The error it returns is 404 and that the content is not available on the server and offers the error code 404 Not Found or 404 page not found. This failure is a status code that the web server sends us to our Internet browser, the link that takes us to that website is known as a dead link or defective link. Other ways that refer to this bug are Error 404, 404 Code and HTTP 404.
Causes of the 404 Not Found error
When we find in our Internet browser a error code 404 Not Found It is a response from the web server and it tells us that the address or URL that we accessed by entering or clicking a link is not available. This failure usually happens when the content we want to visit has been changed to another URL or has simply been deleted.
Among the most common causes that can produce the 404 Not Found error we have:
- The user incorrectly enters the URL address in his browser.
- The source of the problem may be because the website administrator has removed that content or moved that URL.
- The web server is not online at the moment because it is down.
- We have problems with our Internet connection.
- After redesigning a website, some of the links were not entered correctly after changing a URL. For example, a typical failure is to keep the old one.
- The domain name no longer exists, or due to problems with the DNS servers, the correct IP is not being offered.
This failure, as long as the contents have not been eliminated, are easy to solve by the web administrator. The solution is to redirect the link to the new landing page.
In the main search engines we find quite a few results that have been moved and deleted, giving rise to the 404 Not Found error. This happens because the owners have not redirected well or have not reported the changes. It should be noted that not doing things well can lead to a decrease in PageRank. Next, we will offer some solutions for users.
What can I do to fix this 404 error?
This 404 error is not really our fault, we are simply trying to access a website that is no longer available, therefore, the website administrator has to solve it so that it does not return this error, neither to us nor to many others users who will get exactly the same.
Check your connection, check the URL and reload the web page
The first thing we have to do is check that our Internet connection works correctly. The best way to do this may be to open the covers of several prestigious pages to verify that everything is in order. Once this is done, we must check that the URL we have entered is correct. If, after entering it again, the 404 Not Found error still appears, it would also be a good idea to wait a few minutes in case the web is saturated or down.
Then we could proceed to refresh this website by clicking on the “circular arrow icon” indicated by the orange arrow or by pressing F5.
If with this we have not managed to fix the problem, we will move on to the next solutions.
Search function of the website or to Google
Many web pages have a search function where they have the content of the web page indexed. If you have not visited a website for a long time and you see changes, it is because it has probably undergone a remodel. For this reason, some links that you have saved may have changed. Our first option would be use the search function on the website itself which is generally represented by the icon of a magnifying glass. There we enter what we want to find with any search engine and press enter.
The next option would be search the major search engines like Google, Yahoo! or Bing in case they have a more modern link that avoids the appearance of the 404 error code.
Delete cache and cookies from the browser, change DNS and contact the website
Sometimes the 404 Not Found error message only affects a specific computer or device. Instead, you see that you can access the web from another without problems. Then, the failure usually happens by clearing the cache together with the cookies of this browser.
Usually in browsers among its main sections we have one called Settings or Setting. There we have to look for a section called Privacy & Security where cache and cookies can be cleared. We could also use your internal search engine and put Cache.
Then we will proceed like this:
Another option that we can also try is change DNS server on Windows TCP / IP version 4. Sometimes our supplier’s are not good enough and sometimes it is a good idea to change them. This would be an example with Google’s:
Another one that we could try is the one from Cloudflare which is 1.1.1.1. In the event that none of the above procedures are successful, we can try contact directly with the responsible for the website. Thus, administrators can inform us if the page we are looking for still exists.
In summary, if after trying the whole series of solutions the 404 Not Found error still appears, it is most likely that this content is no longer available on the web you are trying to visit.
