Why pagination is not working and gives a 404 error on the wordpress site?

When pagination is not working and results in a 404 error on a WordPress site, it’s usually due to issues with the permalinks or the configuration of the theme or plugins. Here are some common reasons and solutions:

  1. Permalinks Configuration: Incorrect permalink settings can cause pagination issues. To fix this, navigate to “Settings” > “Permalinks” in the WordPress dashboard, and simply click “Save Changes” without making any modifications. This action refreshes the permalink structure and can often resolve the 404 error.
  2. Theme or Plugin Conflict: A conflict between your theme or plugins might be causing the pagination problem. To identify the culprit, deactivate all plugins and switch to a default WordPress theme (such as Twenty Twenty-One). Then, try accessing pagination again. If it works, reactivate your theme and plugins one by one until the issue reappears. This will help you pinpoint the conflicting item.
  3. Custom Query Loop: If you’re using a custom query loop in your theme or a plugin, ensure that it’s correctly configured to handle pagination. Pagination parameters like 'paged' => get_query_var('paged') should be included in the query arguments.
  4. Corrupted .htaccess File: The .htaccess file in your WordPress root directory might be corrupted or misconfigured. You can regenerate the .htaccess file by going to “Settings” > “Permalinks” and clicking “Save Changes” again. This action should recreate the .htaccess file with the correct configuration.
  5. Server Configuration: Occasionally, server misconfigurations, particularly related to URL rewriting or mod_rewrite settings, can lead to pagination issues. Contact your web hosting provider to ensure that server configurations are correctly set up to handle WordPress permalinks and pagination.
  6. Cache or CDN Issues: If you’re using caching plugins or a content delivery network (CDN), try clearing the cache or temporarily disabling caching to see if it resolves the pagination problem. Cached pages might not reflect recent changes to the permalink structure.

By addressing these potential causes, you should be able to troubleshoot and fix the pagination 404 error on your WordPress site.