The HTTP 404 Not Found
client error response code indicates that the server can't find the requested resource. Links that lead to a 404 page are often called broken or dead links and can be subject to link rot.
A 404 status code does not indicate whether the resource is temporarily or permanently missing. But if a resource is permanently removed, a 410
(Gone) should be used instead of a 404 status.
Status
404 Not Found
Custom error pages
Many web sites customize the look of a 404 page to be more helpful to the user and provide guidance on what to do next. Apache servers can be configured using an .htaccess
file and a code snippet like the following example.
ErrorDocument 404 /notfound.html
For an example of a custom 404 page, see MDN's 404 page.
Custom design is a good thing, in moderation. Feel free to make your 404 page humorous and human, but don't confuse your users.
Specifications
Specification | Title |
---|---|
RFC 7231, section 6.5.4: 404 Not Found | Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP/1.1): Semantics and Content |
Browser compatibility
The compatibility table in this page is generated from structured data. If you'd like to contribute to the data, please check out https://github.com/mdn/browser-compat-data and send us a pull request.
Desktop | Mobile | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
404 | Chrome Full support Yes | Edge Full support 12 | Firefox Full support Yes | IE Full support Yes | Opera Full support Yes | Safari Full support Yes | WebView Android Full support Yes | Chrome Android Full support Yes | Firefox Android Full support Yes | Opera Android Full support Yes | Safari iOS Full support Yes | Samsung Internet Android Full support Yes |
Legend
- Full support
- Full support