom 404 page](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/website/error-numbers/creating-a-custom-404-error-page/)**. Need more website tips? Visit our **[Website Tutorials](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/website/password-single-file-htaccess/)** section for additional resources. **Scalable VPS Infrastructure, Fully Managed** When shared hosting can’t handle your traffic, VPS delivers dedicated resources that scale with demand. Our team manages the technical complexity while you manage your business. ![check mark](https://design.inmotionhosting.com/assets/icons/standard/check-blue.svg)NVMe Storage    ![check mark](https://design.inmotionhosting.com/assets/icons/standard/check-blue.svg)High-Availability    ![check mark](https://design.inmotionhosting.com/assets/icons/standard/check-blue.svg)Ironclad Security    ![check mark](https://design.inmotionhosting.com/assets/icons/standard/check-blue.svg)Premium Support [VPS Hosting](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/vps-hosting?mktgp=t&irgwc=1&affiliates=5001860&utm_campaign=Jumbotron&utm_source=supportcenter&utm_medium=cta&utm_term=vps-cta2)