How to set a custom 404 error page in Apache?
To set up a custom 404 error page, you need to create a page file and configure the path in Apache. 1. Create a custom 404 page, such as saving 404.html to the website root directory; 2. Add ErrorDocument 404 /404.html to the .htaccess file of the website root directory to ensure that AllowOverride is enabled; 3. If using VPS or a standalone server, you can add ErrorDocument 404 /404.html in the virtual host configuration file (such as 000-default.conf) and restart the Apache service; 4. Test whether the custom page takes effect by accessing the non-existent URL. When configuring, you should ensure that the page path is correct and the HTTP status code remains 404, and avoid redirecting to the homepage to maintain SEO and user experience.
Setting a custom 404 error page in Apache is straightforward and helps improve user experience when someone lands on a non-existent page. Here's how to do it properly.
1. Create Your Custom 404 Page
First, design a simple HTML page that will be shown when a 404 (Not Found) error occurs. For example:
<!-- 404.html --> <!DOCTYPE html> <html> <head> <title>Page Not Found</title> </head> <body> <h1>404 - Page Not Found</h1> <p>The page you're looking for doesn't exist.</p> <p><a href="/">Go back to the homepage</a></p> </body> </html>
Save this file in your website's root directory (eg, /var/www/html/404.html ) or any preferred location within your site structure.
2. Configure Apache Using .htaccess (Recommended for Shared Hosting)
If you're using shared hosting or want to set this per-directory, use the .htaccess file in your site's root:
ErrorDocument 404 /404.html
Make sure the path ( /404.html ) is correct relative to the web root. You can also point to a dynamic page:
ErrorDocument 404 /error.php?code=404
? Ensure your
.htaccessis readable by Apache and thatAllowOverrideis enabled in your Apache configuration for the directory.
3. Set It in Apache Virtual Host (Best for VPS or Dedicated Servers)
If you have access to the server configuration, it's better to define it in the virtual host block.
Edit your site's config file (eg, /etc/apache2/sites-available/000-default.conf or similar):
<VirtualHost *:80>
ServerName yourdomain.com
DocumentRoot /var/www/html
ErrorDocument 404 /404.html
# Other directives...
</VirtualHost>After making changes, restart Apache:
sudo systemctl restart apache2
or on some systems:
sudo service apache2 reload
4. Test the Custom 404 Page
To verify it works, navigate to a non-existent URL on your site:
http://yoursite.com/this-page-does-not-exist
You should see your custom 404 page instead of the default Apache error.
A Few Tips
- The custom page should be a valid, accessible URL path.
- Avoid redirecting 404s to the homepage — it's bad for SEO and user trust.
- Keep the HTTP status code as
404. Even with a custom page, browsers and search engines should receive the correct error code (Apache handles this automatically withErrorDocument). - You can customize other errors too (like 500, 403) using the same method.
Basically, just create the page and tell Apache where to find it using ErrorDocument 404 . Doesn't matter much whether you use .htaccess or the server config — just pick the right method for your setup.
The above is the detailed content of How to set a custom 404 error page in Apache?. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!
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