Getting the dreaded 404 error while building a GitHub Page is no fun 👎 and can often be confusing as you work to set up your site. We’ve compiled common reasons you may be seeing the 404 error while working with GitHub Pages. This guide will help you troubleshoot common reasons you may be seeing this 404 error and also lives in our docs!

Troubleshooting 404 errors

GitHub's Status page

If you see a 404 error while building a GitHub Pages site, first check GitHub's Status page for any active incidents.

DNS setup

Make sure GitHub's DNS records are set up correctly with your DNS provider. For more information, see Managing a custom domain for your Pages site or search in the community.

Browser cache

If your Pages site is private and you see a 404 error, you may need to clear your browser's cache. For more information on clearing your cache, see your browser's documentation.

index.html file

GitHub will look for an index.html file as the entry file for your site.

• Make sure you have an index.html file in the repository for your site on GitHub. For more information, see Creating a GitHub Pages site](https://docs.github.com/en/pages/getting-started-with-github-pages/creating-a-github-pages-site#creating-your-site).

• The entry file must be at the top level of your chosen publishing source. For example, if your publishing source is the /docs directory on the main branch, your entry file must be located in the /docs directory on a branch called main.

  If your publishing source is a branch and directory, the entry file must be at the top level of the source directory on the source branch. For example, if your publishing source is the /docs directory on the main branch, your entry file must be located in the /docs directory on a branch called main.

  If your publishing source is a GitHub Actions workflow, the artifact that you deploy must include the entry file at the top level of the artifact. Instead of adding the entry file to your repository, you may choose to have your GitHub Actions workflow generate your entry file when the workflow runs.

• The name of the index.html file is case sensitive. For example, Index.html will not work.

• The name of the file should be index.html, not index.HTML or any other variation.

Directory contents

Check that your directory contents are in the root directory.

Custom domain

If you're using a custom domain, make sure it's set up correctly. For more information, see About custom domains and GitHub Pages.

• The CNAME record should always point to <USER>.github.io or <ORGANIZATION>.github.io, excluding the repository name.
• If you are able to access your landing page, but encounter broken links throughout, it is likely because you either didn't have a custom domain name before or are reverting back from having a custom domain name. In such cases, changing the routing path does not initiate a rebuild of the page. The recommended solution is to ensure that your site rebuilds automatically when adding or removing a custom domain name. This may involve configuring a commit author and modifying the custom domain name settings.

Repository

Check whether your repository meets the following requirements.

• The branch you are using to publish your site must be the main or default branch.
• The repository must have a commit pushed to it by someone with admin permissions for the repository, such as the repository owner.
• Switching the repository's visibility from public to private or vice versa will change the URL of your GitHub Pages site, which will result in broken links until the site is rebuilt.

Now that you have this guide, feel free to use it to assist in solving other members’ posts in the GitHub Community and spread the knowledge wealth 🧠.

Still receiving a 404 error? Start a discussion and share as many details as you can.

Are we missing any common blockers or you want to see more guides like this? Let us know in the comments!