Not always but sometime we need to reset WordPress permalinks. Mostly when your URL is not working for some reason and you are already on custom structure or post name URL’s. That means your .htaccess is already setup by WordPress. But WordPress doesn’t recognize your new URL structure. In such cases most probably the solution is reset the permalinks.
For example: If you are running a WordPress website which have post name set as permalinks. But later you create a new post type which have /post-type/ permalink structure. When you try to visit your custom post type permalink that doesn’t work. In that case you can only reset the permalinks so WordPress refresh its settings in .htaccess file. After reset your custom post type or any other permalinks should start working.
Important: If for some reason permalink reset doesn’t work you should check your .htaccess file via FTP if that’s writeable and the WP directory have writing permission mostly 755 permission.
Why Custom Post Type Permalinks aren’t Working?
If you have installed a plugin or added a new custom post type some other way into your WordPress website. And your permalinks are already set before you added the custom post type. If your permalinks are default you wouldn’t face any problem. But if you are using pretty permalinks or custom structure then your custom post rewrite rule wouldn’t work. So if you reset your permalinks your website would start working and you will not have 404 error with your custom post type pages.
Reset WordPress Permalinks
You can’t even imagine how simple is this. Just couple of steps and you are done. First of all sign in your WordPress admin screen and reach your dashboard.
- Now in sidebar Find Settings
- Inside settings click on Permalinks
Once you are in permalinks page inside settings >> permalinks. You can see there are various options and there are only two steps to reset your permalinks and get rid of 404 error pages.
- On permalinks page please select or make radio point in front of Plain Now hit the save changes button.
- Now click again the post-name permalink structure and save again.

Congratulations you have successfully reset the WordPress permalinks. So what WordPress do when you select permalinks structure as post-name it saves some instructions for your server how to handle permalinks in .htaccess file. And that is the important code for permalinks to work now as WordPress have re added that code so your 404 error should be fixed.
Why 404 error on Custom Post Type pages?
This is well explained above so to fix you have to reset the WordPress permalinks.
Can we help you? Yes our WordPress maintenance Service or you can contact us for custom website work.